India rejects Canada's allegation of role in Sikh activist's death

India on September 19 firmly rejected a Canadian allegation that it may have been involved in the killing of a Sikh separatist activist earlier this year, calling the suggestion "absurd and motivated."

Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau on September 18 in Ottawa had dropped a bombshell, telling the House of Commons that security agencies "have been actively pursuing credible allegations of a potential link between agents of the government of India" and the killing of Hardeep Singh Nijjar on Canadian soil in June, Nikkei Asia reports.

India's External Affairs Ministry said on Tuesday that Prime Minister Narendra Modi had "completely rejected" Trudeau's allegations of involvement in violence in Canada.

The dispute deepens a long-running rift between India and Canada, a Group of Seven member, at a time when other Western democracies are actively courting New Delhi as a geopolitical counterweight to China. It also overshadows a symbolic moment for Indian democracy as lawmakers move into a new parliament building on Tuesday.

Hardeep Singh Nijjar, who had advocated an independent Sikh homeland known as Khalistan, was shot outside a Sikh temple in the western Canadian province of British Columbia in June.

The Sikh movement in Canada has long been a source of friction between the two governments. At the recent Group of 20 summit in New Delhi, Modi had conveyed strong concerns to Trudeau, according to an earlier Indian statement. "They are promoting secessionism and inciting violence against Indian diplomats, damaging diplomatic premises, and threatening the Indian community in Canada and their places of worship," the statement said.

In June, the same month Nijjar was killed, New Delhi had slammed Canada over a parade float perceived as a glorification of the 1984 assassination of Indian Prime Minister Indira Gandhi by her Sikh bodyguards.

Trudeau, meanwhile, told the House of Commons on Monday that he had raised the issue of Nijjar's shooting "personally and directly" with Modi at the G20. "Any involvement of a foreign government in the killing of a Canadian citizen on Canadian soil is an unacceptable violation of our sovereignty," Trudeau said.

The Indian external ministry on Tuesday reiterated a call for Canada to take "prompt and effective legal action against all anti-India elements operating from their soil."

"We are a democratic polity with a strong commitment to rule of law," the ministry said. "Such unsubstantiated allegations seek to shift the focus from Khalistani terrorists and extremists, who have been provided shelter in Canada and continue to threaten India's sovereignty and territorial integrity. The inaction of the Canadian Government on this matter has been a long-standing and continuing concern."

The timing of the spat casts a shadow over what was meant to be another crowning moment for Modi, fresh off a G20 summit widely considered a success. Tuesday marks the first legislative proceedings in India's new parliament building -- the centrepiece of the government's ambitious $2.4 billion Central Vista project to revamp the heart of the capital, giving it more modern facilities as well as a more Indian character.

In May, when he first inaugurated the new triangular structure, Modi described it in lofty terms, calling it "a cradle of empowerment, igniting dreams and nurturing them into reality," and saying it would "propel our great nation to new heights of progress."

The move out of the old parliament building, which opened in 1927, and into the new one comes on the second day of a special legislative session meant to celebrate "India's parliamentary journey of 75 years" since independence and discuss various bills.

Trudeau's revelation, however, could distract from the Modi government's agenda.

For other countries close to both Canada and India, the dispute presents a diplomatic quandary. It is particularly awkward for the U.S., Canada's neighbour and close ally, which has been actively fostering defence and other ties with the Modi government.

"We are deeply concerned about the allegations referenced by Prime Minister Trudeau earlier today," White House National Security Council spokesperson Adrienne Watson said in a statement. "We remain in regular contact with our Canadian partners. It is critical that Canada's investigation proceed and the perpetrators be brought to justice."

Derek Grossman, national security and Indo-Pacific analyst at Rand Corp., wrote on X that U.S. President Joe Biden's administration "is in a no-win situation with this latest bombshell of India-Canada news."

"If it sides with Ottawa, then New Delhi will be up in arms and, once again, question the loyalty of Washington. If it sides with New Delhi, then the U.S. is contradicting a NATO ally," Grossman wrote.

Trudeau's explosive statement could affect India-Canada trade relations as well. Already, strained ties have hindered talks on a free trade agreement.

India-Canada trade in goods reached about $8.2 billion in 2022, up 25% from 2021. But government sources said last week that there were "certain political developments" in Canada that India had raised with Ottawa. "We have paused the negotiations," one of them said, adding that "the moment these political issues are sorted, we will resume [the talks]."