Canada says Home Minister Amit Shah has ordered a campaign against Sikh separatists

“A journalist called me and asked if it was that person. I confirmed that this was the person,” Morrison told the committee. However, Morrison did not reveal how Canada obtained this information about Shah’s involvement.

This was announced by Prime Minister Justin Trudeau earlier Canada had credible evidence the connection of Indian government agents to the murder of Canadian Sikh activist Hardeep Singh Nijar in British Columbia in June 2023. Canadian authorities said they had shared the evidence with India, but Indian officials have repeatedly denied receiving any evidence and dismissed the claims as absurd. The Indian embassy in Ottawa did not immediately respond to a request for comment on the allegations against Shah.

On October 14, Canada expelled India’s high commissioner and five other diplomats, accusing them of involvement in multiple incidents of intimidation and violence aimed at suppressing the movement for an independent Sikh state known as Khalistan.

Canada is not alone in its accusations. The US Department of Justice recently announced criminal charges against an Indian government official in connection with a botched plot to kill a Sikh separatist leader who lived in New York. Vikash Yadav, accused of masterminding the plot in New York from India, faces murder-for-hire charges in connection with a series of politically motivated killings planned in both the US and Canada.

Natalie Drouin, Trudeau’s national security adviser, testified that Canada has evidence that the Indian government collected information on Indian and Canadian citizens through diplomatic channels and other means. The information was reportedly sent to New Delhi, where it was linked to a criminal network linked to Lawrence Bishna, who is currently imprisoned in India for various violent crimes.

Drouin explained that before the Royal Canadian Mounted Police (RCMP) publicly announced that Indian diplomats were under investigation, efforts had been made to work with India to ensure accountability. Two days ago, a meeting with India’s national security adviser Ajit Doval took place in Singapore. Drouin said the decision to go public came when it became clear that India would not cooperate on accountability measures, including the waiver of diplomatic immunity for those concerned.

The RCMP said they felt compelled to release the charges because of threats to public safety. In response, the Indian government expelled six Canadian diplomats.

Hardeep Singh Nijar, 45, was shot dead in his pickup truck after leaving the Sikh temple he led in Surrey, British Columbia. Four Indian nationals living in Canada have been charged with his murder and are awaiting trial.

Drouin and Morrison testified alongside Royal Canadian Mounted Police Commissioner Mike Duhame and the head of Canada’s spy agency during the parliamentary hearing.