New Delhi:
India on Monday issued a sharp rebuttal to Canada, rejecting allegations of its High Commissioner being a ‘person of interest’ in a murder investigation, describing them as “preposterous imputations.”
Ties between India and Canada have been thorny ever since Justin Trudeau alleged India’s involvement in the killing of Hardeep Singh Nijjar, a Canadian Khalistani terrorist, in June 2023. India has repeatedly refuted these claims as “absurd” and “motivated,” accusing Trudeau’s government of indulging in vote-bank politics by pandering to pro-Khalistan elements within Canada.
The diplomatic row took a sharp turn when Canada reportedly named the Indian High Commissioner Sanjay Kumar Verma as a ‘person of interest’ in its investigation into Nijjar’s death. India swiftly hit back, accusing Canada of maligning its officials without evidence and using “preposterous” claims to justify its failure to curb Khalistani extremism on its soil.
In a strongly worded statement, New Delhi condemned Canada’s diplomatic communication suggesting that the Indian High Commissioner and other Indian diplomats were implicated in a sensitive investigation. The Ministry of External Affairs issued a sharp rebuttal, stating, “The Government of India strongly rejects these preposterous imputations and ascribes them to the political agenda of the Trudeau Government that is centered around vote bank politics.”
“Since Prime Minister Trudeau made certain allegations in September 2023, the Canadian government has not shared a shred of evidence with the Government of India, despite many requests from our side. This latest step follows interactions that have again witnessed assertions without any facts. This leaves little doubt that on the pretext of an investigation, there is a deliberate strategy of smearing India for political gains,” the Centre’s statement read.
The latest exchange follows a brief encounter between Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Justin Trudeau on the sidelines of the ASEAN Summit in Laos recently. While sources in New Delhi described the meeting as inconsequential, Trudeau painted it as a “brief exchange” in which he reiterated his concerns about the safety of Canadians and upholding the rule of law. “I won’t go into details about what we talked about… the safety of Canadians is one of the fundamental responsibilities of any Canadian government,” Trudeau said at a press conference.
India has repeatedly highlighted its concerns over the flourishing pro-Khalistan movement in Canada, demanding that Canada take firm and verifiable action against those advocating violence and extremism. Indian officials have warned that the nexus between Khalistani extremists, organised crime, drug syndicates, and human trafficking should be a matter of concern for Canada as well.
