India notes RCMP finding of no evidence against govt in Nijjar murder

India welcomed remarks by a senior Canadian police official stating investigators found no evidence linking Indian government agents to Hardeep Singh Nijjar's killing, saying the findings align with the US indictment against the Lawrence Bishnoi gang and reaffirming cooperation against organised crime

New Delhi: India on Tuesday said it noted the remarks of a senior Canadian police official stating that investigators probing the 2023 killing of Sikh separatist Hardeep Singh Nijjar have found no evidence linking Indian government agents to the assassination.

The comments by Lisa Moreland, the Deputy Commissioner of Royal Canadian Mounted Police (RCMP), came last week after the US authorities charged jailed gangster Lawrence Bishnoi and his aide Satinderjeet Singh alias Goldy Brar of ordering Nijjar’s assassination.

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Moreland’s comments contradicted the then Canadian prime minister Justin Trudeau’s allegation linking the Indian government agents to the Sikh separatist’s murder.

“We have seen the announcements made by the US Department of Justice regarding the indictments and enforcement action against transnational organised criminal networks operating across several countries,” External Affairs Ministry spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal said at a media briefing.

He said India has consistently maintained that transnational organised crime, terrorism, narco-trafficking, human trafficking, illegal firearms trafficking and related criminal networks pose a serious threat to our societies.

“India and the US enjoy strong and growing cooperation in combating terrorism as well as transnational organised crime. Our agencies have worked closely together over the years, and this cooperation continues to deepen.” Jaiswal said India 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,” he said.

“India remains committed to working with our partners in combating terrorism and transnational organised crime through close law enforcement and security cooperation,” he added.

Weeks after Nijjar’s killing outside a gurudwara in British Columbia, Trudeau made the sensational allegation linking the Indian government to the Sikh separatist’s murder.

A furious New Delhi categorically dismissed the charges as “absurd”. As relations hit rock bottom following Trudeau’s allegations, India accused Ottawa of allowing pro-Khalistani elements to operate from Canadian soil.

In October 2024, India recalled its high commissioner Sanjay Kumar Verma and five other diplomats after Ottawa attempted to link them to the Nijjar case. India also expelled an equal number of Canadian diplomats.

However, Liberal Party leader Mark Carney’s victory in the parliamentary election in April last year helped rebuilding the relations.

Subsequently, both sides posted their high commissioners in each other’s capitals. The two countries also agreed to revive several mechanisms to advance relations in a range of areas.

The relations witnessed a major upswing since Carney’s visit to India in March. In her remarks, Moreland said the investigation has found that the Bishnoi gang has been involved in extortions, drug trafficking, kidnapping and violence in Canada and elsewhere.

While Bishnoi has been in a jail in India since 2015, the FBI announced a reward of USD 50,000 for information leading to the arrest of Brar. The crackdown on the crime networks of Bishnoi, Ravinder Dhanda and Jaggu Bhagwanpuria was part of a years-long federal investigation into Indian crime syndicates engaged in targeted killings, shootings, extortion, drugs trafficking and other crimes around the world, the US Justice Department said.