NEW DELHI: India’s foreign ministry announced on Saturday that it had formally lodged a strong protest with Canada over allegations linking India’s home minister to plots targeting Sikh separatists in Canada, further accusing Ottawa of surveilling Indian consular staff.
“At a press conference in New Delhi, Foreign Ministry spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal stated, “The government of India has conveyed its strongest protest against the absurd and baseless references made to the Union Home Minister of India.”
The Washington Post initially reported that Canadian officials claimed Amit Shah, regarded as the Modi government’s second-in-command, was involved in a campaign of intimidation and violence targeting Sikh separatists in Canada. The report quoted an unnamed senior Canadian official who alleged Shah authorized intelligence gathering and an operations campaign, which included the 2023 killing of Hardeep Singh Nijjar.
Canadian Deputy Foreign Affairs Minister David Morrison later confirmed to a parliamentary panel that he was a source for the information, acknowledging that he told the journalist Shah was implicated in the plots.
Canada hosts the largest Sikh population outside India, including activists supporting the “Khalistan” movement—a separatist cause aiming to establish an independent Sikh state from Indian territory.
Diplomatic Rift Deepens
Responding on behalf of New Delhi, Jaiswal accused Canadian officials of deliberately leaking “unfounded insinuations” to discredit India in the media.
Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau and the national police previously suggested “clear indications” of India’s involvement in Nijjar’s murder, alongside a broader campaign of intimidation and threats against Khalistan activists.
India has consistently rejected these claims, which have severely strained diplomatic relations. Last month, India and Canada each expelled several senior diplomats from the other’s embassy.
Following Morrison’s comments, a Canadian intelligence agency report warned that India was using cyber technology to monitor Sikh separatists overseas and had intensified cyberattacks on Canadian government networks.
