New Delhi, September 19, 2023 – India has strongly rebuffed the allegations made by Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau regarding the involvement of the Indian government in the killing of Canadian Sikh leader Hardeep Singh Nijjar, who had sympathies for the Khalistani movement. The Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) labeled these allegations as “absurd and motivated,” emphasizing that they were a deliberate attempt to divert attention from Canada’s harboring of Khalistani terrorists.
Prime Minister Trudeau’s comments were delivered on Tuesday, where he asserted a potential link between the Indian government and Nijjar’s tragic death. The MEA has vehemently denied any such involvement and criticized Canada for sheltering individuals with ties to the Khalistani movement.
Furthermore, in response to these allegations, Canada’s Foreign Ministry has taken the unusual step of expelling a top Indian diplomat, Pavan Kumar Rai, who represented the Research and Analysis Wing (RAW). Rai, a 1997-batch Indian Police Service (IPS) Officer, had been serving as Joint Secretary (Personnel) at the Ministry of External Affairs since December 2018.
The incident in question revolves around the fatal shooting of Canadian Sikh leader Hardeep Singh Nijjar, which occurred outside a Sikh temple in Surrey, B.C., on June 18.
Arindam Bagchi, Spokesperson for the MEA, stated, “We have seen and reject the statement of the Canadian Prime Minister in their Parliament, as also the statement by their Foreign Minister. Allegations of the Government of India’s involvement in any act of violence in Canada are absurd and motivated … We are a democratic polity with a strong commitment to the rule of law.”
Bagchi went on to highlight that Prime Minister Trudeau had raised these allegations during his meeting with Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi at the G20 Leaders’ Summit in New Delhi. The MEA’s spokesperson underscored that such unverified accusations were intended to divert attention from the presence of Khalistani terrorists and extremists taking refuge in Canada, which poses a continuous threat to India’s sovereignty and territorial integrity.
The MEA also expressed concern about the open sympathy expressed by Canadian political figures for these elements, highlighting the ongoing worries surrounding illegal activities, including human trafficking, organized crime, and murders, taking place within Canada.
India firmly rejects any attempts to link its government to the unfortunate events and insists that the Canadian government take swift and effective legal action against all individuals involved in anti-India activities on Canadian soil.
