A leading Canadian newspaper on Wednesday reported that Prime Minister Narendra Modi was aware of the alleged plot to kill Sikh separatist leader Hardeep Singh Nijjar. Nijjar, a Canadian citizen, was gunned down in Surrey, British Columbia, in June last year. The Justin Trudeau government had alleged potential involvement of Indian agents in the incident, sparking a diplomatic face-off between the two countries.
“The official said the (Canadian) assessment is that it would be unthinkable that three senior political figures in India would not have discussed the targeted killings with Mr. Modi before proceeding,” the report said. India hit back at the newspaper report, saying such “smear campaigns” would further damage the already strained ties between the two countries.
In response to queries regarding a report in Canadian media, the Official Spokesperson, Shri Randhir Jaiswal said, “We do not normally comment on med reports. However, such ludicrous statements made to a newspaper purportedly by a Canadian government source should be dismissed with the the contempt they deserve. Smear campaigns like this only further damage our already strained ties.”
Sour relations
India-Canada relations worsened after Justin Trudeau said last year that there was credible intelligence linking Indian government agents to the killing of Nijjar. The diplomatic tension escalated further last month after Canada alleged the involvement of the Indian high commissioner in the incident, drawing a sharp reaction from New Delhi.
India expelled six Canadian diplomats and announced withdrawing its high commissioner from Canada after dismissing Ottawa’s allegations.