Patna (Bihar) [India], July 17 : Former Indian Ambassador to Canada, Sanjay Verma on Friday defended India's position on the Hardeep Singh Nijjar case, asserting that the allegations linking India to the killing were "baseless" and unsupported by evidence, while maintaining that New Delhi has consistently warned Canada about Khalistani extremist activities.
Speaking to ANI, Verma said the accusations made against India had no legal basis and that New Delhi had remained firm in rejecting them from the outset.
"Whatever allegations were levelled were grave, but there was no proof or fact behind those allegations. There was nothing that could be called 'credible evidence' in legal terms, and India stood firm on its stance. Even when the allegation was first made, India stated it was politically motivated and later termed it completely absurd. India has remained consistent on that statement from then until today," he said.
Responding to a question on whether Canada had provided any evidence to support its allegations, Verma said that, to his knowledge, no such evidence exists and referred to recent developments in the United States.
"If we look at recent developments, there was an investigation in the US into what they call an 'organized crime group.' This investigation took place over the last three years, and Canada's investigative agencies were also a part of it. The conclusion reached through their investigation, and this is a US conclusion, is that the assassination of the terrorist you're talking about in Canada was the result of a gang war, a fight between two factions. It was stated that the Indian government, the nation of India, Indian officials, and Indian diplomats had no hand in it. This was said by the US, and it is on the record," he said.
Verma also cited remarks by the Royal Canadian Mounted Police (RCMP), saying, "The Deputy Commissioner of the RCMP, which is Canada's federal police, said in a TV interview that in this investigation, no Indian officials, the nation of India, the Indian government, or Indian diplomats were charged; they had no hand in it."
He said these developments made it "absolutely clear" that India, its government, officials and diplomats had no involvement in the killing and alleged that an attempt had been made to defame the country by portraying the incident otherwise.
On whether the allegations had damaged India's international image, Verma said initial claims by Canada's leadership [former PM Justin Trudeau] may have appeared credible but lost weight over time.
"Initially, if a leader of a democracy, at that time, the Prime Minister of Canada was the leader of Canada, makes an allegation, most people will think there must be some truth to it. But as the matter progressed and people examined it from various angles, everyone across the world, including the 'Five Eyes,' reached the conclusion that it was an absurd statement. Levelling blame against India based on that statement is complete nonsense," he said.
Addressing concerns over Khalistani activities, the former diplomat said India's concerns predated the Nijjar case and dated back to the 1985 Air India Flight 182 bombing.
"India has consistently and repeatedly told Canada since then that anti-India activities by Khalistanis take place there. India presented many extradition requests to Canada, but not a single one has been successful so far. It's not as if India started talking about Khalistan because of this murder. India has been talking about Khalistan from the beginning," Verma said.
He further claimed that Khalistani extremist groups have also become a security challenge within Canada.
"These terrorists, whom Canada calls 'Canada-based Khalistani extremists,' are engaging in extortion, spreading hate crimes, committing assaults, and carrying out murders. Whenever there is any kind of threat to India's sovereignty, India knows how to protect itself," he said.
The remarks come after the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) said it had taken note of announcements by the US Department of Justice regarding indictments and enforcement action against transnational organised crime networks.
MEA spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal on July 14 said that India has consistently maintained that transnational organised crime, terrorism, narco trafficking, human trafficking and illegal firearms trafficking pose a serious threat to societies.
"We have noted the remarks made by the RCMP Deputy Commissioner. These remarks are consistent with the recently unsealed US indictment, which attributes responsibility to the members of the Lawrence Bishnoi organised crime group. India remains committed to working with our partners in combating terrorism and transnational organised crime through close law enforcement and security cooperation," Jaiswal said.
The US Justice Department recently charged gangsters Lawrence Bishnoi and Goldy Brar with allegedly ordering Nijjar's assassination in Surrey, British Columbia, in June 2023, while also announcing charges against 37 defendants linked to transnational organised crime networks as part of "Operation Hard Ball."