OTTAWA: Canada’s Prime Minister Justin Trudeau on Wednesday said that there were “very clear indications” that India had violated Canadian sovereignty, as the countries row over the assassination of a Sikh separatist leader by Indian agents on Canadian soil last year.
The accusations, which Trudeau described as having “clear and ever clearer indications,” are related to the 2023 murder of Hardeep Singh Nijjar, a prominent advocate for an independent Sikh state and a Canadian citizen, outside a Sikh temple in Vancouver.
Speaking at a hearing on foreign interference on Wednesday, Trudeau said Canadian authorities had uncovered evidence of a broader campaign orchestrated by Indian government representatives targeting Canadian citizens.
The Canadian leader directly linked India to Nijjar’s murder, a claim that has worsened already strained relations between the two nations.
“We had clear and certainly now ever clearer indications that India had violated Canada’s sovereignty,” Trudeau said. He further alleged that the Royal Canadian Mounted Police (RCMP) had determined that violence against Canadians “has been enabled by and in many cases directed by the Indian government.”
The accusations come just two days after India and Canada expelled each other’s diplomats in retaliation for Canada’s claims of Indian involvement in an assassination campaign against Sikh separatists in Canada.
Trudeau criticized India’s response to the allegations, claiming that New Delhi not only rejected the accusations but also arbitrarily expelled dozens of Canadian diplomats “without cause.”
“We do not want to be in a situation of picking a fight with a significant trading partner,” Trudeau stated. However, he made it clear that Canada would not compromise on “standing up for Canadian sovereignty.”
Hardeep Singh Nijjar, who immigrated to Canada in 1997 and became a citizen in 2015, was a vocal supporter of Khalistan, a proposed independent Sikh state carved out of India. Four Indian nationals have been arrested in connection with Nijjar’s murder, which took place in June 2023.
Earlier on Tuesday, Trudeau said that federal police uncovered “clear and compelling evidence” indicating that Indian government agents were involved in activities threatening public safety in Canada. He characterized India’s actions as a “monumental mistake,” emphasizing the serious implications of using diplomats and organized crime to execute attacks on Canadian soil.
The investigation has uncovered alarming links between individuals associated with the Indian government and a criminal network led by notorious gangster Lawrence Bishnoi. Allegedly, these Indian diplomats were involved in criminal activities including extortion, intimidation, harassment, and targeted killings of Canadian citizens. Furthermore, Canadian authorities have implicated India’s top diplomat, Sanjay Verma, in Nijjar’s assassination.
In response to these revelations, Canada expelled six Indian diplomats, including the high commissioner, citing their involvement in Nijjar’s assassination and suggesting a broader campaign to target Indian dissidents in Canada. Canada had previously requested India waive immunity for these diplomats for questioning, but India rejected the demand, leading to the expulsions and escalating diplomatic tensions between the two countries.
Vina Nadjibulla, research director at the Asia Pacific Foundation of Canada, commented that the expulsions mark “a serious escalation in diplomatic tensions that have been ongoing for over a year.” She noted, “We’re witnessing a diplomatic rupture,” while Canada continues to call for Indian cooperation in the investigation, which India has so far declined.
Analysts warn that India’s actions threaten both regional and global stability. Critics argue that the Modi regime’s tactics indicate a pattern of state-sponsored terrorism and rogue behavior that endangers peace, not only in South Asia but worldwide. India has faced allegations of financing and planning destabilizing activities, particularly in Pakistan, where it is suspected of orchestrating anti-state operations.
