Days after Canada arrested three individuals in connection with the June 2023 murder of Khalistani separatist Hardeep Singh Nijjar, the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) in New Delhi said the Canadian authorities have informally communicated that the individuals are Indians and Ottawa has not provided any ‘official communique’.
“Let me first make it clear that no specific or relevant evidence or information has been shared by the Canadian authorities till date. You will therefore understand our view that the matter is being pre-judged. Obviously, there are political interests at work. We have long maintained that separatists, extremists and those advocating violence have been given political space in Canada,” said MEA official spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal.
Canada arrested Karan Brar, 22, Kamalpreet Singh, 22, and Karanpreet Singh, 28, residents of Edmonton, last week in the Nijjar murder case that has affected ties between India and Canada. They have been charged with first-degree murder and conspiracy to commit the crime. MEA officials, however, maintained that Canada is yet to share the details of the investigation behind the arrests indicating that the matter was conveyed to the Indian side through a “note verbale”.
Mr. Jaiswal’s remarks are the first formal response on the matter that was also earlier dealt by the External Affairs Minister S. Jaishankar who had hinted at the possibility of involvement of gangs in the killing of Nijjar. Canada’s Prime Minister Justin Trudeau had caused sensation in September by claiming that Nijjar was killed in Surrey, British Columbia, by Indian agents.
India usually takes time to assess claims by partner countries and it is understood that a full-scale assessment of the status of the arrested persons will be conducted after the Indian officials get access to more details about the case from the Canadian side. India has been arguing that Canada’s immigration policy has given chance to criminals to enter the country.
“We have also pointed to the Canadian authorities that figures associated with organised crime with links with India have been allowed entry and residency in Canada. Many of our extradition requests are pending. We are having discussions at the diplomatic level on all these matters,” said Mr. Jaiswal.
