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A Canadian official, has indicted the Indian Home Minister, Amit Shah of direct involvement in campaign violence, intimidation, and intelligence-gathering against Sikh separatists in Canada.
Deputy Foreign Affairs Minister David Morrison informed members of Parliament’s national security committee that he confirmed Shah’s involvement, according to The Washington Post, which initially reported the allegations.
Morrison stated, “The journalist called me to verify if it was Shah. I confirmed it was.”
However, Morrison did not disclose how Canada became aware of Shah’s alleged involvement.
Recall that Prime Minister Justin Trudeau had said that Canada had credible evidence implicating Indian government agents in the June 2023 murder of Canadian Sikh activist Hardeep Singh Nijjar in British Columbia.
Canadian authorities have consistently stated they shared evidence with Indian officials.
Indian authorities have repeatedly debunked the claims of receiving any evidence and dismissed the allegations.
India’s embassy in Ottawa did not immediately respond to requests for comment regarding the allegations against Shah.
Canada has followed the allegations on 14 of October expelled the Indian High Commissioner and five other diplomats, accusing them of involvement in multiple cases of coercion, intimidation, and violence aimed at suppressing the campaign for an independent Sikh state, known as Khalistan.
In mid-October, the United States Justice Department announced criminal charges against an Indian government employee for an alleged plot to kill a Sikh separatist leader in New York City.
Trudeau’s national security adviser, Nathalie Drouin, told the committee that Canada has evidence of the Indian government gathering information on Indian nationals and Canadian citizens in Canada via diplomatic channels and proxies.
She explained that this information was then relayed to New Delhi, which allegedly collaborates with a criminal network linked to Lawrence Bishnoi.
Although Bishnoi is currently imprisoned in India, Drouin said his extensive criminal network has been connected to homicides, assassination plots, coercion, and other violent crimes in Canada.
Drouin said the decision to go public was made when it became clear that India would not cooperate with Canada on proposed accountability measures, which included a request to waive diplomatic immunity for those involved, including the High Commissioner in Ottawa.
The Royal Canadian Mounted Police stated they took the unusual step of publicly discussing ongoing investigations due to threats to public safety.
The Indian government has denied the allegations and retaliated by expelling six Canadian diplomats.
Four Indian nationals living in Canada have been charged with Nijjar’s murder and are awaiting trial.
Drouin and Morrison were called as witnesses before the committee alongside Royal Canadian Mounted Police Commissioner Mike Duheme and the director of Canada’s spy agency as probe into the allegations mounts.
