New Delhi: India has strongly rejected a recent claim in a Canadian media report that said Prime Minister Narendra Modi knew about a plot to kill Sikh separatist Hardeep Singh Nijjar. The report, published by The Globe and Mail, cited an unnamed Canadian official.
It suggested that other senior Indian officials, including National Security Advisor Ajit Doval and External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar, were also aware of the alleged plot.
Ministry of External Affairs called the report "ludicrous" and urged people to ignore it. Spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal said such allegations only harm the already tense relationship between the two countries.
"We do not usually comment on media reports, but these false claims should be dismissed," Jaiswal said. "Smear campaigns like this make things worse," he added.
The killing of Hardeep Singh Nijjar, a key figure in the Khalistan movement, happened in June 2023 in British Columbia, Canada. This has caused major tensions between India and Canada. After Nijjar's murder, Canadian authorities accused India of being involved, leading to the expulsion of Indian diplomats. In return, India expelled Canadian diplomats.
Tensions escalated in September 2024 when Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau said Canada had "credible evidence" that the Indian government was linked to Nijjar's murder. This led to more expulsions of diplomats from both countries.
Canada's Deputy Foreign Affairs Minister, David Morrison, also claimed that Home Minister Amit Shah has ordered a campaign against Sikh Separatists in Canada. He mentioned this during a parliamentary session but did not explain how Canada knew of Shah's involvement.
India rejected these claims, calling them "baseless and absurd". Jaiswal said these allegations were false, and India formally protested to Canada. India has accused Canada of allowing Sikh separatist groups to operate freely and of not cooperating in extraditing people India considers terrorists.
45-year-old Nijjar was shot in his pickup truck in Surrey, British Columbia. An Indian-born citizen of Canada, Nijjar owned a plumbing business and was a leader in what remains of a once-strong movement to create an independent Sikh homeland.
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