Canada blames India for suspected murder as tensions rise – video report Canada
Senior intelligence officials were expelled after Trudeau accused India of involvement in the murder of exiled Hardeep Singh Niijar
Tuesday 19 September 2023 7.16pm BST
Canada and India have announced diplomatic expulsions after Justin Trudeau made explosive claims that New Delhi was behind a state-sponsored attack on Canadian soil – allegations that India derided as “absurd.”
In his speech on Tuesday, the Canadian prime minister stood firm on allegations that India was involved in the death of Sikh independence campaigner Hardeep Singh Niijar, who was shot dead in Surrey, British Columbia, in June.
“India – and the Indian government – must address this matter with utmost seriousness. That’s what we’re doing,” Trudeau said. “We don’t want to provoke or escalate. We are simply presenting the facts as we understand them.”
Trudeau called the allegations “extremely serious” and warned that there were “far-reaching consequences” under international law. “We will follow the evidence and ensure the work is done to hold people accountable,” Trudeau said.
Late Monday, Canada’s foreign minister expelled Pavan Kumar Rai, the highest-ranking member of India’s foreign intelligence agency operating in Canada.
Indian authorities soon responded by ordering a senior Canadian diplomat to leave the country within five days of being summoned by High Commissioner Cameron Mackay. Canadian officials have not identified the diplomat, but local media reports have named Olivier Sylvestre, the Canadian Secret Service’s station chief in New Delhi.
Canada also updated its travel advisories on Tuesday, warning visitors to exercise a high level of caution in India due to the risk of terrorist attacks across the country.
Explainer: What’s behind the growing tensions between Canada and India?
The two expulsions have heightened tensions between the two G20 members and derailed talks over a possible bilateral trade deal. But the dispute also raises the prospect that mutual allies will be brought in, turning the feud into a larger diplomatic quagmire.
A senior Canadian official told Portal that the country had been working “very closely” with the United States on intelligence related to Trudeau’s accusation.
In a statement Tuesday, the U.S. State Department said it was “deeply concerned” about the allegations and that it was “critical” that the Canadian investigation continued, but did not confirm that officials had provided information to their Canadian counterparts.
This is what British Foreign Secretary James Cleverly told his government
supported a Canadian investigation, adding that he expected India’s “full cooperation” in the investigation. “Obviously we have a very strong relationship with Canada, a very strong relationship with India,” he said.
However, India’s foreign ministry said the expulsion reflected “growing concern over the interference of Canadian diplomats in our internal affairs and their involvement in anti-India activities.”
India reiterated allegations that Canada was providing a safe haven to “Khalistani terrorists and extremists,” which it warned was undermining India’s “sovereignty and territorial integrity.”
India has long called for Canada to take action against the Sikh independence movement, which is banned in India but finds support in countries with large Sikh diaspora populations such as Canada, Australia and the United Kingdom.
Canada has the largest Sikh population outside of Punjab. About 770,000 people – 2% of the country’s population – list Sikhism as their religion.
Prominent Indian figures sharply criticized Trudeau on social media. One Lawmakers called The Canadian prime minister was “the biggest joker posing as a leader on the planet right now” and suggested authorities reduce security for the Canadian High Commission. A retired general, Gaurav Arya, said the diplomatic mission should be closed and warned Canadians to “close up shop and leave before you get thrown out.”
Trudeau’s announcement Monday that Canadian security authorities believe “agents of India” played a role in Najjir’s death sent shockwaves across the country and led to calls for the federal government to reveal more details of the investigation.
“The Prime Minister must reveal all the facts. We need to know all possible evidence so that Canadians can make a judgment about it,” said Pierre Poilievre, leader of the opposition Conservative party.
British Columbia Premier David Eby said: “I once again call on the federal government to share all relevant information related to known ongoing foreign interference and transnational organized crime threats with our provincial authorities and government so that we can do so. “Take coordinated action and protect those at risk.”
Police have still not publicly identified the two masked men who opened fire on Najjir as he sat in his truck at the rear entrance of the Guru Nanak Sikh Gurdwara. The two men fled on foot down a street, through a park and into a waiting car. In August, an integrated homicide unit told reporters that a silver Toyota Camry was the suspect’s getaway vehicle and authorities were searching for a third suspect.
Nijjar’s son Balraj, 21, said on Tuesday he had always suspected India was behind the murder. “It was just a matter of time before the truth would come out,” he told CBC.
The World Sikh Organization said the allegations confirmed “what Sikhs in Canada have known for decades” that India is actively cracking down on dissidents on board.
Gurpatwant Singh Pannun, who leads Sikhs for Justice and was Najjir’s lawyer, had previously told the media that his client had been warned of threats against his life by CSIS in the days before the shooting. Pannun has since called for the immediate expulsion of Indian High Commissioner Sanjay Kumar Verma.
Canada’s Immigration Minister Marc Miller, posted on social media that Najjir became a Canadian citizen in 2015, denying “baseless rumors” that the father of two did not have citizenship.
The revelations come just weeks after the federal government announced the head of a public inquiry into foreign interference in Canada.
Public Security and Democratic Institutions Minister Dominic LeBlanc said Quebec Judge Marie-Josée Hogue will be tasked with “investigating and assessing foreign interference by China, Russia and other foreign states and non-state actors,” calling the issue a “global challenge” for democracies.
On Tuesday, New Democratic Party leader Jagmeet Singh wrote to Hogue, demanding that India also be included in the public inquiry. “In my experience as a Sikh Canadian, there has always been suspicion that India is interfering with the democratic rights of Canadians,” Singh wrote in the letter. “The Prime Minister’s announcement yesterday confirms that these suspicions are justified.”
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