The News Freedom
Chandigarh, November 5
India’s High Commissioner to Canada, Sanjay Kumar Verma, has asked Ottawa to release evidence backing up its accusation regarding the killing of Khalistani terrorist Hardeep Singh Nijjar.
In an interview to Canada-based The Globe and Mail platform, Commissioner Verma on Friday said that India has not been shown concrete evidence by Canada or Canada’s allies that Indian agents were involved in Nijjar’s killing, which took place in Burnaby, B.C.
According to Verma, the continuing Canadian police probe into the slaying had been damaged by Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau’s public statements in September. Trudeau has alleged that “agents of the Indian government” carried out the killing of Nijjar.
In another major development related to the case, External Affairs Minister, Dr S Jaishankar, on Saturday said there is still room for diplomacy to address the diplomatic row between India and Canada over the killing of Nijjar and the two sides need to find a balance in the matter. During a conversation with HT Editor-in-Chief R Sukumar at the Hindustan Times Leadership Summit in New Delhi, Jaishankar said that the problem faced by India is that activities such as violence and intimidation have been justified in the name of freedoms, which have also become a licence to propagate separatism and extremism.
“There is no specific or relevant information provided in this case for us to assist them in the investigation,” Verma said. “Where is the evidence? Where is the conclusion of the investigation? I would go a step further and say now the investigation has already been tainted. A direction has come from someone at a high level to say India or Indian agents are behind it.” Verma further said in an Interview.
India in September asked Canada to reduced its diplomatic presence after Trudeau leveled serious allegations against Delhi in Nijjar’s klling. Canada has withdrawn 41 diplomats from India on October 19. Recently, Canada’s Foreign Minister, Mélanie Joly, said that she has been in contact with Jaishankar, during the ongoing crisis in the relationship between the two countries.