Indiaʼs government has denied working with criminals to target Sikh separatists in Canada a claim made by Canadian officials this week. This denial comes as diplomatic tensions between the two countries continue to rise
Randhir Jaiswal‚ Indias External Affairs Ministry spokesman‚ rejected the idea that India was cooperating with India-based mobsters in Canada. He suggested that Canadian authorities were resisting Indiaʼs attempts to extradite these individuals to India. “Its strange that people we asked to be deported“ are being blamed by the Canadians for “committing crimes in Canada‚“ Jaiswal stated
Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau and police officials recently went public with allegations that Indian diplomats were targeting Sikh separatists in Canada. They claimed that top Indian officials were sharing information about these activists (who are Canadian citizens) with their government back home and then passing that information to Indian organized crime groups. These groups were allegedly targeting the activists with drive-by shootings extortions and even murder
The diplomatic crisis deepened when both sides ordered the expulsion of top diplomats. This action was related to Canadaʼs allegation that the diplomats were linked to the killing of Sikh activist Hardeep Singh Nijjar about a year and a half ago
Jaiswal reiterated that Canada has provided no evidence of its allegations surrounding attacks on Sikh activists. This contradicts Trudeauʼs statements that Canadian investigators have privately shared information with Indian counterparts and found them to be uncooperative
At the same time‚ Jaiswal accused Canada of failing to take action against Sikhs living in Canada who face terrorism charges in India. These individuals are accused of being part of a Sikh secessionist campaign in Indias northern Punjab state. Jaiswal mentioned that 26 extradition requests have been pending in Canada for a decade or more
The Royal Canadian Police recently identified Indiaʼs top diplomat in the country and five other diplomats as persons of interest in the Nijjar killing. They also claimed to have uncovered evidence of an intensifying campaign against Canadians by agents of the Indian government
Four Indian nationals living in Canada were charged with Nijjars murder and are awaiting trial