The indictment of an Indian national in a foiled assassination attempt against a Sikh separatist on American soil underscored what Canada has been alleging in Hardeep Singh Nijjar's case and India must take it seriously, Prime Minister Justin Trudeau said.
The remarks by Trudeau came after Nikhil Gupta, 52, was charged on Wednesday with murder-for-hire in connection with his participation in a foiled plot to assassinate a US citizen in New York City. Trudeau said Wednesday that Canadian authorities have been working closely with their American counterparts since August on allegations about the Indian government's involvement in Nijjar's killing on June 18 in British Columbia province.
India had designated Nijjar as a terrorist in 2020. New Delhi has rejected Trudeau's allegations as 'absurd' and 'motivated'. “The news coming out of the United States further underscores what we've been talking about from the very beginning, which is that India needs to take this seriously. The Indian government needs to work with us to ensure that we're getting to the bottom of this,” The Canadian Press quoted Trudeau as saying.
The indictment unsealed Wednesday in the US District Court for the Southern District of New York does not name the US citizen who was the target of the assassination plot. However, The Financial Times, citing unnamed sources, last week reported that US authorities thwarted a plot to assassinate banned Sikhs for Justice's Gurpatwant Singh Pannun, and issued a warning to the Indian government over concerns it was involved in the plot.
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“This is not something that anyone can take lightly. Our responsibility is to keep Canadians safe, and that's what we're going to continue to do,” Trudeau emphasised. On Canada's allegations, External Affairs Ministry spokesperson Arindam Bagchi said on Thursday that the main issue with Ottawa has been that of activities of anti-India elements in that country.
"In so far as Canada is concerned, we have said that they have consistently given space to anti-India extremists and violence and that is actually the heart of the issue. Our diplomatic representatives in Canada have borne the brunt of this," Bagchi said at a MEA briefing.
"We expect the government of Canada to live up to its obligations under the Vienna Convention on Diplomatic Relations. We have also seen interference by Canadian diplomats in our internal affairs," he said. It is obviously unacceptable, Bagchi added.
Canada and India witnessed strains in ties following Trudeau's allegations in September of the "potential" involvement of Indian agents in the killing of Nijjar. India's High Commissioner Sanjay Kumar Verma last week said India was “absolutely” and “decidedly” not involved in the killing of Nijjar and Ottawa has "convicted" New Delhi even before the completion of the investigation.
