A veteran Canada Border Services Agency superintendent has launched a $9-million lawsuit against the government of India, alleging it orchestrated a malicious disinformation campaign that falsely branded him a terrorist, threatened his safety, and derailed his career.
Sandeep Singh “Sunny” Sidhu, a B.C.-born CBSA officer with roughly 20 years of service, filed the claim Tuesday in Ontario Superior Court. According to the lawsuit, Indian authorities deliberately portrayed him as a dangerous Khalistani extremist employed by the Canadian government — a depiction he says was entirely fabricated and motivated by his Sikh identity and visible role in national border security.
The allegations erupted publicly last October, when Indian media outlets aired stories naming Sidhu as a “dreaded terrorist” and claiming he was a wanted fugitive connected to banned groups and violent acts. Those reports quickly spread across social media, where users circulated his personal information, demanded his extradition, and issued death threats. Sidhu, who had previously kept a low profile aside from brief appearances on the reality series Border Security: Canada’s Front Line, said he was forced into hiding.
The statement of claim, drafted by Toronto lawyer Jeffrey Kroeker, argues that Sidhu was targeted because of his Sikh surname and because Indian authorities sought to inflame political tensions and undermine Canada at a time of strained diplomatic relations. India has repeatedly denied targeting Canadians through disinformation.
The lawsuit also accuses the CBSA of failing in its duty to protect him. Rather than intervening or offering support, Sidhu alleges, the agency minimized the seriousness of the threats and subjected him to invasive internal scrutiny, including demands for privacy waivers and security checks. He was suspended pending investigation, though ultimately cleared of wrongdoing and reinstated. The experience, the claim says, left him traumatized, with deteriorating mental health and alcohol dependency that required treatment at Vancouver’s St. Paul’s Hospital.
In a previous statement to CBC News, the CBSA confirmed it continues to employ Sidhu and said it found no evidence to support the allegations made against him by Indian outlets.
Sidhu is seeking compensation for reputational harm, emotional and psychological suffering, and loss of income. The CBSA is named as a co-defendant for alleged negligence in its handling of the situation.
A preliminary court hearing is expected in early 2026.