Ottawa [Canada], September 19 (ANI): Months after Khalistan Tiger Force chief Hardeep Singh Nijjar was shot dead in Canada, Prime Minister Justin Trudeau on Monday accused the Indian government of being behind this fatal shooting, CBC News reported. Nijjar, who was wanted in India, was gunned down outside a gurdwara, in a parking area in Canada‘s Surrey, BC on June 18.

Hailing from Bharsinghpur village in Punjab’s Jalandhar, Nijjar was based in Surrey and had been declared “absconder” by the National Investigation Agency (NIA). 

According to CBC News, Canada, PM Trudeau said his country’s national security officials had reasons to believe that “agents of the Indian government” carried out the killing of the Canadian citizen, who also served as the president of Surrey’s Guru Nanak Sikh Gurdwara. “Canadian security agencies have been actively pursuing credible allegations of a potential link between agents of the Government of India and the killing of a Canadian citizen, Hardeep Singh Nijjar,” Trudeau said.

He stressed that the involvement of a foreign hand or government in the killing of a Canadian citizen in Canada was unacceptable.  “Any involvement of a foreign government in the killing of a Canadian citizen on Canadian soil is an unacceptable violation of our sovereignty. It is contrary to the fundamental rules by which free, open, and democratic societies conduct themselves,” Trudeau added. He informed further that he was coordinating with Canadian allies on this issue. 

“As you would expect, we have been working closely and coordinating with our allies on this very serious matter,” he said. Trudeau also urged the Indian government to “cooperate with Canada to get to the bottom of this matter”, CBC News reported.  He claimed that some Indo-Canadians were “angry” and “perhaps frightened right now”, adding, “Let us not allow this to change us”.

Earlier, the NIA in July, last year, announced a cash reward of Rs 10 lakh on Nirjar in connection with the killing of a Hindu priest in Jalandhar. “Hardeep Singh Nijjar is wanted by the National Investigation Agency in NIA case in the conspiracy hatched by Khalistan Tiger Force (KTF) operating under Nijjar, to kill a Hindu priest at Jalandhar,” the NIA had said in a release. (ANI)

Canada expels diplomat after PM Trudeau claims Indian hand in killing of Khalistani leader

Ottawa [Canada], September 19 (ANI): Signalling a further souring of bilateral ties, Canadian Foreign Minister Melanie Joly on Monday said an Indian diplomat in the country had been expelled, Al Jazeera reported. 

The expulsion comes in light of PM Justin Trudeau‘s statement alleging an Indian hand in the killing of wanted Khalistani leader Hardeep Singh Nijjar. 

Joly said the Canadian government had expelled an Indian diplomat over allegations of the country’s involvement in the killing of the Khalistani leader, according to Al Jazeera. 

However, she did not provide any further details on the diplomat’s name or the place from where he was expelled, according to the report.

“We see this possible breach of sovereignty as completely unacceptable, and so, that is also why we’re coming (out) with this information (of the expulsion of the Indian diplomat) today,” Joly said at a news conference, Al Jazeera reported. 

India rejects Canada’s allegation on involvement in death of Khalistan Tiger Force chief Hardeep Singh Nijjar

New Delhi [India], September 19 (ANI): India on Tuesday rejected the allegations by Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau regarding the Indian government’s involvement in the fatal shooting of Khalistan Tiger Force chief Hardeep Singh Nijjar in Canada. In a statement the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) termed the allegations ‘absurd ‘and ‘motivated’. “We have seen and reject the statement of the Canadian Prime Minister in their Parliament, as also the statement by their Foreign Minister” said the MEA in an official statement.

“Allegations of the Indian government’s “involvement in any act of violence in Canada are absurd and motivated” the release added. “Similar allegations were made by the Canadian Prime Minister to our Prime Minister and were completely rejected,” said the official release.

The release said India is a democratic polity with a strong commitment to the rule of law. “Such unsubstantiated allegations seek to shift the focus from Khalistani terrorists and extremists, who have been provided shelter in Canada and continue to threaten India’s sovereignty and territorial integrity. The inaction of the Canadian Government on this matter has been a long-standing and continuing concern,” it added.

The release states that Canadian political figures have openly expressed sympathy for such elementsand that remain a matter of deep concern. “The space given in Canada to a range of illegal activities including murders, human trafficking and organised crime is not new” read the release. 
India has strongly rejected any attempts to connect the government to such developments.
“We urge the Government of Canada to take prompt and effective legal action against all anti-India elements operating from their soil,” the MEA said.

Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau on Monday accused the Indian government of being behind the fatal shooting of Khalistan Tiger Force chief Hardeep Singh Nijjar in Canada, CBC News reported. 
Najjar, who was wanted in India, was gunned down outside a Gurdwara, in a parking area in Canada’s Surrey, British Columbia on June 18.

Hailing from Bharsinghpur village in Punjab’s Jalandhar, Nijjar was based in Surrey and had been declared “absconder” by the National Investigation Agency (NIA). Earlier on Monday, speaking in a debate in the Canadian Parliament, Canadian PM Trudeau claimed his country’s national security officials had reasons to believe that “agents of the Indian government” carried out the killing of the Canadian citizen, who also served as the president of Surrey’s Guru Nanak Sikh Gurdwara.

“Canadian security agencies have been actively pursuing credible allegations of a potential link between agents of the Government of India and the killing of a Canadian citizen, Hardeep Singh Nijjar,” Trudeau said. He stated that the involvement of a foreign hand or government in the killing of a Canadian citizen in Canada was unacceptable.

“Any involvement of a foreign government in the killing of a Canadian citizen on Canadian soil is an unacceptable violation of our sovereignty. It is contrary to the fundamental rules by which free, open, and democratic societies conduct themselves,” Trudeau added. He informed further that he was coordinating with Canadian allies on this issue.  “As you would expect, we have been working closely and coordinating with our allies on this very serious matter,” he said. (ANI)