No proof to link Modi to Nijjar plot: Trudeau govt

Days after India strongly objected to a report in the Canada-based Globe and Mail newspaper that attempted to draw a link between the death of NIA-designated terrorist Hardeep Nijjar to Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Canada has officially denied the reports.

IMAGE: Canada's Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, US President Joe Biden and Prime Minister Narendra Modi talk while standing for a group photo with other leaders during the G20 summit at the Museum of Modern Art in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil on November 19, 2024. Photograph: Ricardo Moraes/Reuters

Nathalie G Drouin, the Deputy Clerk of the Privy Council and National Security and Intelligence Advisor to the Prime Minister, in the statement issued by the Privy Council Office said, "On October 14th, because of a significant and ongoing threat to public safety, the RCMP and officials took the extraordinary step of making public accusations of serious criminal activity in Canada perpetrated by agents of the Government of India".

"The Government of Canada has not stated, nor is it aware of evidence, linking Prime Minister Modi, Minister Jaishankar, or NSA Doval to the serious criminal activity within Canada," the statement added.

"Any suggestion to the contrary is both speculative and inaccurate", the statement concluded.

The Globe and Mail newspaper had claimed the Indian prime minister, national security advisor and the external affairs minister were aware of the alleged plot to kill Sikh separatist Hardeep Singh Nijjar.

Referring to the report quoting an unnamed official, External Affairs Ministry spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal said such 'ludicrous statements' should be dismissed with the contempt they deserve.

"We do not normally comment on media reports. However, such ludicrous statements made to a newspaper purportedly by a Canadian government source should be dismissed with the contempt they deserve," he said.

"Smear campaigns like this only further damage our already strained ties," he said.

India-Canada ties nosedived last month after Canada linked Indian High Commissioner Sanjay Verma and some other diplomats to the murder.

India has strongly rejected all the allegations made by Ottawa in connection to the case and subsequently recalled the high commissioner.

The Canadian government had said the Indian diplomats were expelled from the country.

New Delhi expelled Canadian Charge d'Affaires Stewart Wheeler and five other diplomats following Canada's allegations.