According to the prime minister of Canada, there are “credible allegations” that the government of India was complicit in the murder of a major Sikh leader in British Columbia in June. The rift between the two G20 nations widened as a result of Justin Trudeau’s charges, which led to a furious response from New Delhi and a series of diplomatic expulsions. Using information from national security agencies, Trudeau informed members of parliament on Monday that Canadian police were looking into whether “agents” of New Delhi were responsible for the murder of Hardeep Singh Nijjar in June in Surrey, a Vancouver suburb with a sizable Sikh population.
Hardeep Singh Nijjar
According to Trudeau, “Canadian security agencies have been actively looking into credible allegations of a possible connection between agents of the Indian government and the killing of a Canadian citizen.” “Any involvement of a foreign government in the murder of a citizen of Canada on Canadian soil is an unacceptable breach of our sovereignty,” the government of Canada has said.
During a meeting in New Delhi last week during the G20 conference, Trudeau claimed to the House of Commons that he brought up the accusations with India’s Prime Minister Narendra Modi. According to Mélanie Joly, Canada’s foreign minister, a senior Indian diplomat was ejected from the nation on Monday. At all times, we will safeguard Canadians, Joly assured reporters. We anticipate complete cooperation from India to solve this. The statement by Trudeau and the comments by Joly were both rejected as “absurd and motivated” by the Indian government on Tuesday.
 India’s external affairs ministry issued a statement saying, “Similar allegations were made by the Canadian Prime Minister to our Prime Minister, and were completely rejected.” We have a strong commitment to the rule of law and are a democratic government. Another claim made by the Indian government was that a senior Canadian official had been asked to leave the nation. The choice, according to New Delhi, “reflects [the] government of India’s growing concern over the interference of Canadian diplomats in our internal affairs and their involvement in anti-Indian activities.” Long-standing tensions exist between India and Canada as well as between its two prime ministers personally.
2020 saw New Delhi accuse Ottawa of interfering when Trudeau stood out in support of protesting farmers who compelled Modi to drop his plans to reform the agriculture code. Last week, the two nations put a halt to negotiations for a proposed free trade pact. Nearly 800,000 Sikhs reside in Canada, with a large portion of them residing in the Toronto suburbs of Surrey and Brampton. The Khalistan independence movement, which aspires to establish a sovereign state in India’s northern Punjab state, is backed by certain Sikh Canadians.
The movement is condemned by the Indian government, which has long charged that Canada is a haven for Sikh separatists. On Tuesday, the government of India referred to these individuals as “Khalistani terrorists and extremists” who “continue to threaten India’s sovereignty and territorial integrity.” New Delhi said it was deeply concerning that “political figures in Canada have openly expressed sympathy for such elements.”
Nijjar is a Sikh nationalist who was accused of terrorism by the Indian government, which also set rewards for his capture. In a letter to Trudeau in 2016, Nijjar dismissed the accusations made by New Delhi and argued that his advocacy was “peaceful, democratic, and protected under the Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms.” The World Sikh Organization of Canada referred to Nijjar’s murder as a “assassination” and requested Ottawa to look into India’s involvement.
Nijjar was murdered on the premises of the gurdwara, a Sikh place of worship, where he served as president. Three suspects were reportedly identified by British Columbia police last month, however they were not named. There have been no detentions. Sikh politician and New Democratic Party leader Jagmeet Singh pledged to “leave no stone unturned in the pursuit of justice, including holding Narendra Modi accountable” on X, formerly Twitter.
The Hindu nationalist administration of Modi has been outraged by pro-Khalistan demonstrations this year in Canada and other countries, with protesters storming New Delhi’s diplomatic missions in San Francisco and London. Following the organization of a “Khalistan freedom rally” in Toronto in July and threats made against Indian diplomats whom they suspected of being complicit in Nijjar’s death, India summoned Canada’s high commissioner in New Delhi.
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