World Courant
Montreal, Canada – India’s Excessive Commissioner to Canada has dismissed allegations of involvement within the 2023 assassination of a outstanding Sikh separatist chief within the nation, calling the Canadian authorities “politically motivated” in its accusations.
In an interview Sanjay Kumar Verma was requested on Sunday by the Canadian community CTV Information whether or not he had something to do with the homicide of Hardeep Singh Nijjar.
“Nothing in any respect, no proof offered, politically motivated,” he replied.
The interview comes simply days after Canadian police mentioned that they had discovered proof of that Indian authorities brokers have been concerned “in critical prison exercise in Canada,” together with hyperlinks to “murders and acts of violence.”
The federal government of Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau introduced on Monday that it expelled six Indian diplomats and consular officers – together with Verma – after they have been recognized as “individuals of curiosity” in Nijjar’s killing.
Nijjar, a Canadian citizen, was fatally shot in June 2023 outdoors a Sikh temple the place he was president in Canada’s westernmost province, British Columbia.
He was a number one advocate of what’s often known as the Khalistan motion, a Sikh marketing campaign for a sovereign state in India’s Punjab area, which India views as a risk to its nationwide safety.
His killing despatched shockwaves throughout Canada and relations between New Delhi and Ottawa reached a brand new low after the Canadian authorities mentioned final September it was investigating whether or not Indian authorities brokers have been concerned.
India has rejected the allegations, describing them as “ridiculous allegations” and calling on Canada to indicate proof to assist its claims.
On Monday, the Royal Canadian Mounted Police (RCMP) mentioned it offered proof on to Indian authorities officers, “urged their cooperation in curbing the violence and requested our regulation enforcement companies to work collectively to handle these points.”
Throughout Sunday’s interview with CTV Information, Verma – the Indian excessive commissioner to Canada – repeatedly mentioned he had not been offered with any proof.
Verma mentioned India is “decided to not commit extrajudicial killings in any territory”.
He additionally mentioned he by no means incited or coerced people to collect details about pro-Khalistan activists in Canada. “I, as excessive commissioner of India, have by no means performed something like this,” he instructed CTV Information.
“Can we need to know what pro-Khalistani components are doing in Canada? Sure, we do. That’s my nationwide curiosity. That is my entire concern with Canada making an attempt to tear up Indian territory.
“If Canadian politicians are so new that they need me to not know what my enemies are doing right here, then I am sorry – they do not know what worldwide relations are about,” Verma mentioned, emphasizing that the knowledge gathering is a “utterly overt” .
“We learn the newspapers, we learn their statements,” he added.
However members of Canada’s Sikh group — the world’s largest Sikh diaspora, with about 770,000 folks — say they’ve confronted threats for many years. They’ve accused the Indian authorities of making an attempt to silence them.
“For 40 years, our group has been working to reveal overseas interference from India,” Moninder Singh, a Nijjar affiliate in British Columbia, instructed Al Jazeera final yr.
Sikh advocates in the US have additionally confronted threats, and final week the U.S. Division of Justice charged an Indian authorities official it mentioned was concerned in a failed plot to kill a outstanding advocate for Sikh separatism in New to kill York.
US authorities filed “murder-for-hire and cash laundering fees” towards Vikash Yadav for his alleged involvement within the plot to assassinate Gurpatwant Singh Pannun.
Pannun, a US citizen, is authorized counsel for the group Sikhs for Justice and an outspoken supporter of the Khalistan motion.
“The defendant (Yadav), an worker of the Indian authorities, allegedly conspired with a prison affiliate and tried to homicide a U.S. citizen on U.S. soil as he exercised his First Modification rights,” FBI Director Christopher Wray mentioned in an announcement declaration.
Sikhs for Justice mentioned the U.S. indictment demonstrates Washington’s “dedication … to defending the life, liberty and freedom of expression of Americans at residence and overseas.”
India’s overseas ministry mentioned Yadav was now not employed by the federal government.
India’s envoy to Canada rejects involvement in killing of Sikh activists | Political information
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