Sikh Organization Raises Concerns Over Report on 2023 Killing
A leading Sikh advocacy group in Canada has criticized India following a media report that links Indian consular officials to the 2023 killing of activist Hardeep Singh Nijjar.
The report, published by The Globe and Mail, alleges that Indian consular staff in Vancouver provided information that helped facilitate Nijjar’s assassination.
Allegations Outlined in Newspaper Report
According to the newspaper, two unnamed sources in Canadian law enforcement and national security claimed that a visa officer at the Indian consulate in Vancouver gathered intelligence on Nijjar. The report suggests that the official may have also been affiliated with India’s external intelligence agency, commonly known as RAW.
The article further states that the gathered information was sent to another RAW officer in New Delhi. That officer allegedly communicated with a criminal group known as the Bishnoi gang, which authorities have linked to several crimes in Canada.
The sources told the newspaper that a Canada-based member of the gang helped organize the shooting. Gunmen fatally shot Nijjar outside a Sikh gurdwara in Surrey, British Columbia, in June 2023.
Sikh Group Expresses Alarm
The World Sikh Organization of Canada said it was “deeply disturbed” by the allegations in the report. The group called for transparency and accountability regarding the case.
Community advocates have repeatedly raised concerns about the safety of Sikh activists in Canada since the killing.
India Rejects Allegations
Meanwhile, India’s Ministry of External Affairs and its consulate in Toronto did not immediately respond to media requests for comment on the newspaper’s findings.
However, Periasamy Kumaran, a senior official in India’s External Affairs Ministry, rejected the claims. Speaking to reporters, he stated that India “categorically rejects allegations of involvement in transnational violence or organised crime.”
The case remains a major point of tension in relations between Ottawa and New Delhi.
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