News Tip: Canada Denies Report on India's Role in Sikh Separatist Killing "Speculative and Inaccurate"
Indian officials have been linked to the murder of Sikh separatist Hardeep Singh Nijjar, according to recent claims made by media, but Canada's government has called the allegations "speculative and inaccurate." The report, published by Canada's Globe and Mail, quoted unnamed officials saying that high-ranking Indian leaders, including Prime Minister Narendra Modi and National Security Advisor Ajit Doval, knew about the plot to kill Nijjar, who was gunned down in Vancouver in June 2023.
However, the Canadian government rejected this strongly. Nathalie G Drouin, national security and intelligence advisor to Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, stated that "the government is not aware" of any evidence to substantiate the allegations. Drouin also made it clear that the Royal Canadian Mounted Police and other officials had not established the involvement of agents of Indian origin in the killing. "The Government of Canada has neither said, nor is aware of the evidence linking Indian leaders to the serious criminal activity in Canada," Drouin added in a statement.
This development comes amid increasing tensions between India and Canada following the killing of Hardeep Singh Nijjar, the leader of the banned Khalistan Tiger Force. The India-Canada diplomatic crisis escalated when Justin Trudeau publicly alleged that Indian agents were involved in his killing. However, India has continuously dismissed these claims, dubbedbing them "absurd" and accused Trudeau's administration of seeking political mileage by appeasing Khalistani sympathizers.
The Government of India through the External Affairs Ministry responded that the report from the Globe and Mail was also a "smear campaign", which, it called upon Canadians to nullify such "ludicrous statements" aimed at thwarting ties with India. In an apparent reaction, India has sought evidence from Canada, which remains in the dark thus far on proof related to the murder of Nijjar.
As the diplomatic row between Canada and India escalates, both countries continue to engage in a war of words, with no clear resolution in sight. The Canada-India relations remain strained, with the political fallout from Nijjar’s killing showing little sign of abating in the near future.
