Justin Trudeau, the prime minister of Canada, asked New Delhi to treat the murder of a Sikh separatist leader with the “utmost seriousness” on September 19. He said he was not trying to “provoke” India or “escalate” relations.
Hours before to Mr. Trudeau’s remarks, both Canada and India had dismissed a senior diplomat over his claims that “agents of the Indian government” were responsible for the June murder of Sikh separatist leader Hardeep Singh Nijjar.
He mentioned that the Indian government should ensure to “take this matter with the utmost seriousness”.
“We are doing that. We are not looking to provoke or escalate,” he said in a statement to the reporters. “We want to work with the government of India to lay everything clear and to ensure there are proper processes.” Nijjar, 45, the leader of the outlawed Khalistan Tiger Force (KTF), one of India’s most wanted terrorists with a monetary reward of 10 lakh on his head, was fatally shot by two unknown assailants on June 18 outside a gurdwara in Surrey, British Columbia, in western Canada.
While addressing the House of Commons on Monday, Mr. Trudeau said that agencies has 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.”
“Allegations of the Government of India’s involvement in any act of violence in Canada are absurd and motivated,” the MEA mentioned in a statement on Tuesday in New Delhi.
“Similar allegations were made by the Canadian Prime Minister to our Prime Minister, and were completely rejected,” it added.
He was also the subject of an Interpol Red Corner Notice in 2016. On suspicion of his participation in terrorism, the Surrey local police placed Nijjar under house arrest in 2018; however, he was eventually let go.
Relations between India and Canada on a bilateral level have recently been contentious. The cancellation of trade discussions by Canada has halted negotiations.
