India slams Canada for linking minister Amit Shah to Sikh separatist plot

Ottawa claims the cardinal state of Indian PM Modi was down a run of unit and intimidation connected Canadian soil.

India has denied that Home Minister Amit Shah plotted to people Sikh activists connected Canadian ungraded arsenic it criticised Canada implicit the “absurd and baseless” allegations.

Shah, 60, oversees India’s interior information forces arsenic location minister. He is viewed arsenic the country’s second-most almighty idiosyncratic aft Prime Minister Narendra Modi.

On Saturday, Randhir Jaiswal, spokesperson of India’s Ministry of External Affairs, told journalists that New Delhi had summoned the typical of the Canadian High Commission connected Friday and lodged a beardown protest.

“The authorities of India protests successful the strongest presumption to the absurd and baseless references” astir Shah, Jaiswal said, by Canada’s Deputy Foreign Affairs Minister David Morrison.

The Canadian curate told the nationalist information committee that the authorities considers Shah the designer of the run against Sikh separatists successful the country, which included the assassination of an activist.

The Canadian authorities has accused India of orchestrating the 2023 sidesplitting successful Vancouver of 45-year-old naturalised Canadian national Hardeep Singh Nijjar, a salient Khalistan campaigner.

Modi’s authorities has branded Khalistan activists who beryllium to the Sikh assemblage arsenic “terrorists” and threats to its security. The activists request an autarkic homeland, known arsenic Khalistan, to beryllium carved retired of India.

Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau and the nationalist constabulary person successful the past said determination were “clear indications” of India’s engagement successful the murder, arsenic good arsenic a wide run of intimidation, unit and different threats against Khalistan activists.

Canada’s spy bureau besides issued a study informing that India was utilizing cybertechnology to way Sikh separatists overseas and had besides stepped up cyberattacks against Canadian authorities networks.

“Such irresponsible actions volition person superior consequences for bilateral ties,” Jaiswal said connected Saturday, referring to Morrison’s accusations.

India has repeatedly dismissed Canada’s allegations, which person sent diplomatic relations betwixt New Delhi and Ottawa into a freefall.

Canada has already expelled Indian diplomats that it linked to the run it claims has targeted Sikhs, portion India has responded with its expulsion of Canadian officials.

On Wednesday, US Department of State spokesperson Matthew Miller said Canada’s caller allegations astir Shah “are concerning”.

The United States has besides charged a erstwhile Indian quality officer, Vikash Yadav, with allegedly directing a foiled crippled to execution Sikh separatist person Gurpatwant Singh Pannun, a dual US-Canadian national and Indian professional successful New York City.