TORONTO — Canada’s foreign minister announced on Friday that the Indian diplomats still in Canada are “clearly on notice” regarding the safety of Canadian citizens, following allegations that India’s top diplomat in Canada is a person of interest in the assassination of a Sikh activist.
Last Monday, India’s high commissioner was expelled along with five other diplomats, a move that Foreign Minister Mélanie Joly compared to actions taken by Russia. She stated that Canada’s national police have linked Indian diplomats to serious crimes, including homicides, intimidation, and death threats directed at individuals in Canada. Joly emphasized that Canada will not accept any foreign diplomatic activities that threaten the safety of its citizens.
In her comments from Montreal, she expressed the unprecedented nature of such transnational repression occurring on Canadian soil, drawing parallels with similar actions seen in Europe. Joly confirmed that those Indian diplomats who remain in Canada should be aware of the serious consequences for any violations of diplomatic conventions.
Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, alongside the Royal Canadian Mounted Police, has made public allegations claiming Indian diplomats have been involved in monitoring Sikh separatists in Canada. They allege that information regarding these individuals was shared with Indian officials, who in turn conveyed it to organized crime groups targeting these activists, resulting in drive-by shootings, extortion, and potential murder plots.
In response, the Indian government has dismissed the accusations from Canada as baseless, taking countermeasures by expelling Canada’s acting high commissioner and five other diplomats.
Canada is not alone in its suspicions regarding Indian officials orchestrating plots against individuals on foreign soil. Recently, the U.S. Justice Department announced criminal charges against an Indian government employee, Vikash Yadav, implicated in a foiled assassination plot against a Sikh leader residing in New York City.
Yadav, said to have directed the plan from India, faces murder-for-hire charges related to a scheme initially conceived to catalyze a series of politically motivated murders across both the United States and Canada. U.S. authorities revealed that this plot was aimed at killing an American Sikh man shortly after the murder of Hardeep Singh Nijjar in Canada on June 18, 2023. Prosecutors indicated that the aim was to eliminate at least four individuals in Canada and the U.S. by the end of June, with even more targeted thereafter.
The killing of Nijjar has significantly strained relations between Canada and India, with Canada claiming to have provided evidence of its allegations to Indian authorities, who consistently deny having received any such information.
India has criticized Canada for being lenient toward supporters of the Khalistan movement, which is banned in India but has garnered support from segments of the Sikh community in Canada.
During a G-20 summit last year, Trudeau conveyed that Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi expressed a desire for Canada to take action against critics of the Indian government. Trudeau responded by affirming that such expressions fall under the protection of free speech in Canada, while also agreeing to collaborate with India on issues related to terrorism and incitement that cross acceptable lines in Canadian society.
The Royal Canadian Mounted Police reported evidence suggesting an evolving campaign directed at Canadians by Indian government agents. Nijjar, who was shot and killed while in his vehicle last year, was a Canadian citizen born in India and a prominent figure advocating for an independent Sikh state. Currently, four Indian nationals residing in Canada have been charged in relation to his murder and are awaiting trial.