Had no evidence, only intel before going public with Nijjar allegations: Trudeau

His remarks, portion testifying earlier the nationalist enquiry into overseas interference successful national electoral processes and antiauthoritarian institutions, came days aft a crisp escalation successful the diplomatic enactment betwixt the 2 countries, starring to the exits of diplomats connected some sides.

“I was briefed connected the information that determination was quality from Canada, and perchance from Five Eyes allies that made it reasonably clear, incredibly clear, that India was progressive successful this… Agents of the Government of India were progressive successful the sidesplitting of a Canadian connected Canadian soil,” helium said.

Trudeau said his government’s contiguous attack was to prosecute with the Indian government. He said the Indian broadside asked for grounds “and our effect was, well, it’s wrong your information agencies”. But the Indian broadside insisted connected the evidence, helium said. “And astatine that point, it was chiefly intelligence, not hard evidentiary proof. So we said, well, let’s enactment unneurotic and look into your information services and possibly we tin get that done,” helium said.

Nijjar was gunned down successful Surrey, British Columbia, successful June past year. In September 2023, Trudeau told the House of Commons that Canada had credible grounds connected imaginable engagement of Indian authorities officials successful the killing.

Recalling the G20 acme hosted by India successful September past year, helium said Canada “had the accidental of making it a precise uncomfortable summit” for India if it went nationalist with these allegations. “We chose not to. We chose to proceed to enactment down the scenes to effort and get India to cooperate with us,” helium said.

He said helium met Prime Minister Narendra Modi aft the G20 acme and shared that “we knew that they were progressive and expressed a existent interest astir it. He responded with the accustomed effect from him, which is that we person radical who are outspoken against the Indian authorities surviving successful Canada that helium would similar to spot arrested.”

Trudeau said helium tried to explicate that determination is state of code successful Canada to criticise governments overseas oregon so to criticise a Canadian government. “But arsenic always, we would enactment with them connected immoderate grounds oregon immoderate concerns they person astir coercion oregon incitement to hatred oregon thing that is patently unacceptable,” helium said.

“We launched investigations. The Indian effect to these allegations and our investigations was to treble down connected attacks against this government, attacks against this government’s integrity, attacks against Canada successful general, but besides to arbitrarily eject dozens of Canadian diplomats from India,” helium said.

“This was a concern successful which we had clear, and surely present adjacent clearer, indications that India had violated Canada’s sovereignty,” helium said.

Trudeau alleged that Indian diplomats were collecting accusation connected Canadians who were successful disagreement with the Modi authorities and passing it to the highest levels wrong the Indian authorities and transgression organisations similar the Lawrence Bishnoi gang.

“…It was the RCMP determination that that chain, oregon that sequence, that scheme, needed to beryllium disrupted and going nationalist connected Monday arsenic they did,” helium said.

On Monday, the Royal Canadian Mounted Police had claimed that the Bishnoi pack was connected to Indian authorities agents.

Rejecting Canada’s allegations arsenic “preposterous”, India has maintained that Ottawa has not shared a “shred of evidence”. With Canada naming Indian diplomats arsenic “persons of interest” successful the Nijjar probe earlier this week, India has warned that it “reserves the close to instrumentality further steps successful response”.

— With PTI