Singh calls for investigation after 2 Sikh men detained over false terrorism tip

Federal NDP leader Jagmeet Singh is calling for an immediate investigation into the bogus terrorist tip to Ottawa police that led to two Sikh Canadian men, who were part of a commemoration event, being wrongly detained over the weekend and the closure of Parliament Hill for several hours.

A spokesperson for the two men previously told CityNews that police apologized profusely to the men and assured them officers would get to the bottom of things.

On Thursday, Singh tweeted out a video and in the caption wrote, “A false tip resulted in the arrest of 2 Sikh men while peacefully remembering the 1984 Sikh Genocide on Parliament Hill. Their turbans were removed and searched, while Parliament was placed on high alert.”

Singh added, “I’m demanding an immediate investigation into who was behind this hoax.”

In the video, Singh called what happened “very, very troubling,” and said there was no evidence the men participating in a peaceful protest were part of any troubling activity.

“That in light of what we saw when the occupation was going on in Ottawa, when we had people that were engaged in holding up signs and flags that were related to extreme right-wing organizations, dangerous organizations, their presence on the Hill… there was very little reaction,” Singh said, adding communities and local residents were hurt by what he called “the inaction of the police.”

“And in this case,” Singh said, “without any real basis, without any real evidence, two Sikh men were treated very poorly.”

Comparing the Ottawa protests and the wrongful detainment of the two Sikh Canadian men over a false tip, Singh said, “that clearly shows there’s a problem with the way threats are being taken.”

RELATED: 2 Sikh men detained in Ottawa, released with apologies after bogus terrorism tip

CityNews reached out to the Ottawa Police Department, who provide the same statement interim chief Steve Bell gave to police board members earlier this week.

The email said, in part, regarding the investigation of what Bell said was a potential threat in the Parliament Hill area, he said there is an ongoing investigation being conducted by the RCMP into this matter, and in light of that investigation, they are limited in what can be said, “but we are working to provide as much information as possible to ensure transparency.”

“Our officers acted on the information received to ensure public safety. The officers took multiple actions in good faith and worked as quickly and effectively as possible to investigate the potential threat,” Bell wrote.

Bell said police are aware of the investigation’s impact on the city and the individuals arrested and they have reached out to the leadership of Ottawa’s Sikh community and will be meeting with them for feedback and to discuss the police response and processes under these circumstances.

“Our relationship with the Sikh community is important to us,” Bell said, “Our intent is to work to explain our response and alleviate any doubts with respect to community support, and to provide reassurance that Ottawa Police is working to better understand and address the needs of our communities.”

Bell said when the investigation by the RCMP is complete, police will be reviewing the incident and feedback from the community to look for ways to improve responses to similar incidents.