'Baseless, Politically Motivated': India Rubbishes Canadian Media Reports Alleging Involvement In Nijjar's Killing

India on Monday rubbished the Canadian press reports, alleging New Delhi's involvement in the killing of Khalistani terrorist Hardeep Singh Nijjar in 2023, calling them lacking credible evidence and politically motivated.

New Delhi's response came after several such reports claimed to have evidence of India's involvement in the killing that took place in British Columbia in 2023.

During a press briefing, P Kumaran, Secretary (East), Ministry of External Affairs, said, "India categorically rejects allegations of involvement in transnational violence or organised crime. These claims are baseless, politically motivated and unsupported by credible evidence despite repeated requests. India believes that concerns of this nature must be addressed through credible law enforcement and judicial processes, not through public or politicised narratives." 

Reacting to the reports, linking officers of the Research and Analysis Wing (R&AW) to Nijjar’s death, Kumaran said all sensitive matters will proceed as per the established Canadian procedures.

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"We understand that the criminal investigation is proceeding as per established legal procedures… It will move to the full jury trial stage. The Canadians have an established legal procedure, and it will proceed as per that procedure. India has consistently maintained its commitment to the judicial process. We believe that sensitive matters are best allowed to proceed through established legal processes without public commentary," he said.

The issue had flared up tensions in 2023-24 under Justin Trudeau's administration, when the then PM publicly levelled allegations against India without sharing any credible evidence with India to substantiate its claims. The episode took the bilateral relationship between the two countries to its lowest, with both nations expelling the top officials and suspending visa services.

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Fast forward one and a half years to 2026, the allegations have once again surfaced in the Canadian media at a time when both countries have significantly strengthened the relation and Canadian PM Mark Carney is on a visit to New Delhi.