Canada stands by allegations of Indian involvement in Nijjar killing despite lack of evidence

Hardeep Singh Nijjar

Despite the lack of specific proof linking New Delhi to the execution of India-designated terrorist Hardeep Singh Nijjar, Canadian Foreign Minister Melanie Joly has restated her country's position on the charges. According to the Canadian media outlet CPAC, Joly underlined Ottawa's support for the ongoing investigation into Nijjar's death by the Royal Canadian Mounted Police (RCMP), emphasising Canada's commitment to protecting its nationals.

Joly remarked that Canada's position has always been clear. Our top responsibility is to protect Canadians, and we stand by claims that Indian agents killed a Canadian citizen on Canadian soil. The RCMP is currently conducting an investigation, she said However, she refrained from making any additional statements, emphasising the necessity of diplomatic conversations behind closed doors, reported ANI.

"Canada's position has always been clear. Our job is to protect Canadians and we stand by the allegations that a Canadian was killed on Canadian soil by Indian agents. Now, the investigation by the RCMP is being done," Joly said per the ANI report.

"I won't further comment and no other official from our government will further comment but I am telling do on the question of relationship with India is I think that is always better when diplomacy remains in private and Canada will continue to stand by first protecting Canadians, making sure that we also protect our sovereignty and in the end also we need to protect our rule of law," Joly further added.

According to the news agency report, her comments come after Canadian police arrested three people in connection with Nijjar's murder, albeit no evidence linking India to the incident has been produced. Members of the Sikh Community in British Columbia attended the suspects' court appearance, showing their support for the accused while blaming the Indian government for Nijjar's death.

The three accused, Karan Brar, Karanpreet Singh, and Kamalpreet Singh, appeared in Surrey provincial court, with their next court hearing scheduled for May 21. The trio faces allegations of first-degree murder and a deadly conspiracy in connection with Nijjar's June 2023 shooting, which strained Canada-India relations.

Despite Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau's previous claims against the Indian government, India has continually denied the allegations, claiming they are false and motivated by ulterior motivations. Nijjar, who was declared a terrorist by India's National Investigation Agency in 2020, was shot and killed outside a Gurdwara in Surrey in June of last year. Canadian police have released images of the accused and the car alleged to have been used in the crime, increasing scrutiny of the occurrence, the report added.

The arrests were made on May 3, 2024, by the Surrey RCMP's Integrated Homicide Investigation Team (IHIT), with support from the British Columbia and Alberta RCMP, as well as the Edmonton Police Service, as part of the ongoing investigation into Nijjar's death and alleged connections to the Indian government.