New Delhi: The four Indian nationals charged with the killing of Sikh separatist Hardeep Singh Nijjar have neither requested the Indian government for legal assistance nor consular access, High Commissioner to Canada Sanjay Kumar Verma told ThePrint.
He added that Canada has also not shared “any specific and relevant information” for a probe by Indian authorities into Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau’s allegation that an Indian spy agency was behind the killing.
His comments came amid tensions between India and Canada continuing to mount as the one-year anniversary of Nijjar’s killing approaches.
The Sikh separatist and Canadian citizen was shot dead outside a gurdwara in British Columbia on 30 June 2023.
In an email interview, Verma said the four suspects arrested by the Canadian Police have not sought legal assistance from the Indian mission.
“It is our understanding that they already have Canadian lawyers, defending them in the court of law in the Canadian province of British Columbia,” he said.
“We have not received any request for consular access from any of the arrested and charged Indian nationals… If and when such requests are made, we shall reach out to the Canadian authorities for necessary permission for the consular access,” Verma, India’s top diplomat in Ottawa, added.
“Canadian laws permit consular access/sharing of information regarding incarcerated foreign nationals only upon written consent from the concerned foreigners,” he explained.
ThePrint also contacted the Royal Canadian Mounted Police (RCMP) and Integrated Homicide Investigation Team (IHIT) for details on whether the investigation has ascertained a link between Nijjar’s killing and Indian government agents, as well as if the suspects have links to gangster Lawrence Bishnoi.
“The RCMP cannot provide specific details about any investigation except through the court disclosure process,” Sergeant Timothy Pierotti, Media Relations Officer with the IHIT told ThePrint in response to an email.
Nijjar’s killing sparked a diplomatic row last year with New Delhi facing allegations that Indian government officials were involved in the murder. Last month, Canadian police arrested three Indian nationals with murder and conspiracy. A fourth Indian national, already in police custody for unrelated firearms charges, was also later arrested.
‘No specific or relevant evidence from Canada yet’
India has maintained that it is yet to receive specific or relevant evidence from Canadian authorities linking its agents with the killing of Nijjar.
“There are existing channels of communication between the two countries to share information in such incidents. We have not been shared with any specific and relevant information by the Canadian authorities so far, for us to look into,” the Indian High Commissioner told ThePrint.
Last month, the Canadian foreign affairs minister Mélanie Joly doubled down on Ottawa’s allegations that Nijjar — a designated terrorist in India — was killed by Indian agents.
It has been almost nine months since Trudeau first informed the Canadian Parliament about the investigation being undertaken by authorities into the “credible allegations” of links between agents of India and the killing of Nijjar.
In a separate case, the US authorities are investigating the potential role of Indian agents in the foiled plot to kill Sikh separatist Gurpatwant Singh Pannun.
Foreign interference allegations
Canadian authorities have not approached the Indian High Commission regarding any investigation into allegations of foreign interference by New Delhi in their domestic affairs.
“The Canadian authorities have not approached us with any such allegations and the related evidence. We have taken note of reports in the Canadian media, discussions in the Canadian Public Inquiry on Foreign Interference into national elections conducted in 2019 and 2021 and democratic institutions and similar discussions in the Canadian Parliament. It is not the policy of the Government of India to interfere in the internal affairs of other countries,” Verma told ThePrint.
A Canadian parliamentary report earlier this week said India is the second-most significant foreign interference threat to the country. The report alleged that New Delhi has been funding political parties in Canada and cultivating relationships with members of parliament in exchange for confidential information.
In response to a query from ThePrint Staff Sergeant Kris Clark, senior media relations officer of Royal Canadian Mounted Police (RCMP) said, “The RCMP does not confirm the possible involvement of any person, business or entity in any investigation until such time as charges have been laid.”
(Edited by Gitanjali Das)
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