India has ‘no definitive link’ with Nijjar killing, says Canadian report: ‘Disinformation is used as…’

Canadian Sikh activist Hardeep Singh Nijjar's killing has no “definitive link” with a foreign state, said a Canada Commission report eliminating India's link with the Nijjar killing. The report dismisses Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau's allegations, made in 2023, that the Indian government is involved in the murder of a Khalistani separatist.

“Disinformation is used as a retaliatory tactic to punish decisions that run contrary to a state's interests,” said Commissioner Marie-Josee Hogue in the report.

The 123-page report, titled ‘Public Inquiry Into Foreign Interference in Federal Electoral Processes and Democratic Institutions’, was released on Tuesday. It also talked about the expelling of six Indian diplomats.

The report findings concluded that Canadian PM Justin Trudeau's announcement regarding suspected Indian involvement in the Hardeep Singh Nijjar killing was followed by a “disinformation campaign.”

"This may have been the case with a disinformation campaign that followed the Prime Minister's announcement regarding suspected Indian involvement in the killing of Hardeep Singh Nijjar (though again, no definitive link to a foreign state could be proven)," read an excerpt from the report.

Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau allegations

Months after Sikh activist Hardeep Singh Nijjar was killed in a parking space near a Gurudwara in Canada, Prime Minister Justin Trudeau had hinted at India's involvement in his murder.

Hardeep Singh Nijjar was murdered in Canada's British Columbia in June 2023. India strongly condemned Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau's allegations and stated that it was not involved in the murder of Hardeep Singh Nijjar.

India's reaction to PM Trudeau's allegations

India has repeatedly criticised Trudeau's government for being soft on supporters of the Khalistan movement who live in Canada. The Khalistan movement is banned in India but has support among the Sikh diaspora, particularly in Canada.

Hardeep Singh Nijjar killing

Hardeep Singh Nijjar was killed in Surrey, British Columbia, in June 2023. Four Indians have been arrested in the case. However, the trial is moving at an extremely slow pace. The case has been adjourned five times since their arrest, reported IE.

The relations between India and Canada came under severe strain following Prime Minister Trudeau's allegations in September 2023 of the "potential" involvement of Indian agents in the killing of Hardeep Singh Nijjar.