Alleged Indian hand in killing or targeting Sikh separatists in Canada and US roils diplomatic relations

In the recent past, strains have developed in India’s relations with Canada and the US over allegations by the latter that India has eliminated, or is trying to eliminate, Sikh terrorists and separatists operating from Canada and the US. 

The strain reflects critical differences in the way India and the West view democracy, freedom and national sovereignty. Since the West sees India as a democracy, it wants India to adhere to Western notions of democracy, freedom and national sovereignty. Any transgression of these values is deemed unacceptable and condemnable. 

Ties between Ottawa and New Delhi have clearly haemorrhaged over these issues. But neither side has reasons to be too worried about it given the relatively level of the ties. But ties between Washington and New Delhi are a different kettle of fish altogether both in depth and range. As such, both the US and India are treading cautiously on the alleged Indian involvement in an attempt to assassinate the Sikh separatist leader Gurpatwant Singh Pannun in New York in 2023.

While Canada and India have crossed limits trading barbs and expelling diplomats, India has merely denied involvement in the Pannun affair and has sent a delegation to the US for discussions.

Canada

On October 14, Canada expelled six Indian diplomats including High Commissioner Ramesh Kumar Verma, linking them to the murder of the Sikh separatist leader Hardeep Singh Nijjar and alleging a broader effort to target Indian dissidents in Canada.

Canada’s Foreign Minister, Melanie Joly, said that government had requested India to remove the diplomatic immunity of six diplomats so that the Canadian investigative agencies could question them regarding the allegations of criminal activity. But since India did not co-operate, it had to expel the diplomats, Joly added.

Earlier in the day, India ordered the expulsion of six high-ranking Canadian diplomats including Acting High Commissioner Stewart Wheeler, and said it had withdrawn its envoy from Canada, contradicting Canada’s statement about their expulsion.

New Delhi rejected the “preposterous imputations” in the Canadian assertion.  It accused  Prime Minister Justin Trudeau of having a “political agenda” centred around “vote-bank politics,” an Indian term referring to communal vote garnering tactics by favouring them on an issue. 

“Since Prime Minister Trudeau made certain allegations in September 2023, the Canadian Government has not shared a shred of evidence with the Government of India, despite many requests from our side. This latest step follows interactions that have again witnessed assertions without any facts. This leaves little doubt that on the pretext of an investigation, there is a deliberate strategy of smearing India for political gains” the Indian Ministry of External Affairs statement said.

India further said it was withdrawing its diplomats from Canada because it was not confident that their safety could be guaranteed. India asked the Acting Canadian High Commissioner Stewart Wheeler to leave India by Saturday night and added that “India reserves the right to take further steps in response to these latest efforts of the Canadian government to concoct allegations against Indian diplomats.” 

India-Canada relations had frayed since Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau said in 2023, that he had evidence linking Indian agents to the assassination Nijjar on Canadian soil. Trudeau told the media that his government had “clear and compelling evidence that agents of the government of India have engaged in and continue to engage in activities that pose a significant threat to public safety.” 

“These activities involved clandestine information gathering techniques, coercive behaviour, targeting South Asian Canadians and involvement in over a dozen threatening and violent acts, including murder. India had committed a fundamental error by engaging in criminal activities in Canada. This is unacceptable,” Trudeau said.    

The Royal Canadian Mounted Police (RCMP) said in an earlier news conference that the government of India had also used organised crime to target the South Asian community in Canada and interfered in democratic processes. 

New Zealand’s Foreign Minister Winston Peters said on X: “The alleged criminal conduct outlined publicly by Canadian law enforcement authorities, if proven, would be very concerning.” 

The Western media quoted Fen Osler Hampson, Professor of international relations at Ottawa’s Carleton University as saying:  “We have gone from a rift to a major rupture in the relationship with India. It is hard to see at this juncture that a return to normalcy will happen any time in the foreseeable future.”

US Allegations 

A US indictment in a New York court bolstered Justin Trudeau’s claim that the killing of Sikh separatist Nijjar in Canada was carried out by the Indian government. The US has also alleged that Indian agents were involved in an assassination plot against Gurpatwant Singh Pannun, a Sikh separatist leader in New York in 2023. 

Separately, a US District Court had summoned India’s National Security Adviser Ajit Doval, former Research and Analysis Wing (RAW) chief Samant Goel and others last month in connection with a complaint lodged by Pannun. Of course, these high officials did not oblige. Indian Foreign Secretary Vikram Misri had said the allegations were based on “unwarranted and unsubstantiated imputations.” 

However, unlike its response to Canadian allegations, India launched an investigation into the Pannun affair. India is attributing the Pannun episode to a nexus of drug traffickers and organized crime. The name of jailed Indian gangster Lawrence Bishnoi is mentioned by both sides as the man who could have ordered assassinations.

An Indian Enquiry Committee reportedly travelled to the US on October 15, as part of ongoing investigations to discuss the Pannun case, including information they have obtained, and to receive an update from US authorities regarding the case, the Office of the Spokesperson at the U.S. State Department said.

An Indian citizen, Nikhil Gupta, was extradited to the US from the Czech Republic in June 2024 and is now in detention in Brooklyn. Federal prosecutors had alleged that Gupta hired a hitman to kill Pannun and paid him for the job, The Hindu reported from Washington. 

India Ties Too Strong 

However, India’s defence and economic ties with the US are too strong to be broken by the Pannun or the Nijjar affair. The relationship has seen important differences over Afghanistan, Russia and Iran, and yet it has survived and grown. It is expected to survive the Nijjar and Pannun affairs too. 

Arun K. Singh says in a Carnegie Endowment website in September says that the Indian Navy now has the mandate to cooperate with the US Indo-Pacific Command, US Central Command and the US Africa Command. India can now place a liaison officer with the Florida-based US Special Operations Command. The US has a presence at the Information Fusion Centre near Delhi, to develop maritime domain awareness in the Indian Ocean Region.

India and US have signed the Logistics Exchange Memorandum of Agreement in 2016; the Communications Compatibility and Security Agreement in 2018, the Industrial Security Annex for enabling private sector participation in the defence supply chain in 2019, and the Basic Exchange and Cooperation Agreement for the sharing of geospatial information in 2020. 

According to Singh, India and US finalized an industrial cooperation roadmap in 2023 and a security of supply agreement for priority in defence supplies in 2024. US navy ships undergo repairs at Indian shipyards, he noted.

The American Chamber of Commerce in India has said that nearly 50% of India’s defence exports over the last five years have been part of the global value chain of US defence companies. “Teaming agreements” have been announced to explore the setting up of maintenance, repair, and overhaul facilities in India.

Several American companies have announced fresh investments in India for semiconductor assembly, testing, and packaging, as well as the engineering and training of personnel in this field. The US also authorized the technology transfer of General Electric’s F414 engines to India. 

The US is India’s largest trading partner. US companies have invested nearly US$ 60 billion in India, and Indian companies have invested US$ 40 billion in the US. There are 5 million Indians in the US, many of them in politics, administration and business.