New Delhi: Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau on Monday night reinforced his accusations, claiming India is “supporting criminal activity against Canadians” and engaging in “coercive behavior targeting South Asian Canadians.”
This comes as the two countries exchanged a second round of tit-for-tat expulsions of diplomats, escalating tensions over allegations linking “agents of the Indian government” to the killing of Khalistani terrorist and Canadian citizen Hardeep Singh Nijjar in June last year.
India, which has yet to respond to Trudeau’s latest remarks, has formed a high-level committee to investigate the allegations. However, New Delhi has consistently dismissed the claims as “absurd” and “motivated,” stressing that no evidence has been provided to substantiate the accusations.
On Monday, India reiterated that since the accusations were first made, the Trudeau government “has not shared a shred of evidence with the Government of India, despite numerous requests…”
In remarks following India’s expulsion of six Canadian diplomats, including Acting High Commissioner Stewart Wheeler and his deputy, Prime Minister Trudeau stated that he had shared information about the accusations with Five Eyes partners, especially the United States.
These latest allegations mark an escalation, with Trudeau asserting that the Indian government is involved in a broader campaign working alongside organized crime in Canada to “collect—through questionable and illegal means—information on Canadian citizens… which is then relayed to criminal organizations that may resort to violent actions, including extortion and murder.”
“I think it is clear that the Government of India made a fundamental error in believing they could support criminal activity against Canadians on Canadian soil. Whether it involves murders, extortion, or other violent acts, it is absolutely unacceptable,” Trudeau declared.
He also noted, “We shared our concerns with the Government of India and requested their cooperation… However, these requests have been ‘repeatedly refused.'”
“This weekend, Canadian officials took the extraordinary step of meeting with Indian officials to present evidence from the Royal Canadian Mounted Police (RCMP), which concluded that six agents of the Government of India are ‘persons of interest’ in criminal activities. Yet, despite multiple requests, the Indian government has chosen not to cooperate…”
Trudeau’s allegations come amid declining support and plummeting approval ratings, as he recently survived a second parliamentary confidence vote within two weeks ahead of the 2025 elections.
The comments followed warnings from RCMP Commissioner Mike Duheme and Assistant Commissioner Brigitte Gauvin regarding a public safety threat to Canadians, although they provided limited details. They indicated that the RCMP possesses evidence of “connections” between several individuals arrested for murder (eight people) and extortion (at least 22) and the Government of India.
When pressed on the current “public safety threat to Canadians,” Duheme urged citizens to come forward if they experience “intimidation, harassment, coercion, or extortion in any form to obtain information for the Government of India.”
Tensions escalated after Canada’s Foreign Minister Melanie Joly, acting on RCMP intelligence, issued deportation notices to six Indian diplomats. “They must leave Canada,” Trudeau stated, emphasizing, “Let me be clear: the evidence brought to light by the RCMP cannot be ignored.”
In response, India announced the withdrawal of the six officials over security concerns.
In response, Delhi has intensified its criticism of the Trudeau government, stating that the accusations against its envoy, Sanjay Kumar Verma, are “ludicrous and should be treated with contempt.”
Delhi further stated that Mr. Trudeau’s “hostility toward India has been evident for a long time.”
The foreign ministry emphasized, “Sanjay Verma is India’s senior-most serving diplomat, with a distinguished career spanning 36 years. He has served as Ambassador to Japan and Sudan, and has also worked in Italy, Turkey, Vietnam, and China,” labeling the allegations as a “strategy to smear India for political gain.”
