India’s Ministry of External Affairs issued a terse statement last night on a report in the “Canadian media”.

“We do not normally comment on media reports. However, such ludicrous statements made to a newspaper purportedly by a Canadian government source should be dismissed with the contempt they deserve. Smear campaigns like this only further damage our already strained ties,” said the statement by MEA spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal. 

Doordarshan said the statement was issued “after a report in Canada-based Globe and Mail attempted to draw a connection between the death of NIA-designated terrorist Hardeep Nijjar and the Indian government”. 

The Globe and Mail yesterday published a report headlined “Canada’s security agency suspect Modi knew of plot to kill Sikh activist”. It quoted an anonymous “senior national-security official who worked on the intelligence assessment of New Delhi’s foreign-interference operations in Canada”.

This official said that Canadian and American intelligence “tied the assassination operations to Home Affairs Minister Amit Shah” while others “in the loop” purportedly included National Security Advisor Ajit Doval and External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar. 

The source said Canada did not “have direct evidence that Mr Modi knew” but added “that it would be unthinkable that three senior political figures in India would not have discussed the targeted killings with Mr Modi before proceeding”. 

Nijjar, a pro-Khalistan activist, was killed in Canada last year. Canada subsequently announced it was investigating “links” between the Indian government and Nijjar’s assassination. Last month, India withdrew its envoys from Canada and expelled their Canadian counterparts in Delhi after Indian diplomats were named “persons of interest” in the investigation. 

India so far has framed the showdown as a problem with Canada’s Prime Minister Justin Trudeau. But what implications will this have for India’s ties with the United States? Read all about it here.

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