'Ludicrous': India Slams Trudeau Government's 'Smear Campaigns' After Canadian Media Report On Nijjar Killing

Amid worsening diplomatic relations, External Affairs Ministry spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal on Wednesday (20 November) dismissed a Canadian media report alleging Prime Minister Narendra Modi was aware of the plot to kill Khalistani terrorist Hardeep Singh Nijjar, labelling it a "smear campaign."

A report by Canada’s Globe and Mail, citing unnamed Canadian officials, alleged that Prime Minister Modi, along with India’s National Security Advisor Ajit Doval and External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar, was privy to plans to eliminate Khalistani terrorist Hardeep Singh Nijjar.

Responding to the report, Jaiswal stated, "Such ludicrous statements made to a newspaper purportedly by a Canadian government source should be dismissed with the contempt they deserve. Smear campaigns like this only further damage our already strained ties".

The killing of Khalistani terrorist and Canadian citizen Hardeep Singh Nijjar in Vancouver last June ignited a diplomatic standoff after Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau accused India “agents” of being involved.

He claimed that “credible information” was shared with intelligence allies, including the United States.

In October this year, Canada named Indian High Commissioner Sanjay Verma and other diplomats in Nijjar’s murder, following which India recalled them and expelled Canadian Charge d’Affaires Stewart Wheeler along with five other diplomats.

Nijjar, the mastermind behind the banned terror outfit Khalistan Tiger Force, was among Delhi’s ‘most wanted’ terrorists for several crimes, including the murder of a Hindu priest in Punjab.

The National Investigation Agency (NIA) had announced a Rs 10 lakh reward for information leading to his arrest.

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