New Delhi: Amid the escalating tensions between India and Canada over the assassination of Sikh separatist Hardeep Singh Nijjar, former Canadian National Security Adviser (NSA) Jody Thomas revealed that initial intelligence and police investigations suggested Nijjar’s murder may have been a retaliatory act following the killing of Ripudaman Singh Malik. Malik had been accused of involvement in the 1985 Air India Kanishka bombing.
Malik, a Sikh activist who was acquitted in the 1985 Air India Kanishka bombing, was shot and killed in Surrey on July 15, 2022. His death followed a public smear campaign led by Nijjar, the leader of the Khalistan Tiger Force, who had branded Malik a traitor and called for his social ostracism.
Certain members of the Canadian Sikh community were dissatisfied
Speaking before Canada’s inquiry into foreign interference, Thomas explained that certain members of the Canadian Sikh community were dissatisfied with the early assumption that Nijjar’s killing was retribution for Malik’s murder. She noted that Malik was shot dead almost exactly a year prior to Nijjar’s killing, both incidents occurring at the same gurdwara in Surrey. “The initial hypothesis was that it was retaliation, but the community raised concerns,” Thomas said during her testimony.
As the investigation advanced, intelligence pointed to the possibility that Nijjar’s death could have been an extra-judicial killing. Thomas emphasised the role of thorough intelligence and police work in uncovering a “high probability” that this was the case.
Her statements echoed Prime Minister Justin Trudeau’s earlier claims implicating Indian agents in Nijjar’s assassination. However, India has firmly denied these accusations, with the Ministry of External Affairs stating that Canada has provided no evidence to support such allegations.
‘No hard evidentiary proof’
Relations between India and Canada have worsened significantly since Trudeau’s accusations. The situation further deteriorated after Canadian authorities named the Indian High Commissioner and other diplomats as “persons of interest” in the investigation into Nijjar’s murder. India dismissed these claims as “baseless and politically motivated”. The diplomatic fallout has seen both countries expelling diplomats.
On Wednesday, Trudeau appeared before the Public Inquiry into Foreign Interference and tempered his accusations, admitting that Canada had no “hard evidentiary proof” linking Indian agents to the killing. He stated that the initial allegations were based on intelligence rather than concrete evidence.
