India's NSA and external affairs minister allegedly knew of an assassination plan against Hardeep Singh Nijjar, according to a report in The Globe and Mail.
A Canadian media story that said the Indian prime minister knew of a purported conspiracy to kill Sikh separatist Hardeep Singh Nijjar was denounced by India on Wednesday as a "smear campaign."Randhir Jaiswal, a spokesman for the External Affairs Ministry, criticized the story, which cited an unidentified Canadian source, calling the assertions "ludicrous statements" that should be rejected outright.
"Normally, we don't respond to news reporting. But such absurd remarks made to a newspaper allegedly by a Canadian official source ought to be treated with the disdain they merit," he said.
Smear operations like this, according to Jaiswal, only serve to exacerbate the already tense relations between Canada and India. He was responding to questions from the media over the Globe and Mail piece that was published in Canada.
A senior national security official was quoted in the report, which was published in The Globe and Mail. It further claimed that India's external affairs minister and national security advisor (NSA) were also aware of the alleged plot.
Four Indian nationals were detained and prosecuted by Canadian authorities for the June 2023 shooting death of Nijjar at a gurdwara in Surrey, British Columbia.
India has often claimed that Canada has not shown any proof to back up its claim that the Indian government was involved in Nijjar's murder.
The Indian side has maintained that Canada has not offered any proof to support its claim that Nijjar, who has already been named a terrorist by New Delhi, was killed by Indian government agents.
After Canada accused Indian High Commissioner Sanjay Verma and other diplomats of being involved in the murder last month, India-Canada ties took a severe turn for the worst.
Following Ottawa's designation of the Indian ambassador and other diplomats as "persons of interest" in the inquiry into the murder of pro-Khalistani terrorist Hardeep Singh Nijjar, India responded by expelling six Canadian diplomats and withdrawing its envoy.
Additionally, India called Canada's measures "preposterous" and charged that the Justin Trudeau administration was acting politically.
In response to Canada's accusations, New Delhi dismissed Canadian Charge d'Affaires Stewart Wheeler along with five other diplomats.
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