India terms Nijjar investigation results Canada’s internal matter; Ottawa notifies Delhi of arrests
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Sanjay Kumar Verma, Indian High Commissioner to Canada said, "I understand that the arrests have been made as a result of investigations conducted by the relevant Canadian law enforcement agencies. This issue is internal to Canada and therefore we have no comments to offer in this regard."
India has termed the preliminary investigation findings in the Hardeep Singh Nijjar death case as an "internal matter" of Canada while restating its request for "specific and relevant evidence" regarding any alleged involvement of the Indian government. This development follows the recent arrests by Canadian authorities of three Indian nationals linked to the killing of the Khalistan extremist last year.
Sanjay Kumar Verma, Indian High Commissioner to Canada said, "I understand that the arrests have been made as a result of investigations conducted by the relevant Canadian law enforcement agencies. This issue is internal to Canada and therefore we have no comments to offer in this regard."
Nijjar, who was designated a terrorist by India's National Investigation Agency in 2020, was shot and killed as he came out of a Gurdwara in Surrey, BC in June last year. In response to the murder, Canadian authorities have arrested and charged three Indian nationals: Kamalpreet Singh, Karanpreet Singh, and Karan Brar. They face charges of first-degree murder and conspiracy in the killing of Nijjar.
Ottawa has informed Delhi of the arrests made. Sanjay Kumar Verma, pointed, "We have been informed by the Canadian officials about the arrest of three Indian nationals, residing in Canada, in connection with the shooting of a Canadian citizen Hardeep Singh Nijjar. We hope to get regular updates from the concerned Canadian authorities regarding the arrested Indian nationals."
While arrests have been made, no connection to Indian government has been given publicly so far, both by the Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, who levelled the allegations first, or the Canadian law enforcement authorities. The Indian High Commissioner said, “As stated time and again, it is not the policy of the Government of India to interfere in the internal affairs of other countries. We are always ready to work with partner countries in solving crimes, provided specific and relevant evidence is shared with us.”
It's noteworthy that during the press conference on Friday, when the Royal Canadian Mounted Police announced the arrests, they mentioned that they are investigating any potential ties with the Indian government, but did not provide any concrete evidence linking New Delhi to Nijjar's killing.
Hardeep Singh Nijjar has been a strong supporter of Khalistan, or a separate Sikh homeland in India's Punjab state. The case has wider implications, with Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau accusing "agents of the government of India" of being involved in Nijjar's murder. This accusation has led to a significant diplomatic row between Canada and India, with India denying the allegations and slamming Canada of harbouring Khalistani separatists.
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