India Rejects Canada’s Accusations of Assassination of Sikh Leader
After Hardeep Singh Nijjar’s tragic assassination, Canada and India find themselves on a precarious brink of escalating tensions.
Police arrest a Sikh protestor as Pro-Khalistan supporters gather for a demonstration in front of the Consulate General of India in Toronto, Ontario, Canada on July 8, 2023. Photo by Anadolu Images.
I
n 2023, Father’s Day fell on Sunday, June 18, when the world annually celebrates and honors fatherhood and its influence on society. For Hardeep Singh Nijjar, a father of two sons, like any other father in the world, this day should have been filled with joy and celebration. What should have been a great day, however, abruptly turned into a day of horror.
The phone at Nijjar’s home rang on Sunday, and a family friend informed them that Nijjar had been shot outside the Guru Nanak Sikh Gurdwara Temple. Ten minutes earlier, Nijjar was speaking on the phone with his son, Balraj, who told him that the family was going to have pizza and seviyan, vermicelli pudding, Nijjar’s favorite dessert.
His family and friends in the Sikh community were immediately almost certain who was behind the attack: Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi. But why would the prime minister be suspected of having anything to do with the attack?
Who was Hardeep Singh Nijjar?
Hardeep Singh Nijjar was a Canadian citizen who was born in India and ran a plumbing business in Surrey, British Columbia. He was also the head of the Guru Nanak Sikh Gurdwara Temple in Surrey, and an outspoken leader of the Khalistan movement, a separatist movement that seeks to establish an independent Sikh homeland in the Punjab region of India. Due to its separatist nature, the movement is banned in India.
Nijjar’s support and leadership in the movement brought him to the attention of the Indian security services. In July 2022, they labeled him as a “fugitive terrorist” for his alleged murder of a Hindu priest in the Punjab region. The tension between Nijjar and the Indian government has led to speculation that the government may be responsible for Nijjar’s assassination.
Canadian security agencies were aware of the peril surrounding Nijjar, as revealed by Balpreet Singh Boparai, the legal representative of the World Sikh Organization of Canada. Several weeks before Nijjar’s assassination, Boparai took the initiative to contact the Canadian law enforcement to warn them about the potential threats to Nijjar’s safety. Boparai claimed that the Canadian authorities did not take sufficient steps to safeguard Nijjar.
Canada holds India responsible for the assassination
On Monday, September 18, Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau announced in Parliament that Canadian security agencies are investigating “credible allegations” that potentially link the Indian government to Nijjar’s assassination. Trudeau also mentioned that he conveyed his “deep concerns” to Modi at the G-20 summit in New Delhi earlier in the month, seeking cooperation in the investigation.
“Any involvement of a foreign government in the killing of a Canadian citizen on Canadian soil is an unacceptable violation of our sovereignty,” said Trudeau.
India’s Foreign Ministry dismissed the allegations, calling it “absurd” and an attempt to divert attention from the real issue: Canada’s protection of Indian individuals who are on New Delhi’s list of terrorists. Since then, relations between the two countries have taken a turn for the worse.
Deterioration of Canada and India’s relations
Even before this confrontation, the two countries’ diplomatic relations were becoming strained. Ten days before Nijjar’s assassination, during a press conference, India expressed its concerns about Canada’s sheltering of Sikh separatists, and claimed that it was not good for the relationship between the two countries.
Furthermore, a week ahead of Trudeau’s accusation, Canada cancelled a trade trip to India that was scheduled for early October. “Trade appears to have become a casualty of deepening tensions,” said Michael Kugelman, director of the South Asia Institute at the Wilson Center, a Washington D.C.-based think tank. Kugelman added that the tension was rising simultaneously with the growth of Sikh activism in Canada, the UK, the U.S., and Australia.
After Trudeau’s accusation, Canada and India have both expelled senior diplomats. Moreover, India has temporarily suspended visa applications for Canadian citizens until further notice, with immediate effect as of September 21, 2023. The Indian Ministry of External Affairs explained that they stopped giving visas because of “security risks” that the Indian High Commission and consulates in Canada are currently facing.
“The issue is of incitement of violence, the inaction by the Canadian authorities, [and] the creation of an environment that disrupts the functioning of our high commission and consulates,” said Arindam Bagchi, the ministry’s spokesperson. “That’s what’s making us stop temporarily the issuance of visas or providing visa services,” he added. India has also warned travelers to Canada about growing “anti-India activities.”
In response, Trudeau tried to deescalate the situation and has called on India to cooperate with his government and allow justice to take its course. He explained that Canada is not trying to cause problems and is simply following the rule of law to achieve justice.
It’s uncertain whether the bilateral relations between Canada and India will improve, as India accuses Canada of harboring Indian dissidents, while Sikh demonstrators in Canada are calling for the expulsion of the Indian ambassador.
India told Canada to reduce the number of its diplomats in India, and it seems that the next few days will reveal the extent of diplomatic rift the two countries will have in the future.
