Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau has denounced on Monday the involvement of the Government of India in the assassination of a Sikh leader last June in the province of British Columbia. In a parliamentary session, Trudeau said that if India's involvement is confirmed, it would be an "unacceptable violation of the country's sovereignty." Trudeau stressed that Canadian security agencies have been studying for several weeks the links of this crime with the work of agents in New Delhi.
"Such an action goes against the fundamental rules that govern free, open and democratic societies," the prime minister said. To which he added that the protection of Canadian citizens represents a matter of total importance. Mélanie Joly, the foreign minister, reported minutes after Trudeau's claims that an Indian diplomat was expelled in the wake of alleged links to the murder. Joly has also called for the highest cooperation of the Indian authorities in this matter.
Hardeep Singh Nijjar was shot dead on June 18 outside a Sikh temple in the city of Surrey (British Columbia). Singh Nijjar, with a Canadian passport, was a recognized leader of that community and militated for the independence of the State of Punjab, bordering Pakistan.
The Royal Canadian Mounted Police is continuing the search for two masked men in connection with this crime. The suspects fled in a 2008 Toyota Camry.
The religious leader was charged with conspiracy to commit murder and terrorism in India. The Indian government has said in the past that it has nothing to do with the assassination of the Sikh leader in Canada. For their part, the opposition parties expressed their support for the Trudeau government in this matter.
India has accused Canada for decades of being too accommodating to figures in this movement. Trudeau also indicated on Monday that he had directly addressed the issue with Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi on the trip he made to New Delhi for the G-20 leaders' meeting. He also said he had contacted senior officials in India's security apparatus.
The Trudeau government's accusations towards New Delhi could open a new period of tensions between the two countries. Canada has maintained a complex relationship with China, mainly over the arrest of Meng Wanzhou, Huawei's vice president, in December 2018 at the Vancouver airport at Washington's request. After several negotiations, Meng was released in September 2021.
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