In a statement issued by the Ministry of External Affairs official spokesperson Arindam Bagchi on MEA social media handles, India has rejected Canada’s allegations regarding involvement in the killing of a Canadian Sikh.
The statement reads:
We have seen and reject the statement of the Canadian Prime Minister in their Parliament, as also the statement by their Foreign Minister.
Allegations of Government of India’s involvement in any act of violence in Canada are absurd and motivated
Similar allegations were made by the Canadian Prime Minister to our Prime Minister, and were completely rejected.
We are a democratic polity with a strong commitment to rule of law.
Such unsubstantiated allegations seek to shift the focus from Khalistani terrorists and extremists, who have been provided shelter in Canada and continue to threaten India’s sovereignty and territorial integrity. The inaction of the Canadian Government on this matter has been a long-standing and continuing concern.
That Canadian political figures have openly expressed sympathy for such elements remains a matter of deep concern.
The space given in Canada to a range of illegal activities including murders, human trafficking and organised crime is not new.
We reject any attempts to connect Government of India to such developments.
We urge the Government of Canada to take prompt and effective legal action against all anti-India elements operating from their soil.
The matter came to light when Canadian PM Justin Trudeau while speaking in the House of Commons, stated, “Canadian security agencies have been actively pursuing credible allegations of a potential link between agents of the Government of India and the killing of a Canadian citizen, Hardeep Singh Nijjar. Any involvement of a foreign government in the killing of a Canadian citizen on Canadian soil is an unacceptable violation of our sovereignty.”
Hardeep Singh Nijjar, a Canadian citizen and supporter of Sikh independence, was gunned down outside a Sikh temple in Surrey, BC on 18 June, 2023.
Read More: Canada accuses India of involvement in Canadian Sikh’s killing
