National Desk
21 November
Sandeep Dhand Ludhiana
India has denied reports from Canadian media suggesting that Prime Minister Narendra Modi was aware of the alleged conspiracy to kill Khalistani extremist Hardeep Singh Nijjar. The Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) issued a statement rejecting the claims, calling them defamatory and part of a smear campaign.
Spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal emphasized that the government does not typically comment on media reports, but the specific allegations made by a Canadian government source should be dismissed. He said such statements only serve to further damage the already strained relations between India and Canada.
The MEA’s remarks came in response to a report by the Canadian newspaper Globe and Mail, which attempted to link the death of Nijjar, who was declared a terrorist by India’s National Investigation Agency (NIA), to the Indian government. The report also mentioned that National Security Advisor Ajit Doval and External Affairs Minister S. Jaishankar were allegedly aware of the plot.
Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau had previously accused India of being involved in the killing of Nijjar, which occurred in Canada last year. The escalating tensions between the two countries have sparked significant diplomatic discourse.