Justin Trudeau's first bilateral visit to India was hit by a controversy over the dinner invitation to Atwal by the Canadian High Commissioner in New Delhi.
The informant, who asked not to be identified for fear of retaliation, confirmed speaking to an agent from the Canadian Security Intelligence Service (CSIS) on February 17, hoping to alert the Canadian government to Atwal's criminal history.
A separate source told Postmedia that some members of the Punjabi-language media in Surrey sent news reports about Atwal's history to the Canadian High Commission in New Delhi on February 20.
Despite the warnings, Atwal attended a reception on February 21 in Mumbai where he was photographed with Trudeau's wife Sophie Gregoire and Infrastructure Minister Amarjeet Sohi.