Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau has escalated his accusations against India, claiming that the Royal Canadian Mounted Police (RCMP) has “clear and compelling evidence” of Indian agents being involved in activities that threaten public safety in Canada. Justin Trudeau’s comments come amid a deepening diplomatic rift between Canada and India, following allegations of Indian involvement in the murder of Khalistani terrorist Hardeep Singh Nijjar.
Speaking at a press conference, Justin Trudeau said that Indian government agents had engaged in clandestine operations and coercion targeting South Asian Canadians. This claim follows India’s decision to expel six Canadian diplomats from the country, including Acting High Commissioner Stewart Ross Wheeler and Deputy High Commissioner Patrick Hebert. The move came after Canada expelled six Indian diplomats, linking them to an ongoing investigation into Hardeep Singh Nijjar’s murder.
Justin Trudeau expressed frustration over India’s lack of cooperation in the investigation, revealing that Canadian officials had made several attempts to work with Indian authorities. “This is unacceptable,” Justin Trudeau said, adding that Indian officials had repeatedly denied and obstructed efforts to collaborate. He stated that Canadian officials had taken the extraordinary step of meeting with their Indian counterparts to share evidence gathered by the RCMP, which implicated six Indian agents as persons of interest in criminal activities.
Highlighting the severity of the situation, Justin Trudeau stressed that Canada had not intended to create diplomatic tensions with India. “This is not a choice that Canada made to create a chill in Canada-India relations,” he explained. However, the tension between the two countries has escalated following Canadian intelligence reports suggesting India’s involvement in Hardeep Singh Nijjar’s killing. Justin Trudeau said, “India was possibly, if not probably, behind Hardeep Singh Nijjar’s killing.”
Justin Trudeau reiterated that the Canadian government had reached out to India in good faith, hoping for cooperation in the investigation. However, he accused the Indian government of responding with denial, avoidance, and personal attacks. “Every step of the way, the response of the Indian government has been to deny, to obfuscate, to attack me personally and the integrity of the government of Canada,” Justin Trudeau said.
The Canadian Prime Minister urged India to cooperate with ongoing investigations and acknowledged the fears within Indo-Canadian and Sikh communities. He emphasized the importance of maintaining Canada’s sovereignty and ensuring the safety of its citizens, stating, “It is my responsibility to take action to reassure those whose safety has been compromised.”
This diplomatic standoff marks a significant strain in Canada-India relations, which have long been rooted in people-to-people ties and trade, but the escalating accusations have left both nations at odds over the Hardeep Singh Nijjar case.
