India-Canada row: Hardeep Singh Nijjar ’faked’ marriage to get Canada citizenship in 1997, says report
- Nijjar had applied for asylum in Canada claiming that he feared persecution in India because he belonged to 'a particular social group', but it was rejected and then he faked marriage.
With the India-Canada diplomatic crisis hitting an all-time low over separatist leader Hardeep Sing Nijjar's assassination, reports arrived that Indian agencies informed the Canadian government about all his terrorist activities and how he fled to Canada in 1997 but Canada did not take any action.
Nijjar had applied for asylum in Canada claiming that he feared persecution in India because he belonged to 'a particular social group', reported PTI citing sources, adding Nijjar's asylum was rejected on grounds of fabricated narrative. Later, Nijjar went to Canada in 1997 using a counterfeit passport under the alias Ravi Sharma.
When his asylum was rejected, Nijjar entered into a 'marriage' agreement with a woman who sponsored his immigration. And all this happened just 11 days after his first claim was rejected.
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As per details, the marriage arrangement was also rejected by Canada as the woman arrived in Canada in 1997 under the sponsorship of a different husband.
"Nijjar appealed against the rejection in courts of Canada although he kept claiming himself to be a citizen of Canada. He was later granted Canadian citizenship, the circumstances of which are not clear," the report said.
In November 2014, an Interpol Red Corner Notice was issued against Nijjar, citing over a dozen criminal cases of murder and other terrorist activities against him in India. Despite details of the cases being shared with the Canadian authorities, no action was taken. Instead, the Canadian government only put Nijjar on a no-fly list and took no further action even after the RCN.
On 18 June 2023, Najjar was killed at a parking lot of a gurdwara in British Columbia, after which Canadian PM Justin Trudeau alleged India's role in the assassination, a charge that India rejected and sought evidence in support of Canada's public claim.
Following this, a spiraling diplomatic crisis began as Canada asserted that it had human and signal intelligence behind its allegations.
A CBC report said the intelligence included communications involving Indian officials, among them Indian diplomats present in Canada, adding that some of the intelligence was provided by an unidentified ally in the Five Eyes alliance. Five Eyes is an intelligence-sharing network that includes the U.S., the UK, Canada, Australia and New Zealand.
Meanwhile, India on Thursday suspended visa services in Canada and termed Canada as a haven for terrorists.
With agency inputs.
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Business NewsNewsWorldIndia-Canada row: Hardeep Singh Nijjar ’faked’ marriage to get Canada citizenship in 1997, says report
First Published:22 Sep 2023, 11:42 PM IST
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