Canada accuses a key Modi ally of masterminding the Sikh attacks

What happened

The Canadian government confirmed on Tuesday that it believes Indian Home Affairs Minister Amit Shah, a close ally of Prime Minister Narendra Modi, is behind a campaign of violence and intimidation against Sikh separatists in Canada. Earlier this month, Ottawa publicly accused Indian embassy staff of involvement in the 2023 assassination of a Sikh leader Hardeep Singh Nijar in British Columbia and a broader conspiracy against Sikh separatists that led to Canada and India expelling each other’s top diplomats.

Who said what?

Earlier this month, Canadian officials did not publicly name Shah, who has been “described as the ‘second most powerful person’ in India,” but The Washington Post reported on his alleged organization Sikh violence plot, CBC said Canada’s deputy foreign minister, David Morrison, told parliament’s national security committee yesterday that he was the Post’s source. “The journalist called me and asked if it was the person. I confirmed that it was the person,” he said.