The Crossbill News Desk
On Tuesday, October 29, a senior Canadian official acknowledged sharing sensitive intelligence with US media, alleging that India’s Union Home Minister Amit Shah had directed a campaign involving violence, intimidation, and intelligence operations against Sikh separatist groups in Canada.
The disclosure is expected to deepen the diplomatic rift between India and Canada, further straining an already tenuous relationship.
Deputy Foreign Affairs Minister David Morrison informed members of Canada’s national security committee that he confirmed Shah’s name to The Washington Post, which initially reported the allegations on October 14.
“The journalist called me and asked if it was that person. I confirmed it was that person,” Morrison said. However, he did not reveal how Canada verified Shah’s alleged involvement.
These revelations come as relations between the two countries remain tense. Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau stated last year that there was credible evidence linking Indian government agents to the murder of Canadian Sikh activist Hardeep Singh Nijjar in British Columbia in June 2023.
Canada claims to have shared this evidence with India, though Indian authorities have repeatedly denied these allegations, labelling them as baseless, and have stated that Canada has not provided concrete evidence. India’s embassy in Ottawa has yet to respond to the recent allegations concerning Shah.
The tension escalated on October 14, when Canada expelled India’s high commissioner and five diplomats, accusing them of involvement in multiple cases of coercion, intimidation, and violence allegedly aimed at stifling the Khalistan movement for an independent Sikh state.
Canada’s concerns echo a broader pattern, as the United States recently accused Indian officials of plotting an assassination on American soil.
In mid-October, the US Justice Department filed charges against Vikash Yadav, an Indian government employee, for allegedly orchestrating a murder-for-hire scheme targeting a Sikh separatist leader in New York.
Prosecutors suggest this plan was intended to precede a series of politically motivated attacks across the US and Canada.
The disclosure is expected to deepen the diplomatic rift between India and Canada, further straining an already tenuous relationship.
Deputy Foreign Affairs Minister David Morrison informed members of Canada’s national security committee that he confirmed Shah’s name to The Washington Post, which initially reported the allegations on October 14.
“The journalist called me and asked if it was that person. I confirmed it was that person,” Morrison said. However, he did not reveal how Canada verified Shah’s alleged involvement.
These revelations come as relations between the two countries remain tense. Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau stated last year that there was credible evidence linking Indian government agents to the murder of Canadian Sikh activist Hardeep Singh Nijjar in British Columbia in June 2023.
Canada claims to have shared this evidence with India, though Indian authorities have repeatedly denied these allegations, labelling them as baseless, and have stated that Canada has not provided concrete evidence. India’s embassy in Ottawa has yet to respond to the recent allegations concerning Shah.
The tension escalated on October 14, when Canada expelled India’s high commissioner and five diplomats, accusing them of involvement in multiple cases of coercion, intimidation, and violence allegedly aimed at stifling the Khalistan movement for an independent Sikh state.
Canada’s concerns echo a broader pattern, as the United States recently accused Indian officials of plotting an assassination on American soil.
In mid-October, the US Justice Department filed charges against Vikash Yadav, an Indian government employee, for allegedly orchestrating a murder-for-hire scheme targeting a Sikh separatist leader in New York.
Prosecutors suggest this plan was intended to precede a series of politically motivated attacks across the US and Canada.
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