In a startling admission during a public inquiry on Wednesday, Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau admitted that Canada had no “hard evidentiary proof” to support allegations linking Indian government agents to the killing of Khalistani terrorist Hardeep Singh Nijjar last year. Mr Trudeau’s testimony came amid heightened diplomatic tensions between India and Canada, which escalated following these accusations in 2023.
Speaking during a public inquiry into alleged foreign interference in Canada’s federal electoral processes and democratic institutions, Mr Trudeau revealed that his claims about India’s involvement were based on intelligence rather than conclusive evidence.
“I was briefed on the fact that there was intelligence from Canada, and possibly from Five Eyes allies that made it fairly clear, incredibly clear, that India was involved in this… Agents of the government of India were involved in the killing of a Canadian on Canadian soil,” he said.
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The Five Eyes network, comprising Canada, the United States, the United Kingdom, Australia, and New Zealand, focuses on surveillance and signals intelligence (SIGINT). According to Mr Trudeau, the information presented was alarming enough for the Canadian government to take seriously.
Mr Trudeau alleged that Indian diplomats were engaged in gathering information on Canadians who were critical of the Modi government, with this data reportedly being passed to senior Indian officials and criminal organizations, including the Lawrence Bishnoi gang. The Bishnoi gang, notorious for its involvement in organised crime, has been linked by Canadian authorities to violence targeting the South Asian community, specifically pro-Khalistani activists in Canada.
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Nijjar, a designated terrorist by India’s National Investigation Agency in 2020, was shot dead outside a gurdwara in Surrey, British Columbia, in June 2023. The Royal Canadian Mounted Police (RCMP) later stated that six Indian diplomats were allegedly part of a plot to murder Nijjar. The Canadian Police also suggested that the Bishnoi gang was connected to Indian government agents.
Mr Trudeau explained that Canada had the option to go public with the allegations during the G20 summit held in New Delhi in September 2023 but chose not to.
“Our response was, well, it’s within your security agencies,” Mr Trudeau said, recounting Canada’s exchanges with India. “At that point, it was primarily intelligence, not hard evidentiary proof. So we said, let’s work together and look into your security services.”
Mr Trudeau added that he confronted Prime Minister Narendra Modi during the G20 summit, claiming that Canada was aware of India’s alleged involvement. According to Mr Trudeau, PM Modi’s response was to express concern about individuals in Canada critical of the Indian government, requesting that they be arrested.
Canada’s Response, India’s Retaliation
The diplomatic fallout between the two countries worsened when India expelled six Canadian diplomats following Mr Trudeau’s allegations. India also recalled its High Commissioner to Canada, Sanjay Kumar Verma, as part of the escalating diplomatic row. Mr Trudeau accused India of not cooperating with Canada’s investigation, while India dismissed the claims as unfounded.
India responded with rejection of the accusations, stating that the Canadian government had failed to provide any evidence.
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“What we have heard today only confirms what we have been saying consistently all along – Canada has presented us (India) no evidence whatsoever in support of the serious allegations that it has chosen to level against India and Indian diplomats,” the MEA said in a statement. “The responsibility for the damage that this cavalier behaviour has caused to India-Canada relations lies with Prime Minister Trudeau alone.”
Our response to media queries regarding PM of Canada’s deposition at the Commission of Inquiry: https://t.co/JI4qE3YK39 pic.twitter.com/1W8mel5DJe
— Randhir Jaiswal (@MEAIndia) October 16, 2024
This follows India’s sharp rebuttal to Canada on Monday, rejecting allegations Mr Verma being a ‘person of interest’ in a murder investigation, describing them as “preposterous imputations.”
Canada reportedly named High Commissioner 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.
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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. An MEA response stated, “The Government of India strongly rejects these preposterous imputations and ascribes them to the political agenda of the Mr Trudeau Government that is centred around vote bank politics.”
The Indian government has consistently argued that Canada provides a safe haven for pro-Khalistani extremists and separatists who pose a threat to India’s security. New Delhi also highlighted that it had requested action against these elements, which Canada had failed to take seriously.
‘Major Win’ For India
Canadian journalist Daniel Bordman has described Mr Trudeau’s admission as a “major win for the Indian narrative.” Speaking with news agency ANI, Mr Bordman noted that Canada’s initially aggressive stance, including the expulsion of Indian diplomats and accusations targeting India, has now been tempered by Mr Trudeau’s clarification.
“This is a pretty big win for the Indian narrative… We had gone pretty hard. We had kicked out a diplomat and named the Indian High Commission,” Mr Bordman said.
The heart of the diplomatic row remains unresolved, according to Mr Bordman, centring around perspectives on Nijjar’s identity – whether he was a Khalistani terrorist, as India claims, or a community activist, as many in Canada believe.
“On the geopolitical technicality aspect, India wins here because you never said you had evidence. But what does it change from the grand structures of things? Ultimately, the diplomatic spat is really about the unanswered question, was Hardeep Singh Nijjar a Khalistani terrorist or a community activist? And that general disagreement has not moved,” Bordman added.
Mr Bordman also criticised Mr Trudeau’s claim that Canada supports India’s territorial integrity. “Trudeau says things and then does things that don’t align with what he says… He might claim to be against Khalistani separatism, but his actions tell a different story,” Mr Bordman remarked.