India Canada Tension: Relations between Canada and India have deteriorated after Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau's allegations in the murder of Khalistani terrorist Hardeep Singh Nijjar. Canada described Indian High Commissioner Sanjay Kumar Verma as a 'person of interest' in this matter, after which India has recalled all the diplomats present there. Now Indian High Commissioner Sanjay Verma has fiercely targeted Justin Trudeau in an interview. He denied any involvement in Nijjar's murder, saying that Trudeau also destroyed bilateral political relations between the two countries.
In an interview given to Canada's CTV News, Sanjay Kumar Verma condemned the murder of Hardeep Singh Nijjar and said that any murder is not right and bad. When Sanjay Kumar was asked whether he had anything to do with Nijjar's murder, he denied it and said that not at all. Canada has not even provided any evidence. All the allegations are political. Verma said there was no solid evidence behind Trudeau blaming India on Nijjar's murder, but only intelligence information. He said, “If you want to spoil relations with someone just on the basis of intelligence, you can do it.” That's what Trudeau has done.”
Responding to Canada's allegations that diplomats and Indian government officials are involved in forcibly obtaining cooperation and information from South East Asians living in Canada, Sanjay Verma said that the entire process is transparent. Nothing is hidden from anyone. We read newspapers, we read their statements, because we understand Punjabi. So we read their social media posts, and try to draw conclusions from there. At the same time, when Verma was asked in the interview whether he had targeted any particular person with the intention of killing him, he replied, “Never.” The Indian diplomat said that the Indian government has no information in this matter. There is nothing to hide, India has been asking for proof since last year.
Let us tell you that earlier this week, the Indian Foreign Ministry had said that India had received a message from Canada, in which it was said that the Indian High Commissioner and other diplomats are persons of interest in a case related to an investigation in that country. This increased diplomatic tension between the two countries. India reiterated that Canada has still not provided any credible evidence to prove the involvement of Indian agents in the killing of Nijjar. “Since Prime Minister Trudeau made certain allegations in September 2023, the Government of Canada has not shared even a shred of evidence with the Government of India despite multiple requests from our side,” the Ministry of External Affairs said.
