A Canadian official alleged on Tuesday that Indian Home Minister Amit Shah ordered a campaign of violence, intimidation, and intelligence-gathering targeting Sikh separatists inside Canada. Deputy Foreign Affairs Minister David Morrison confirmed Shah's involvement to The Washington Post, stating that Canada had credible evidence linking Indian government agents to the murder of Canadian Sikh activist Hardeep Singh Nijjar in British Columbia in June 2023.
Canadian authorities have shared evidence with Indian officials, who have denied the allegations. In response, Canada expelled the Indian high commissioner and five diplomats, accusing them of coercion, intimidation, and violence related to the campaign for an independent Sikh state known as Khalistan.
Notably, the United States Justice Department also announced criminal charges against an Indian government employee for an alleged foiled plot to kill a Sikh separatist leader in New York City. The employee, Vikash Yadav, faces murder-for-hire charges in connection with the planned killing.
Trudeau's national security adviser, Nathalie Drouin, revealed that Canada has evidence of the Indian government gathering information on Indian nationals and Canadian citizens in Canada through diplomatic channels and proxies. This information was allegedly passed to the government in New Delhi, working with a criminal network linked to Lawrence Bishnoi, currently in prison in India.
Before going public with allegations against Indian diplomats, Canada attempted to work with the Indian government for accountability measures. However, when cooperation was not forthcoming, Canada decided to make the information public, including asking India to waive diplomatic immunity for the persons of interest.
The Royal Canadian Mounted Police cited threats to public safety as the reason for publicly discussing ongoing investigations. In response, the Indian government denied the allegations and expelled six Canadian diplomats. Four Indian nationals living in Canada have been charged with Nijjar's murder and are awaiting trial.
