India criticizes Canada for linking minister to plots targeting Sikhs, calling allegation 'absurd'

On Saturday, India officially protested against the Canadian government's claim that Amit Shah, the country's influential Home Minister, had ordered the targeting of Sikh activists in Canada, labeling the allegation as "absurd and baseless."

Tensions between the two nations escalated following Prime Minister Justin Trudeau's statement last year, which mentioned credible allegations linking the Indian government to the assassination of Sikh activist Hardeep Singh Nijjar in Canada. India has firmly denied these accusations.

New Delhi, which has long been concerned about Sikh separatist groups, has increasingly criticized the Canadian government for allegedly allowing separatists from a once-powerful movement aimed at establishing an independent Sikh homeland, known as Khalistan, to operate freely.

The diplomatic conflict resulted in the expulsion of each country's top diplomats last month.

"The Government of India protests in the strongest terms to the absurd and baseless references made to the Union Home Minister of India," Randhir Jaiswal, spokesperson for India's Foreign Ministry, stated during a press briefing on Saturday.

'Serious consequences for bilateral ties'

He added that a Canadian diplomat in New Delhi was summoned on Friday and presented with a letter formally protesting the allegation. "Such irresponsible actions will have serious consequences for bilateral ties," he warned.

Canada's Deputy Foreign Affairs Minister David Morrison informed members of Parliament on the national security committee on Tuesday that he had confirmed Shah's name to *The Washington Post*, which was the first to report the allegations. However, Morrison did not disclose how Canada came to know of Shah's purported involvement.

Canadian authorities have repeatedly asserted that they shared evidence with India, while Indian officials have denied receiving any proof, dismissing the allegations as ridiculous.

Nijjar was a local leader of the Khalistan movement, which is banned in India. The Indian government designated him a terrorist in 2020 and was seeking his arrest at the time of his death for alleged involvement in an attack on a Hindu priest in India.

Having lived in Canada for nearly three decades, Nijjar was part of a community where about two percent of the population is Sikh.