Nijjar killing: Did Canada carry out surveillance on Indian diplomats?

Canada has levelled serious allegations against India of being involved in the assassination of Hardeep Singh Nijjar, a prominent Canadian Sikh leader, a claim that Delhi described as “absurd.” “Any involvement of a foreign government in the killing of a Canadian citizen on Canadian soil is an unacceptable violation of our sovereignty,” Canadian prime minister Justin Trudeau told the House of Commons of Canada on Monday. “Canada is a rule-of-law country, the protection of our citizens and defence of our sovereignty are fundamental. “Our top priorities have therefore been one, that our law enforcement and security agencies ensure the continued safety of all Canadians. And two, that all steps be taken to hold perpetrators of this murder to account,” he said. But what led Canada to assume that India was behind the killing? Let’s take a closer look. Surveillance of Indian diplomats The allegation of India’s involvement in the killing of a Sikh Canadian is based on surveillance of Indian diplomats in Canada, including intelligence provided by a major ally, a Canadian official familiar with the matter told The Associated Press on Thursday. The official said the communications involved Indian officials and Indian diplomats in Canada and that some of the intelligence was provided by a member of the “ Five Eyes ” intelligence-sharing alliance, which includes the US, Britain, Australia and New Zealand, in addition to Canada. The official did not say which ally provided intelligence or give specific details of what was contained in the communications or how they were obtained. The official spoke on condition of anonymity because they were not authorised to discuss the matter publicly. The Canadian Broadcasting Corporation first reported the intelligence. Earlier Thursday, India stopped issuing visas to Canadian citizens and told Canada to reduce its diplomatic staff as the rift widened between the once-close allies over Ottawa’s allegation that New Delhi may have been involved in the killing of Hardeep Singh Nijjar , a 45-year-old Sikh separatist, in a Vancouver suburb in June. [caption id=“attachment_13155052” align=“alignnone” width=“640”] The allegation of India’s involvement in the killing of a Sikh Canadian is based on surveillance of Indian diplomats in Canada. AP[/caption] Ties between the two countries have plunged to their lowest point in years since Canadian prime minister Justin Trudeau said Monday there were “credible allegations” of Indian involvement in the assassination. Nijjar, a plumber who was born in India and became a Canadian citizen in 2007, had been wanted by India for years before he was gunned down outside the temple he led in the city of Surrey. Canada has yet to provide public evidence Speaking Thursday on the sidelines of the UN General Assembly, Trudeau acknowledged the complicated diplomatic situation he faces. “The decision to share these allegations on the floor of the House of Commons was not done lightly,” he said. “There is no question that India is a country of growing importance and a country that we need to continue to work with.” “We are not looking to provoke or cause problems but we are unequivocal around the importance of the rule of law and unequivocal about the importance of protecting Canadians.” The bombshell allegation set off an international tit-for-tat, with each country expelling a diplomat. India called the allegations “absurd.” **Also Read: Hardeep Singh Nijjar killing: How India's strong global ties have left Canada isolated** Canada has yet to provide public evidence to back Trudeau’s allegations, and Canada’s UN ambassador, Bob Rae, indicated that might not come soon. “This is very early days,” Rae told reporters Thursday, insisting that while facts will emerge, they must “come out in the course of the pursuit of justice.” “That’s what we call the rule of law in Canada,” he said. Visa suspension and security threats On Thursday, the company that processes Indian visas in Canada announced that visa services had been suspended until further notice. The suspension means Canadians who don’t already have visas cannot travel to India. Canadians are among the top travellers to India: In 2021, 80,000 Canadian tourists visited the country, according to India’s Bureau of Immigration. [caption id=“attachment_13155062” align=“alignnone” width=“640”] Khalistan flags are seen outside the Guru Nanak Sikh Gurdwara Sahib in Surrey, British Columbia, on Monday (18 September) where temple president Hardeep Singh Nijjar was gunned down in his vehicle while leaving the temple parking lot in June. AP[/caption] External Affairs Ministry spokesperson Arindam Bagchi blamed the visa suspension, which includes visas issued in third countries, on safety issues. “Security threats being faced by our High Commission and consulates in Canada have disrupted their normal functioning. Accordingly, they are temporarily unable to process visa applications,” Bagchi told reporters. He gave no details on the alleged threats. The announcement quickly rippled across Canada, especially among people with ties to India. **Also Read: What's at stake for India and Canada as ties between the two countries nosedive?** Sukhwinder Dhillon, a 56-year-old grocery store owner in Montreal, said he had a trip planned to India to see family and sort out his deceased father’s estate. Dhillon, who came to Canada in 1998, said he makes the trip every two or three years and has lost two immediate family members since he was last home. “My father passed, and my brother passed,” Dhillon said. “I want to go now. … Now I don’t know when we’ll go.” External Affairs Ministry urges reduction of Canadian diplomats Bagchi, the Indian foreign ministry spokesman, also called for a reduction in Canadian diplomats in India, saying they outnumbered Indian diplomats in Canada. The Canadian High Commission in New Delhi said Thursday that its consulates in India are open and continue to serve clients. It said some of its diplomats had received threats on social media, adding that Canada expects India to provide security for its diplomats and consular officers working there. **Also Read: Who was Hardeep Singh Nijjar, the Khalistani terrorist at centre of India-Canada standoff?** On Wednesday, India warned its citizens to be careful when traveling to Canada because of “growing anti-India activities and politically condoned hate-crimes.” India’s security and intelligence branches have long been active in South Asia and are suspected in a number of killings in Pakistan. But arranging the killing of a Canadian citizen in Canada, home to nearly two million people of Indian descent, would be unprecedented. [caption id=“attachment_13155072” align=“alignnone” width=“640”] India stopped issuing visas to Canadian citizens and told Canada to reduce its diplomatic staff as the rift widened between Ottawa and New Delhi. Reuters[/caption] India has criticised Canada for years over giving free rein to Sikh separatists, including Nijjar. New Delhi had accused him of links to terrorism, which he denied. Nijjar was a local leader in what remains of a once-strong movement to create an independent Sikh homeland, known as Khalistan. A bloody Sikh insurgency shook north India in the 1970s and 1980s until it was crushed in a government crackdown in which thousands of people were killed, including prominent Sikh leaders. Comeback of the Sikh separatists While the active insurgency ended decades ago, the Indian government has warned that Sikh separatists are trying to stage a comeback and pressed countries like Canada, where Sikhs comprise over two per cent of the population, to do more to stop them. **Also Read: Should Indian students, diaspora worry amid souring Indo-Canada relations?** At the time of his killing, Nijjar was working to organise an unofficial Sikh diaspora referendum on independence from India. New Delhi’s anxieties about Sikh separatist groups in Canada have long been a strain on the relationship, but the two have maintained strong defence and trade ties and share strategic interests over China’s global ambitions. In March, Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s government summoned the Canadian high commissioner in New Delhi, its top diplomat in the country, to complain about Sikh independence protests in Canada. Signs of a broader diplomatic rift emerged at the summit of the Group of 20 leading world economies hosted by India earlier this month. Trudeau had frosty encounters with Modi, and a few days later Canada cancelled a trade mission to India planned for the fall. A trade deal between the two is now on pause. **Also Read: How the Khalistan movement grew and flourished in Canada** On Wednesday, India’s National Investigation Agency said it has intensified its crackdown on Sikh insurgents operating in India. It announced rewards of up to Rs 1 million for information leading to the arrest of five insurgents, one of whom is believed to be based in neighbouring Pakistan. It accused them of extorting money from businesses for a banned Sikh organisation, the Babbar Khalsa International, and of targeted killings in India. With inputs from AP