Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau condemned this Monday the Indian government’s involvement in the murder of a Sikh leader last June in the province of British Columbia. In a parliamentary session, Trudeau said that confirming India’s participation would be an “unacceptable violation of the country’s sovereignty.” Trudeau has stressed that Canadian security authorities have been investigating the links between this crime and the work of agents from New Delhi for several weeks.
“An action of this kind violates the basic rules that govern free, open and democratic societies,” the Prime Minister said. He added that protecting Canadian citizens is a matter of utmost importance. Mélanie Joly, Minister of Foreign Affairs, reported a few minutes after Trudeau’s comments that an Indian diplomat had been expelled for alleged links to the assassination attempt. Joly has also sought maximum cooperation from the Indian authorities in this matter.
Hardeep Singh Nijjar was shot dead on June 18 outside a Sikh temple in the city of Surrey, British Columbia. Singh Nijjar, with a Canadian passport, was a recognized leader of this community and campaigned for the independence of the state of Punjab bordering Pakistan.
The Royal Canadian Mounted Police continue to search for two masked men in connection with this crime. The suspects fled in a 2008 Toyota Camry.
The religious leader was accused of conspiring to commit murder and terrorism in India. The Indian government has said in the past that it had nothing to do with the killing of the Sikh leader in Canada. For their part, the opposition parties expressed their support for the Trudeau government on this issue.
For decades, India has accused Canada of being too accommodating to the figures in this movement. Trudeau also announced this Monday that he had raised the issue directly with Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi during his trip to New Delhi for the G-20 summit. He also said he had been in touch with senior officials in India’s security apparatus.
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The Trudeau government’s allegations against New Delhi could trigger a new phase of tension between the two countries. Canada has a complex relationship with China, largely stemming from the December 2018 arrest of Huawei vice-president Meng Wanzhou at Vancouver airport at Washington’s request. After several negotiations, Meng was released in September 2021.
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