Canadian officials link three killings to Indian government agencies

Canada’s national security advisor Nathalie Drouin, deputy foreign minister David Morrison and Royal Canadian Mounted Police commissioner Mike Duheme informed the public safety committee of the House of Commons that there was evidence of the involvement of Indian officials and agencies in three killings in Canada.

As many as 13 more Canadian citizens were in imminent danger, they claimed, which is why they chose to leak some of the non-classified information to the Washington Post, says a report in the Globe and Mail.

The officials confirmed that they had named India’s home minister Amit Shah as the person who had directed the violence unleashed in Canada, and that they believed the Indian government was using the services of ganglord Lawrence Bishnoi, who is incarcerated in an Indian prison.

They had planned to visit New Delhi on 8 October to present the evidence, but the meeting was put off by India. They told the committee that they then travelled to Washington DC, where Indian officials agreed to meet on 10 October but backed out at the last minute. They finally travelled to Singapore on 12 October, when they claimed to have presented the evidence to India’s national security advisor Ajit Doval among others.

The Canadian team claimed to have suggested to their Indian counterparts that India waive diplomatic immunity for six of its diplomats stationed in Canada, so that they could be interrogated. Failing which, they suggested that India should voluntarily withdraw the diplomats.

They also impressed on the Indian team that the Indian government launch an investigation into Canada’s allegations as India was already doing in the case of similar allegations made by the US Department of Justice and FBI, which foiled an alleged attempted assassination of Gurpatwant Singh Pannun in New York.

Canadian officials claim to have also suggested a joint high-level committee to investigate, and requested Indian officials to tell Lawrence Bishnoi to back off. India’s NSA, however, denied any role of the government of India or its agencies in the acts of violence in Canada, or any connection with Bishnoi.

However, at the request of their Indian counterparts, the officials told the parliamentary committee, they agreed to hold the meetings in Singapore, where they had confidentially met a second time on 14 October. India, however, went public in the meanwhile, accusing Canada of making baseless allegations and adducing no evidence in support.

Even as the diplomatic fallout of the damning deposition is awaited, the Indian right-wing on Wednesday thumped its chest and applauded Shah for taking action against Khalistani activists. If former US president Barack Obama was hailed for eliminating Osama Bin Laden hiding in Pakistan, there is no reason why Indians should not come out in support of Shah. On micro blogging site X, the hashtag #ProudofAmitShah trended for the better part of the day in India.