Ottawa: The head of the Royal Canadian Mounted Police (RCMP) has urged the Sikh community here to speak out as they continue to investigate allegations linking the Indian government to a campaign of violence on Canadian soil.

In an interview with Radio-Canada on Tuesday, RCMP Commissioner Mike Duheme urged people with knowledge relevant to the investigation they are leading to come forward, the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation reported.

On Monday, Duheme publicly claimed that Indian government “agents” played a role in “widespread” violence in Canada, including homicides.

Duheme alleged that Indian diplomats and consular officials in Canada have been linked to murders and acts of “extortion, intimidation and coercion” against Canadians and people living in Canada.

He told reporters the national force felt it needed to intervene to disrupt networks operating in Canada, which he said poses a “significant threat to public safety in our country.”

“If people come forward, we can help them and I ask them to come forward if they can,” he said in an interview with Radio-Canada.

“People come to Canada to feel safe, and our job as law enforcement is to make sure they live in an environment where it is safe to live.”

Asked if members of the Indian diaspora should be concerned for their safety, Duheme said he hopes they “have confidence in police jurisdiction.”

The RCMP has urged the Sikh community to speak out as it continues to investigate allegations linking the Indian government to a campaign of violence on Canadian soil, the report added.

On Tuesday, the RCMP claimed the Bishnoi gang was linked to “agents” of the Indian government, which targets the South Asian community specifically “pro-Khalistani elements” in the country.

On this issue, India has strongly rejected attempts by Canadian authorities to link Indian agents to criminal gangs in Canada, with official sources in New Delhi even saying that Ottawa’s claim that it shared evidence with New Delhi in the case of Sikh extremist Hardeep Singh Nijjar was simply wrong.

The sources in New Delhi also dismissed Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau’s allegations that India was engaging in activities including carrying out covert operations targeting Canadian nationals in his country.

On Monday, India expelled six Canadian diplomats and announced the withdrawal of its high commissioner from Canada after rejecting Ottawa’s allegations linking the envoy to an investigation into Nijjar’s killing.