Title: “India seeks evidence from Canada as High Commissioner questions conviction in Hardeep Singh Nijjar murder case”
The Indian government is continuing to demand “specific and relevant” evidence from Canada in the Hardeep Singh Nijjar murder case, as Indian high commissioner in Ottawa Sanjay Verma questions India’s conviction in the case even before the probe could be completed.
Despite pressure from the US to join the Canadian probe into Nijjar’s killing, New Delhi has dismissed Canada’s allegations about the possible involvement of Indian agents as unsubstantiated and absurd.
However, Canada believes its “credible allegations” against India have received a boost with the US endorsing reports of an alleged plot involving Indian authorities to eliminate another Khalistan leader and US-Canadian citizen Gurpatwant Singh Pannun.
In a rare TV interview, Verma said, “Even before the investigation was completed, India was convicted. Is that a rule of law? Because India was asked to cooperate. If you look at the typical terminology, when someone asks to cooperate, it means you are already convicted and you better cooperate. We took it in a very different interpretation, but we always said that if there is anything specific and relevant and communicated to us, we will look into it.”
India’s response to the US claims about the Pannun assassination plot was different, with the government admitting it received inputs from the US about a nexus between organized criminals and terrorists, but stopping short of acknowledging the US seemed to link Indian agencies to the plot.
Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau had said that his government had been working closely with allies, including the US, since the “middle of the summer” and hopes India will take the concerns seriously.
At the virtual G20 Summit, Trudeau spoke about the importance of upholding the rule of law and international law.
The Indian government’s refusal to cooperate without specific and relevant evidence and the high commissioner’s questioning of India’s conviction in the case indicate tensions between India and Canada over the Nijjar murder case and the alleged plot to eliminate Pannun.