Modi’s top minister ordered attack on Sikh separatists in Canada, official says

Indian home minister Amit Shah approved a wave of violence targeting Sikh separatists against CanadaA senior official from the North American country said:

Mr Shah, prime minister Narendra Modi’s chief lieutenantHe was described by Canadian security agencies as a “senior official in India” who “authorized intelligence gathering missions and attacks on Sikh separatists” in the country. Washington Post It was reported earlier this month, based on information provided by a Canadian source.

The source was deputy foreign secretary David Morrison. “The journalist called me and asked if it was him. I confirmed it was him,” Mr Morrison told a parliamentary committee on Tuesday.

He did not elaborate on how Canadian officials identified Shah.

India had not yet responded to Mr Morrison’s statement or the broader allegations against Mr Shah as of Wednesday afternoon.

Mr. Morrison’s remarks came after Canada this month expelled six Indian diplomats allegedly linked to the June 2023 assassination of Sikh separatist leader Hardeep Singh Nijjar in British Columbia.

India had previously rejected Canada’s allegations and retaliated. Expulsion of six Canadian diplomats.

Relations between the two countries deteriorated after the prime minister Justin Trudeau Last year, Canada was said to have credible evidence that Indian agents were involved in the Nijjar assassination.

This month Mr. Trudeau and the Royal Canadian Mounted Police opened to the public Allegations that Indian diplomats targeted Sikh separatists in the country by sharing information about them with New Delhi.

Senior Indian officials were also providing the information to: organized crime groups They said they wanted to blackmail, intimidate and even kill Canadian Sikh activists.

India rejected the accusations as absurd. He also rejected Canada’s repeated claims that Ottawa had shared evidence to support its allegations against Indian officials.

Canada is not the only country accusing Indian officials of plotting assassinations on foreign soil.

The U.S. Department of Justice recently filed criminal charges against an Indian government employee in connection with a thwarted plot to kill a Sikh separatist leader in New York.

American officials said Vikash Yadav directed the plot from India and will face murder-for-hire charges. They said the thwarted plot was planned before a series of politically motivated killings in the United States and Canada.

Following the freezing of relations with India, Canadian opposition leader Pierre Poilievre canceled the Hindu festival Diwali celebrations held on Parliament Hill in Ottawa on Wednesday.

The decision sparked outrage from Native Americans in Canada; Among them were the organizers of the event, who said they were not informed about the cancellation of the celebration.

Shiv Bhasker, president of India’s Overseas Friends Canada, called the move “discriminatory” and “insensitive”.

“The sudden withdrawal of political leaders from this event, triggered by the current diplomatic situation between Canada and India, has left us feeling betrayed and unfairly excluded,” Mr. Bhasker said.

Independent He reached out to Mr. Shah’s office for a comment.