Indian diplomat says high-level Canadian official damaged probe into Sikh's murder
Canada's police probe into the June murder of a Sikh leader in British Columbia has been damaged by a high-level Canadian official's public statements, India's High Commissioner to Canada, Sanjay Kumar Verma, told media interview published on Saturday.
Canada has alleged Indian involvement in the murder of Hardeep Singh Nijjar, a Canadian citizen and Sikh separatist leader, in a Vancouver suburb. India, on the other hand, vehemently denies these allegations and calls Nijjar a 'terrorist.'
Verma expressed his apprehensions, stating, 'I would go a step further and say now the investigation has already been tainted. A direction has come from someone at a high level to say India or Indian agents are behind it.'
However, Verma did not disclose the identity of the high-level official he was referring to. On September 18, Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau stated, 'Canadian security agencies have been actively pursuing credible allegations of a potential link between agents of the government of India' and Nijjar's death.
This case has sparked a diplomatic dispute between the two countries, leading to Canada withdrawing 41 diplomats from India after New Delhi requested Ottawa to reduce its diplomatic presence in response to Canada's allegations regarding Nijjar's killing.
High Commissioner Verma emphasized that India has not been presented with concrete evidence by Canada or its allies that Indian agents were involved in Nijjar's murder. Despite the strained relations between the two nations, India remains interested in expanding business ties and returning to the negotiating table for a trade deal.
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