India’s envoy to Canada rejects involvement in Sikh activist’s killing

Sanjay Kumar Verma, who is being expelled from Canada, says helium had ‘nothing astatine all’ to bash with Hardeep Singh Nijjar murder.

Montreal, Canada – India’s precocious commissioner to Canada has rejected allegations of engagement successful the 2023 sidesplitting of a salient Sikh separatist person successful the country, slamming the Canadian authorities arsenic being “politically motivated” successful its accusations.

In an interview with Canadian web CTV News connected Sunday, Sanjay Kumar Verma was asked whether helium had thing to bash with the assassination of Hardeep Singh Nijjar.

“Nothing astatine all, nary grounds presented, politically motivated,” helium replied.

The interrogation comes conscionable days aft Canadian constabulary said they had uncovered grounds that Indian authorities agents were progressive “in superior transgression enactment successful Canada”, including links “to homicides and convulsive acts”.

Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau’s authorities announced connected Monday that it was expelling six Indian diplomats and consular officials – including Verma – aft they were identified arsenic “persons of interest” successful the sidesplitting of Nijjar.

Nijjar, a Canadian citizen, was fatally changeable successful June 2023 extracurricular a Sikh temple wherever helium served arsenic president successful Canada’s westernmost state of British Columbia.

He had been a starring advocator successful what is known arsenic the Khalistan movement, a Sikh run for a sovereign authorities successful India’s Punjab region, which India views arsenic a menace to its nationalist security.

His sidesplitting sent daze waves crossed Canada and ties betwixt New Delhi and Ottawa deed caller lows aft the Canadian government said successful September of past twelvemonth that it was investigating whether Indian authorities agents were involved.

India has rejected the allegations, describing them arsenic “preposterous imputations” and calling connected Canada to amusement grounds to backmost up its claims.

On Monday, the Royal Canadian Mounted Police (RCMP) said it straight presented grounds to Indian authorities officials, “urging their practice successful stemming the unit and requesting our instrumentality enforcement agencies enactment unneurotic to code these issues”.

During Sunday’s interrogation with CTV News, Verma – the Indian precocious commissioner to Canada – repeatedly said helium has not been presented with immoderate evidence.

Verma said India is “committed not to bash extrajudicial killings connected immoderate territory”.

He besides said helium had ne'er directed oregon coerced individuals into gathering accusation connected pro-Khalistan activists successful Canada. “I, arsenic precocious commissioner of India, person ne'er done thing of that kind,” helium told CTV News.

“Do we privation to cognize what pro-Khalistani elements successful Canada are doing? Yes, we do. That’s my nationalist interest. That’s my full interest with Canada, which is trying to teardrop up Indian territory.

“If the Canadian politicians are truthful novice that they privation maine not to cognize what my enemies are doing here, I’m atrocious – past they don’t cognize what planetary relations is each about,” said Verma, stressing that the accusation gathering was “all overt”.

“We work the newspapers, we work their statements,” helium added.

But members of the Sikh assemblage successful Canada – the largest Sikh diaspora successful the world, numbering astir 770,000 radical – person said they faced threats for decades. They person accused the Indian authorities of trying to soundlessness them.

“For 40 years, our assemblage has been moving to bring overseas interference from India to light,” Moninder Singh, an subordinate of Nijjar’s successful British Columbia, told Al Jazeera past year.

Sikh advocates successful the United States person besides faced threats, and past week, the US Department of Justice charged an Indian authorities authoritative it said was progressive successful a failed crippled to termination a salient advocator for Sikh separatism successful New York.

US authorities filed “murder-for-hire and wealth laundering charges” against Vikash Yadav for his alleged engagement successful the crippled to assassinate Gurpatwant Singh Pannun.

Pannun, a US citizen, is the ineligible advisor for the radical Sikhs for Justice and a vocal protagonist of the Khalistan movement.

“The suspect [Yadav], an Indian authorities employee, allegedly conspired with a transgression subordinate and attempted to assassinate a US national connected American ungraded for exercising their First Amendment rights,” FBI Director Christopher Wray said successful a statement.

Sikhs for Justice said the US indictment demonstrated Washington’s “commitment … to support the life, liberty and state of look of the US Citizen astatine location and abroad”.

India’s Ministry of External Affairs said Yadav was nary longer employed by the government.