Trudeau ruined India-Canada ties over unproven Nijjar murder charges, says outgoing Indian envoy

Sanjay Kumar Verma, the outgoing Indian High Commissioner to Canada, has accused Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau of damaging the political relationship between the two nations. Verma also denied any role in the death of Hardeep Singh Nijjar, a pro-Khalistani terrorist who was killed in Canada.

In an interview with CTV News, Verma condemned Nijjar's murder, saying, "Any murder is wrong and bad. I do condemn it and that is what I have said in many interviews."

Trudeau had previously linked Nijjar’s death, which occurred last year in British Columbia, to India. Verma, however, criticised Trudeau, stating that the Canadian leader was basing his accusations on intelligence rather than concrete evidence.

"On the basis of intelligence, if you want to destroy a relationship, be my guest. And that's what he [Trudeau] did," Verma said.

When asked directly if he had any involvement in Nijjar's death, Verma responded, "Nothing at all. No evidence was presented [by Canada]. (This is) politically motivated."

During the interview, Verma also addressed allegations that Indian diplomats and government officials were pressuring Southeast Asians living in Canada for information. He stated that India’s actions were transparent.

"There is nothing covert. It's all overt ... we read the newspapers, we read their statements, since we understand Punjabi. So we read their social media posts and try to infer from there," Verma explained.

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The high commissioner firmly denied any personal involvement in such activities, stating, "I, as High Commissioner of India, have never done anything of that kind."

Tensions between the two countries increased when New Delhi recalled Verma after the Trudeau government suggested that the high commissioner might be linked to the investigation into Nijjar’s killing. Both India and Canada responded by expelling six senior diplomats from each other’s countries.

Earlier this week, India’s Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) confirmed receiving a "diplomatic communication from Canada yesterday suggesting that the Indian High Commissioner and other diplomats are 'persons of interest' in a matter related to an investigation in that country" in an ongoing investigation.

This further heightened the diplomatic standoff, leading to the expulsion of more officials on both sides. India has consistently emphasized that Canada has yet to provide any credible evidence linking Indian agents to Nijjar's killing.

"Since Prime Minister Trudeau made certain allegations in September 2023, the Canadian government has not shared a shred of evidence with the Government of India, despite many requests from our side," the MEA stated.

(With inputs from agencies)