Modi not involved: Canada clarifies serious criminal activity by Indian agents not linked to PM

Mangalore Today News Network

Canada, November 22, 2024: The Canadian government has clarified a recent controversial report that sought to establish a link between Prime Minister Narendra Modi and the killing of Khalistani terrorist Hardeep Singh Nijjar, terming the media report as “speculative and inaccurate".

“On October 14th, because of a significant and ongoing threat to public safety, the RCMP and officials took the extraordinary step of making public accusations of serious criminal activity in Canada perpetrated by agents of the Government of India," the government said.

“The Government of Canada has not stated, nor is it aware of evidence, linking Prime Minister Modi, Minister Jaishankar, or NSA Doval to the serious criminal activity within Canada. Any suggestion to the contrary is both speculative and inaccurate," it added while reacting to the media report.

What was the media report?

This comes after The Globe and Mail, a reputed newspaper in Canada published an article linking PM Modi and NSA Doval into the controversy around the killing of Khalistani terrorist Hardeep Singh Nijjar in June last year.

The report had cited an unnamed security official claiming that “Canadian security agencies believe that PM Modi “knew about Nijjar’s killing".

Notably, Nijjar’s killing has led to a diplomatic row between the two countries with Trudeau himself alleging that the Indian officials were involved in the incident while New Delhi has rejected the claims.

India’s response to media report

India rejected The Globe and Mail report and termed it a “smear campaign".

Our response to queries regarding a report in Canadian media: https://t.co/1IAURpKlfT pic.twitter.com/jIPlg05JM6

— Randhir Jaiswal (@MEAIndia) November 20, 2024

“Such ludicrous statements made to a newspaper purportedly by a Canadian government source should be dismissed with the contempt they deserve. Smear campaigns like this only further damage our already strained ties," MEA spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal had said.

Previous anti-India Western media reports

In October 2024, The Washington Post reported that Indian diplomats in Canada had allegedly gathered intelligence on Sikh separatists over the past year. According to the report, this information was reportedly used by Indian agencies to identify targets for the Lawrence Bishnoi gang.

The report further claimed that during a “secret meeting" in Singapore, Canadian officials, including National Security Adviser Nathalie Drouin, Deputy Foreign Minister David Morrison, and a senior Royal Canadian Mounted Police officer, presented evidence suggesting that India had utilised the Lawrence Bishnoi gang’s networks in Canada to orchestrate the killing of Hardeep Singh Nijjar.

During the meeting, Indian National Security Adviser Ajit Doval allegedly stated that Bishnoi “was capable of orchestrating violence from wherever he is incarcerated" and was known to continue his activities from within prison.