Describing Canada’s allegations as “politically motivated,” India’s top diplomat in the country has strongly rejected any role in the killing of Khalistani separatist Hardeep Singh Nijjar, who was shot and killed in British Columbia last year.
High Commissioner Sanjay Kumar Verma made these remarks before leaving Canada, as tensions between the two countries pushed diplomatic ties to their lowest point. “Nothing at all,” Verma said when directly asked about any alleged connection to the killing in an exclusive interview with CTV, in which he added that “no evidence has been presented” for the “politically motivated” claims.
When asked if the Indian government has ever targeted individuals with the intent of causing their deaths, Verma replied, “Never.” This statement aligns with the Indian government’s earlier rebuke of Canada, where it said that the Trudeau government’s claims about the involvement of senior Indian diplomats in the Nijjar probe “serve the political agenda of the current regime.”
Strongly rejecting Canadian claims, it attributed the allegations to “the political agenda” of the Trudeau government that is “centred around vote bank politics.” New Delhi has repeatedly criticised Ottawa for being soft on supporters of the Khalistan movement who live in Canada and promote anti-India activities in the country.
India-Canada Row
High Commissioner Verma’s latest comments come just days after the Canadian government accused Indian diplomats in Canada of engaging in activities related to crimes, including homicides and extortion. Tensions between Canada and India escalated following Prime Minister Justin Trudeau’s statement last year about “credible allegations” linking Indian government agents to Nijjar’s killing.
In response to the allegations, Canada expelled six diplomats, including Verma, prompting India to reciprocate by expelling six Canadian diplomats. Meanwhile, New Delhi expelled Canadian Charge d’Affaires Stewart Wheeler and five other diplomats. The Canadian diplomats left the Indian national capital on Friday evening. India also recalled its High Commissioner and five more diplomats and they are also on their way back to India.
‘Not a shred of evidence’
Canadian Foreign Minister Melanie Joly earlier said that the decision to expel these individuals was made after the RCMP gathered clear evidence identifying them as persons of interest in Nijjar’s case. The Indian High Commissioner accused Joly of making politically motivated statements, saying, “Let me see the concrete evidence she’s talking about.” He condemned Nijjar’s killing, saying, “Any murder is wrong and bad.”
Underlining that “not a shred of evidence has been shared” with India regarding the allegations, Verma noted that the RCMP’s Deputy Commissioner had attempted to meet with Indian officials to present evidence but was unsuccessful. The Indian diplomat explained that the lack of cooperation was due to “technical” issues, including the absence of proper visas for a delegation. When pressed on whether this gave the impression that the Indian government has something to hide, Verma insisted, “Absolutely not.” He added that India has been requesting evidence from Canada for the past year.
‘No action’
On Thursday, India said it had shared with the Canadian government security-related information regarding members of the Lawrence Bishnoi gang and other gangs, seeking their arrest, but so far “no action” has been taken by Ottawa. “They have taken no action so far, which are our core concerns. And, there is a political motive behind it, which you know… No action taken on our security concern,” Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal told reporters.
He said this in response to a query during his weekly briefing here as he fielded a volley of questions on India-Canada ties, a day after Trudeau testified before a Commission of Inquiry. Jaiswal, in response to another query, said “as far as my information is concerned, there are 26 extradition requests (from India) pending with the Canadian side” over the last decade or more. The MEA spokesperson said the current diplomatic row with Canada has been precipitated by the Trudeau government’s “baseless” allegations, and reiterated that “no evidence” has been shared in support of Ottawa’s charges against New Delhi.
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