Two Sikh rally organizers say they were wrongly arrested amid Parliament bomb scare
Posted June 13, 2022 2:34 pm.
Last Updated June 14, 2022 10:22 am.
Two organizers of a Sikh event planned on Parliament Hill Saturday say they were arrested and released after being wrongfully identified in connection to a bomb threat in the area.
Manveer Singh, an organizer of a remembrance rally for the 1984 massacre of Sikhs in India, says police arrested him and told him they had “credible information” that he was connected to a serious bomb threat on the Hill.
“I’m still in shock. I couldn’t sleep for a couple of nights after that. I’m still uncomfortable and lots of questions in my mind, like who wants to set me up? What was that credible information that they just came to me and arrested me?” he said.
Parminder Singh, another organizer of the rally, says he was arrested not long afterward by Ottawa police, who told him there was a threat under his name related to a bomb threat of Parliament.
“As a Canadian Sikh, I love this country. I will do everything to protect this country because I feel that as a proud Canadian,” Parminder Singh explained.
Related article: Police identify persons of interest but no threat as Parliament Hill probe continues
He says after being in custody for a short while, police released him and apologized, adding they arrested him based on wrong information.
Both men say they are worried about the damage done to their reputation as a result of being arrested in connection to the explosives threat.
Ottawa police did not answer questions about the men’s account of events, saying only that the investigation into the matter is now concluded and no charges were laid.
The threat placed Parliament Hill on lockdown for a few hours Saturday. It was eventually lifted when police determined there was no threat to public safety.
Update on Parliament Hill Investigation
The Ottawa Police received information about a potential threat in the Parliament Hill area earlier today. (1/3) pic.twitter.com/pej4rcAlFl
— Ottawa Police (@OttawaPolice) June 11, 2022
The Parliamentary Protective Service had told members of Parliament and senators to “shelter in place” while it investigated.
In a statement to CityNews, the Parliamentary Protective Service said an alert was sent out via the Emergency Notification System (ENS) to all parliamentarians and parliamentary employees regarding an operation “with a possible threat.”
In a Twitter thread, the Ottawa Police Service wrote that two people of interest and two vehicles of interest had been located.
