Wed Oct 30 16:41:11 UTC 2024: ## Canada Accuses India’s Home Minister of Orchestrating Violence Against Sikhs
**OTTAWA** – The Canadian government has escalated tensions with India by publicly accusing the country’s Home Minister, Amit Shah, of orchestrating a campaign of violence and intimidation against Sikh separatists on Canadian soil.
Deputy Foreign Affairs Minister David Morrison testified before a parliamentary committee, confirming he had leaked information to the Washington Post naming Shah as the individual behind the alleged plots. While Morrison provided no further details on how Canadian officials linked Shah to the investigation, he acknowledged confirming Shah’s involvement to the newspaper.
The Indian government has not directly addressed these accusations against Shah, who is Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s close political ally and second in command. However, India has previously dismissed Canada’s allegations as baseless, politically motivated, and accuses Canada of harboring terrorists.
This latest development follows a series of accusations against Indian diplomats, including the ambassador to Canada, for alleged involvement in “criminal” activities, including homicides, extortion, intimidation, and harassment of Sikh diaspora members in Canada.
Canadian officials have also accused Indian diplomats of involvement in the murder of Hardeep Singh Nijjar, a Sikh separatist activist who was gunned down outside a gurdwara in Vancouver last year.
Canada’s accusations against Shah and other Indian officials have led to the expulsion of Indian diplomats from Canada and a reciprocal expulsion of Canadian diplomats from India. This has strained relations between the two countries to historic lows.
While Canada claims to have presented intelligence linking Indian government officials to illegal activities, India insists it has not seen compelling evidence and has refused to cooperate with the Canadian investigation.
The allegations come amid wider concerns about India’s alleged campaign of transnational repression against Sikhs abroad who support the Khalistan movement. While this movement is banned in India and has little domestic support, it remains active among the Sikh diaspora in North America and the UK.
Further evidence of India’s alleged involvement in transnational repression surfaced last year with a U.S. Department of Justice indictment accusing an Indian government agent of attempting to orchestrate the murder-for-hire of a Sikh separatist leader.
Canada has arrested three Indian citizens believed to be part of a hit squad linked to the murder of Nijjar. However, no charges have been brought against any Indian government employees, and Canada’s investigation continues.
The accusations have tested Washington and Ottawa’s relationship with India, a country often viewed as a counterbalance to China and a growing economic powerhouse.
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