Canada cops find no evidence linking Indian agents to Nijjar killing; India reacts
India on Tuesday said it had taken note of remarks by a senior Canadian police official that investigators probing the 2023 killing of Sikh separatist
India on Tuesday said it had taken note of remarks by a senior Canadian police official that investigators probing the 2023 killing of Sikh separatist Hardeep Singh Nijjar have found no evidence linking Indian government agents to the assassination. The remarks by Lisa Moreland, Deputy Commissioner of the Royal Canadian Mounted Police (RCMP), came last week after US authorities charged jailed gangster Lawrence Bishnoi and his aide Satinderjeet Singh alias Goldy Brar with allegedly ordering Nijjar’s killing. Read Full Story "There's no evidence to suggest through this organised crime investigation and the charges and the indictment laid forward that Indian officials were charged or involved," Moreland told a Canadian news channel recently. Moreland’s comments contradicted former Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau’s earlier allegations that Indian government agents were involved in the murder of the Sikh separatist leader. INDIA REACTS TO MORELAND'S COMMENTS Responding to the developments, Ministry of External Affairs spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal said India had taken note of the RCMP official’s remarks and linked them to the recently unsealed US indictment, which attributes responsibility for the killing to members of the Lawrence Bishnoi organised crime group.
"We have seen the announcements made by the US Department of Justice regarding the indictments and enforcement action against transnational organised criminal networks operating across several countries," Jaiswal said at a media briefing. He said India has consistently maintained that transnational organised crime, terrorism, narco-trafficking, human trafficking, illegal firearms trafficking and related criminal networks pose a serious threat to societies. "India and the US enjoy strong and growing cooperation in combating terrorism as well as transnational organised crime. Our agencies have worked closely together over the years, and this cooperation continues to deepen," he added. Jaiswal said India remained committed to working with international partners to counterterrorism and organised crime through law enforcement and security cooperation. THE NIJJAR KILLING ROW Nijjar, a designated terrorist in India, was shot dead outside a gurdwara in British Columbia in June 2023. Months later, Trudeau alleged in Parliament that Canadian intelligence agencies were investigating possible links between Indian government agents and the killing — a charge New Delhi rejected as "absurd".
The allegations triggered a major diplomatic crisis between the two countries, with India accusing Canada of providing space to pro-Khalistan elements operating from its territory. In October 2024, India recalled its High Commissioner Sanjay Kumar Verma and five other diplomats after Ottawa attempted to link them to the Nijjar probe. Canada later expelled an equal number of Indian diplomats. Relations began showing signs of improvement after Mark Carney became Canadian Prime Minister following his party's victory in the parliamentary elections in April last year. Both countries subsequently restored diplomatic representation and agreed to revive mechanisms aimed at strengthening bilateral ties. BISHNOI GANG UNDER SCANNER Meanwhile, Moreland said the RCMP investigation had found that the Bishnoi gang was involved in extortion, drug trafficking, kidnapping and violent activities in Canada and other countries. While Bishnoi has been lodged in an Indian jail since 2015, the FBI has announced a reward of $50,000 for information leading to the arrest of Goldy Brar.
The BriefWire