Editorial: India’s stand vindicated in Nijjar’s case 

Findings in the Nijjar murder investigation strengthen India’s long-held position, ease tensions in India-Canada relations and shift the focus to transnational organised crime networks

In September 2023, Justin Trudeau, the then Canadian Prime Minister, stood in the House of Commons and made a sensational allegation, linking the murder of pro-Khalistan activist Hardeep Singh Nijjar to Indian government agents. He went on to peddle this narrative without producing any credible evidence, thereby setting bilateral relations on an unprecedented collision course. Nearly three years after Trudeau’s political harakiri, the Canadian and American authorities have now declared that there was no evidence of any official involvement by India in the killing of Nijjar, an active supporter of the Khalistan Tiger Force, in Vancouver in June 2023. The Indian position has been vindicated, but not before considerable damage was caused to its international image by reckless charges hurled by the previous regime in Ottawa. The investigators have indicted jailed gangster Lawrence Bishnoi and his close aide Goldy Brar for the murder. New Delhi had steadfastly denied the involvement of its officials at any level in the assassination. It is well-known that there are warring factions within the extremist pro-Khalistan groups operating on Canadian soil, and they are often engaged in violent clashes with one another. India has argued that Nijjar’s killing could have been the result of one such conflict. More importantly, the US Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) has red-flagged the growing global threat posed by transnational criminal syndicates. The well-coordinated “Operation Hard Ball”, involving law enforcement agencies from the US, Canada and Europe, demonstrates an unprecedented level of international cooperation against criminal networks engaged in murder, extortion, drug trafficking and racketeering.

These syndicates, which respect no borders, are exploiting the Indian diaspora to sustain their operations. The outcome of the probe into Nijjar’s killing has come as a major diplomatic relief for India. It augurs well for India-Canada relations, which have been put back on track ever since Mark Carney succeeded Trudeau last year. The new regime has been taking sagacious steps to revive the relations. Carney’s pragmatic approach towards India helped send an unambiguous message to anti-India elements that they cannot take Canada’s freedom for granted in order to malign India. In fact, the key issue festering for decades is a free hand given to anti-India extremist elements operating on Canadian soil. For India, the real issue remains Ottawa’s consistent failure to act on specific evidence regarding criminal activities being carried out by Canada-based organisations and individuals. Now, things are changing for the better. Ottawa has repeatedly given the impression that it no longer links India to criminal activities on its soil. The latest findings also highlight the importance of allowing criminal investigations to proceed on the basis of evidence rather than political speculation. The indictment reinforces New Delhi’s long-standing concerns about organised crime networks operating across continents despite their leaders’ incarceration. It is clear that criminal organisations have evolved into highly networked enterprises that can strike at any time, anywhere.

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