India Hits Out At Canada After Indian High Commissioner Named As 'Person of Interest' In Nijjar Killing Case

Amid the tensions between India and Canada, the Ministry of External Affairs has rejected the accusations and suggestions put forth by the Canadian government which label Indian High Commissioner to Canada Sanjay Kumar Verma as a "person of interest" in the case regarding the killing of Hardeep Singh Nijjar.

In its strong-worded statement, the Indian government has "rejected these preposterous imputations and ascribes them to the political agenda of the Trudeau Government that is centred around vote bank politics."

"High Commissioner Sanjay Kumar Verma is India’s senior most serving diplomat with a distinguished career spanning 36 years. The aspersions cast on him by the Government of Canada are ludicrous and deserve to be treated with contempt," MEA added further.

Following this statement, the Canadian Acting High Commissioner Stewart Wheeler was summoned by the foreign minister. A few hours later, the Indian government announced it will be withdrawing High Commissioner Sanjay Kumar Verma and other senior diplomats from Canada, further downgrading the diplomatic ties between the two commonwealth countries.

"We have no faith in the current Canadian Government's commitment to ensure their security. Therefore, the Government of India has decided to withdraw the High Commissioner and other targeted diplomats and officials", states the official statement from MEA.

India-Canada Ties At All-Time Low

Diplomatic ties between India and Canada reached an all-time low in September 2023 after Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau accused the Indian government of covert operations on Canadian soil and alleged that New Delhi had a role to play in the killing of Hardeep Singh Nijjar - a Khalistani separatist and Indian-government-designated terrorist.

The diplomatic row led to the temporary suspension of visas between the two countries, the reduction of diplomatic presence in India and the halting of trade talks.

India has time and again rejected the Trudeau administration's claims and dismissed them as "absurd" and "politically motivated".

In the latest turn of events, the Canadian government has named High Commission Sanjay Kumar Verma as a "person of interest" in its investigation of the killing of Hardeep Singh Nijjar.

Nijjar, who was the former chief of the Khalistani Tiger Force, was gunned down outside a gurdwara in Surrey on June 18, 2023. Following Nijjar's death, the Khalistan movement across the globe gained momentum and openly targeted Indain diplomats in Canada, the United States and the UK.

The latest statement issued by the MEA once again adds that the Canadian government is yet to share evidence of the "credible allegations" it has against India.

"This latest step follows interactions that have again witnessed assertions without any facts. This leaves little doubt that on the pretext of an investigation, there is a deliberate strategy of smearing India for political gains," the foreign ministry stated.

India Highlights Trudeau's 'Hostility'

In its statement issued to the Canadian government, India has openly attacked Justin Trudeau and his "hostility" towards India.

"In 2018, his visit to India, which was aimed at currying favour with a vote bank, rebounded to his discomfort. His Cabinet has included individuals who have openly associated with an extremist and separatist agenda regarding India," stated MEA in its statement.

India has also referred to the Liberal Party's alliance with the New Democratic Party, "whose leader openly espouses a separatist ideology vis-à-vis India".

New Delhi also circled to the current foreign interference investigation underway in Canada which focuses on potential countries that worked to influence the results of the 2019 and 2021 polls in Ottawa. India was also named in its list, but was later "cleared of any interference".

"It is no coincidence that it takes place as Prime Minister Trudeau is to depose before a Commission on foreign interference. It also serves the anti-India separatist agenda that the Trudeau Government has constantly pandered to for narrow political gains."

India's hit at Canada also comes after Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Justin Trudeau shared a brief encounter at the ASEAN Summits 2024 in Laos.

The Canadian leader described his encounter with Modi as a "brief exchange". However, these claims were dismissed by the Indian side who stated that the brief meeting was "inconclusive".