'Ludicrous,' India dismisses Canadian report claiming PM Modi knew of Nijjar death plot

The External Affairs Ministry spokesperson, Randhir Jaiswal, dismissed a Canadian report claiming that Prime Minister Narendra Modi was aware of a plot to kill Sikh separatist leader Hardeep Singh Nijjar, calling it a "smear campaign."

“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,” Jaiswal said.

What did the report claim?

The Canadian newspaper The Globe and Mail published a report claiming that Prime Minister Modi, National Security Advisor and External Affairs Minister S. Jaishankar, had been informed about a plan to assassinate Nijjar. The newspaper cited an unnamed senior national security official.

“Canadian security agencies believe Prime Minister Narendra Modi of India knew about the killing of a Sikh separatist leader in British Columbia and other violent plots, according to a senior national-security official who worked on the intelligence assessment of New Delhi’s foreign-interference operations in Canada,” the report said.

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“The official said the [Canadian] assessment is that it would be unthinkable that three senior political figures in India would not have discussed the targeted killings with Mr Modi before proceeding,” the report claimed.

Hardeep Singh Nijjar, a Khalistani terrorist and Canadian citizen was killed in Vancouver last June. His assassination led to a diplomatic crisis after Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau accused India of being involved. He claimed "credible information" was shared with intelligence partners, including the US. India has repeatedly denied these accusations.

India Canada tensions

Tensions between India and Canada reached a breaking point on October 14 when the Canadian government labelled Indian diplomats, including the High Commissioner, as "persons of interest" in the investigation into Nijjar’s murder. In response, India withdrew its diplomats from Canada and expelled six Canadian envoys.

The Indian government has also accused Prime Minister Trudeau of using the situation for political gain, claiming that he is engaging in "vote-bank politics" with national elections approaching next year.

(With inputs from agencies)