India accuses Trudeau of ‘spoiling’ relations over diplomatic issue with Canada

Prime Minister Justin Trudeau accused India of making a “huge mistake” that Canada would not ignore if Delhi had been responsible for the death of a Sikh leader who left Canada a year ago.

Trudeau commented two days later Canadian officials blamed India of involvement in murder, looting and other acts of violence targeting Indian dissidents in Canada.

After Canada made the allegations on Monday, both countries expelled top diplomats and diplomats, further escalating tensions.

India has dismissed the allegations as “absurd”, and accused Trudeau of pandering to Canada’s large Sikh community for political gain.

On Wednesday, India again erupted in anger and called Trudeau’s behavior “cavalier”.

“Canada has not presented any evidence to support the serious allegations it has chosen to make against Indian and Indian politicians,” said Foreign Ministry spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal at a press conference.

“The responsibility for the damage this cavalier behavior has caused to India-Canada relations lies solely with Prime Minister Trudeau.”

In his speech before a public inquiry into Canadian political interference, Trudeau criticized India’s response to the investigation into the murder of Hardeep Singh Nijjar in June 2023.

According to Trudeau, he was informed of the killing later that summer and received intelligence that made it “shockingly” clear that India was involved in the killing.

He said Canada must take seriously any violation of its sovereignty and international law.

Mr. Nijjar was shot and killed in Surrey, British Columbia. He had been a vocal supporter of the Khalistan movement, which demanded a separate state for the Sikhs, and campaigned for it publicly.

At the time, however, the Canadian intelligence was not solid evidence or proof, Trudeau told the inquiry.

Police have charged four Indians with Mr Nijjar’s death.

Trudeau said he hoped the issue would be “handled in the right way” that did not “destroy” bilateral relations with an important trading partner, but said Indian officials had rejected Canadian requests for help in the investigation.

“It was clear that the Indian government’s approach is to criticize us and the integrity of the people’s will,” he said.

Shortly after he made the allegations public, he said that September that Canada had “credible allegations” linking Indian government agents to the murder.

The prime minister also added Wednesday more details to other allegations released this week by the Royal Canadian Mounted Police (RCMP).

The police force has taken the rare step of publicly releasing information about an ongoing investigation into “a serious threat to public safety” in Canada.

The RCMP said on Monday there had been “more than a dozen credible and imminent threats to life” targeting “primarily” members of the pro-Khalistan movement.

A subsequent investigation led police to uncover allegations of organized crime by agents of the Indian government, according to the RCMP.

Trudeau said the military made the announcement “with the intention of interrupting a series of actions that have led to shootings, home invasions, violent robberies and even murders” in the South Asian community across Canada.

India has denied all the allegations and asserted that Canada has not provided any evidence to support its claims.

The RCMP and national security advisers went to Singapore last weekend to meet with Indian officials – a meeting the RCMP says did not bear fruit.

After Monday’s allegations by Canadian officials, the UK and US urged India to cooperate with Canada’s legal process.

On Wednesday, the British Foreign Office said in a statement that it was in contact with Ottawa “about the major developments described in the independent investigation in Canada”.

The UK has complete confidence in the Canadian judicial system,” the statement added.

“The Government of India’s cooperation with the Canadian legal process is the right next step.”

The US, another close ally of Canada, said India was not cooperating with Canadian authorities as the White House had hoped it would.

“We have made it clear that these allegations are very serious and need to be taken seriously and we want to see the Indian government cooperate with Canada in its investigation,” said spokesman Matthew Miller at a US State Department briefing on Tuesday.

“Obviously, they haven’t chosen that path.”

Canada’s foreign minister, Melanie Joly, said Ottawa is in close contact with the Five Eyes intelligence agency – which includes the US, UK, Canada, Australia and New Zealand – on the matter.