External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar has again refuted claims of having received any evidence linking Indian citizens to the killing of India-designated terrorist Hardeep Singh Nijjar in Canada.
Responding to media queries here, Jaishankar stated, “I also read that another arrest has been made. If that person is an Indian national, then usually by consular practice, you inform the government or the embassy of the country of origin. But beyond that, we have long maintained that if anything, any event in Canada, any violence in Canada, has any evidence or information which is relevant to be investigated in India, we are open to investigating it.”
He stressed that typically, the arrest of any Indian national would trigger notification to the government or embassy; however, as of now, no specific evidence warranting investigation by Indian agencies has been received.
“But to date, we have never received anything which is specific and worthy of being pursued by our investigative agencies. And I’m not aware anything has changed in the last few days in that regard,” the External Affairs Minister said at a media interaction at a seminar on Indian Capital Markets ‘Roadmap for Viksit Bharat’ at the National Stock Exchange (NSE) in Mumbai on Monday.
According to a report by Canada’s CBC News, the Canadian Police arrested a fourth suspect on Saturday regarding their alleged involvement in the killing of Nijjar, which occurred outside the Gurdwara in Surrey, British Columbia, on June 18. The accused individual has been identified as Amandeep Singh, aged 22. The Integrated Homicide Investigation Team (IHIT) in British Columbia has stated that Singh was already in the custody of Peel Regional Police in Ontario for unrelated firearms charges.
“IHIT pursued the evidence and gained sufficient information for the BC Prosecution Service to charge Amandeep Singh with first-degree murder and conspiracy to commit murder,” the police statement said.
As per CBC News, the police revealed that Singh, identified as an Indian national, resides in Brampton, Ontario, and divides his time between Surrey and Abbotsford in British Columbia, Canada. Investigators refrained from providing additional information regarding the arrest, citing ongoing investigations and legal proceedings.
This development follows the recent arrest by Canadian police of three Indian nationals—Karan Brar, Kamalpreet Singh, and Karanpreet Singh—in Edmonton. The trio faces charges of first-degree murder and conspiracy to commit murder in connection with the homicide. Hardeep Singh Nijjar, designated as a terrorist by India’s National Investigation Agency in 2020, was fatally shot outside a Gurdwara in Surrey in June of the previous year. The attack, described as ‘highly coordinated,’ involved six men and two vehicles. Notably, the Canadian police have not presented any evidence linking the incident to India, contrary to speculation in Canadian media.
Nijjar’s assassination exacerbated diplomatic tensions between Canada and India, particularly when Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau insinuated India’s involvement—a claim vehemently denied by New Delhi, dismissing it as “absurd” and “motivated.”
Earlier this week, the Ministry of External Affairs restated that Canada has not furnished any “specific” evidence or pertinent information regarding the Hardeep Singh Nijjar killing case. Additionally, it highlighted that no “formal communication” has been conveyed to India regarding the arrests of three Indians purportedly implicated in the matter.
“No specific or relevant evidence or information has been given to us in this matter. Canada has informed us about the arrest. But we have not got any formal communication…” MEA Spokesperson said on the arrest of three Indian nations in Canada in Nijjar killing.
When queried about whether India has granted consular access to the three Indians apprehended in the Nijjar Killing case, the Ministry of External Affairs responded that they have not received any request from the Canadian side for such access. This is because the accused individuals have not yet requested consular access.
