Indian government officials may have been behind the murder of Hardeep Singh Nijjar, a Sikh leader from British Columbia, the Canadian government announced Monday. An Indian intelligence official has been expelled from the country.

The latter was shot dead in front of him gurdwara (Sikh Temple) in Surrey, British Columbia, on June 18. He was alone in his van when he was attacked as he left the parking lot of a place of worship.

Members of Canada’s Sikh community accused the Indian government of being behind the killings and trying to silence voices calling for parts of Punjab state to become an independent Sikh state, but police denied having evidence of this.

Denouncing the Indian government

“I continue to urge and with the strongest possible firmness, the Government of India to work with Canada to clarify this issue,” Prime Minister Justin Trudeau stated in front of all federal elected officials.

“I also expect the Government of India to reiterate that its position on extrajudicial operations in other countries is clearly and unequivocally consistent with international law. »

Trudeau said he also raised the issue with Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi in New Delhi earlier this month. Senior Canadian intelligence officials have also traveled to India on several occasions to question their counterparts in the country, said new Public Security Minister Dominic LeBlanc.

“This is an active homicide investigation being conducted by the RCMP [Gendarmerie royale du Canada] from British Columbia. […] We will ensure that the investigation continues and that those responsible are brought to justice,” he said.

Difficult relationship

These allegations take former Canadian Security Intelligence Service (CSIS) agent Michel Juneau-Katsuya back to the time when Canada found itself at the heart of the conflict between India and the Sikh extremist movement, following the attack on Air India Flight 182 departing from Toronto. The RCMP and CSIS were blamed following an investigation.

“We know that the Indian Intelligence Services, especially RAW [l’agence de renseignement extérieur de l’Inde]Send clandestine agents here to Canada, who have been operating within the community for a long time,” said the man who headed the Asia-Pacific office in the 1990s.

“It is very serious that the Prime Minister said that, because he is certainly very aware that there will be an impact, a ripple in India very soon. »

Relations between Canada and India have been tense for months. In recent weeks, Canada has suspended trade negotiations with India and canceled a trade mission to the country planned for this fall.

The country is, however, an integral part of the Canadian Government’s recent Indo-Pacific strategy, which is looking to diversify its trading partners to contain China. The aim is to facilitate trade with other countries, such as India, Japan and South Korea, but also India.

Already in 2020, Justin Trudeau’s support for large farmer demonstrations that the Indian government likened to a separatist movement has created tensions between the two countries. Indian television channels began to envision the recognition of an independent Quebec as retaliation.

Parliament with one vote

The Prime Minister was not the only one to criticize India on Monday. Elected officials from all parties in Ottawa unanimously condemned the country’s alleged role in the crime, on the first day of parliament’s fall term. “We are all Canadian. This is our country,” said the official opposition leader, Pierre Poilievre.

“The Bloc Québécois offers full cooperation and will work with the Prime Minister, because this is a situation that we cannot accept,” also promised Bloc MP Alain Therrien.

The new Democratic Party leader, Jagmeet Singh, spoke at length about his experiences as a Canadian of Sikh origin. He, who spent part of his childhood in India, said he heard many stories in his community about human rights violations, torture and killings committed by the Indian government against these religious minorities.

“There is the Sikh doctrine of love and justice; This is what we need to focus on instead of hatred, frustration and fear,” he told Parliament.

The victim, Hardeep Singh Nijjar, had received death threats for his support for the creation of an independent Sikh state, Khalistan, in India. L’homme était accusé dans ce pays d’infractions liées au terrorisme et d’insurrection. L’agence nationale d’enquête indienne avait publié l’année dernière un acte d’inculpation l’accusant d’avoir conspiré pour l’assassinat du prêtre hindou au Pendjab.

With the Canadian press

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