Canada expelled a high-ranking Indian diplomat amidst an ongoing investigation into allegations of potential Indian government links to the assassination of Sikh activist Hardeep Singh Nijjar in Canada.
Canadian Foreign Minister Mélanie Joly confirmed the expulsion of the head of Indian intelligence in Canada.
“If proven true, this would be a significant violation of our sovereignty and the fundamental principles governing international relations. Consequently, we have taken the step of expelling a senior Indian diplomat,” stated Joly.
According to the Canadian Foreign Office, the diplomat who has been expelled is Pavan Kumar Rai, who they have identified as the chief of India’s foreign intelligence agency, the Research and Analysis Wing (RAW), in Canada.
Nijjar, a vocal advocate for an independent Sikh homeland known as Khalistan, was fatally shot on June 18 outside a Sikh cultural center in Surrey, British Columbia.
Trudeau accuses India’s government of involvement in killing of Canadian Sikh leader
Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau revealed these allegations in Parliament on September, 18, citing credible intelligence reports.
“Over the past number of weeks, Canadian security agencies have been actively pursuing credible allegations of a potential link between agents of the Government of India and the killing of a Canadian citizen, Hardeep Singh Nijjar,” Trudeau told the House of Commons, adding that he raised the issue with Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi in “no uncertain terms”.
He asserted that “any involvement of a foreign government in the killing of a Canadian citizen on Canadian soil is an unacceptable violation of our sovereignty”.
“In the strongest possible terms I continue to urge the government of India to cooperate with Canada to get to the bottom of this matter,” he said.
In response, India’s foreign ministry dismissed the allegations of government involvement, labeling them as “absurd and driven by ulterior motives.” The ministry’s statement on Tuesday also highlighted that similar accusations had been made by Trudeau to Prime Minister Narendra Modi during the G20 summit.
“Such unsubstantiated allegations seek to shift the focus from Khalistani terrorists and extremists, who have been provided shelter in Canada and continue to threaten India’s sovereignty and territorial integrity,” the statement noted, referring to the Khalistan movement, a separatist movement of Sikh community which India regards as a security threat.
Who was Hardeep Singh Nijjar?
Hardeep Singh Nijjar moved to Canada in 1997 to work as a plumber. He was a prominent advocate for Khalistan, calling for a referendum and recognition of anti-Sikh violence in India as “genocide. The Indian government considered him a “mastermind/active member” of the Khalistan Tiger Force (KTF), designated as a terrorist group.
In the 1980s and early 1990s, India witnessed armed conflict between the government and Sikh separatists in Punjab. Nijjar’s brother was arrested during the crackdown, and in 1995, Nijjar himself was arrested. He alleged that he was beaten and tortured while in custody, leading to his escape after securing a bribe.
Seeking refuge in Canada in 1997, Nijjar’s claim was denied in 1998, partly due to using a fraudulent passport with the name “Ravi Sharma.”
“I know that my life would be in grave danger if I had to go back to my country, India,” he wrote in his affidavit, dated June 9, 1998.
He married a Canadian woman who sponsored his immigration as her spouse, but his application was rejected. He later identified himself as a Canadian citizen.
In 2014, India issued an arrest warrant for him, describing him as the “mastermind” of the Khalistan Tiger Force and accusing him of involvement in a 2007 cinema bombing in Punjab. Interpol also issued a notice alleging his role as a “key conspirator” in the attack, including recruitment and fundraising, which Nijjar vehemently denied.
The World Sikh Organization of Canada called Nijjar an outspoken supporter of Khalistan who “often led peaceful protests against the violation of human rights actively taking place in India and in support of Khalistan.”
“Nijjar had publicly spoken of the threat to his life for months and said that he was targeted by Indian intelligence agencies,” the statement said.
Canada’s security agency, CSIS, had also alerted him to threats from professional assassins.
Sikh group says ‘India actively targets Sikhs in Canada’
The World Sikh Organization of Canada (WSO) said “several other Canadian Sikhs are also understood to be under threat” and are on Indian “hit lists.”
“The significance of today’s announcement cannot be understated for Sikhs,” the WSO said. “Today, the prime minister of Canada has publicly said what Sikhs in Canada have known for decades — India actively targets Sikhs in Canada.”
Prime Minister Trudeau said he raised the matter with India’s Prime Minister Narendra Modi last week at the G20 summit in New Delhi.
India expels Canadian diplomat in tit-for-tat move
Canada’s accusation that India may have been involved in the assassination of a Sikh activist on its soil has triggered tensions between Ottawa and New Delhi.
India has asked a senior Canadian diplomat to leave the country after Canada kicked out an Indian diplomat, who foreign affairs minister Mélanie Joly described as the head of the Indian intelligence agency in the country.
India’s foreign ministry said it had expelled a senior Canadian diplomat based in India. “The concerned diplomat has been asked to leave India within the next five days,” it said in a statement. “The decision reflects Government of India’s growing concern at the interference of Canadian diplomats in our internal matters and their involvement in anti-India activities.”