Top Indian sources have rejected Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau’s claims that Canada provided “credible evidence” to India regarding the killing of Khalistani terrorist Hardeep Singh Nijjar, ANI reported . According to the sources, Canada has resorted to making “vague accusations” and shifting the burden of denial onto India.
During a press conference on Monday, Trudeau accused Indian agents of engaging in “clandestine information-gathering techniques, coercive behavior, and violent acts targeting Canadians.” Indian officials dismissed these allegations, calling them “the same old things for the same old reasons.”
Sources said that Canada had not supplied any specific evidence linking individuals to India. They pointed out that although the RCMP claimed there were connections between individuals and the Indian government, no clear details were ever provided. “They talked about holding people accountable, but it was never clear who or for what,” one source said.
The targeting of Indian diplomats, despite extensive diplomatic engagement over the past year, was described by Indian sources as “absurd.” They accused Canada of escalating the situation by focusing on the Indian High Commissioner and other officials without cause.
Citing RCMP findings, Trudeau claimed that Indian officials were involved in activities threatening public safety, including surveillance and coercion targeting South Asian Canadians. He alleged that Canadian law enforcement had attempted to cooperate with Indian authorities but had been “repeatedly refused.”
In response to Canada’s expulsion of six Indian diplomats, India expelled six Canadian diplomats on Monday and summoned Canada’s chargé d’affaires, Stewart Wheeler, to express outrage over what it termed the “baseless targeting” of Indian officials. India described the Canadian communication, which labeled Indian diplomats as “persons of interest,” as “preposterous” and politically motivated.
Relations between the two countries have been tense since Trudeau alleged in Parliament last year that India was involved in Nijjar’s killing. Nijjar, a Khalistani leader, was shot dead in Surrey in June 2023. India has criticized Canada for harboring extremist elements and allowing violent radicals to intimidate Indian diplomats and community leaders.
(Inputs from ANI)