Absurd, Motivated: MEA Responds Strongly To Trudeau's Charges Of India Carrying Out Killing On Canadian Soil

India on Tuesday (19 September) rejected allegations levelled by Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau over alleged involvement of "agents of government of India" in the killing of Khalistan Tiger Force chief Hardeep Singh Nijjar.

In a strongly worded-statement, the Ministry of External Affairs said that "allegations of Government of India's involvement in any act of violence in Canada are absurd and motivated".

Trudeau had earlier on Tuesday said that the Canadian security agencies have been actively pursuing credible allegations of a potential link between Indian government agents and the murder of Khalistan Tiger Force chief Hardeep Singh Nijjar in British Columbia in June.

Trudeau's allegations came at a time when India-Canada relations are at an all-time low due to rising Khalistani activity in the North American country.

"Over the past number of weeks Canadian security agencies have been actively pursuing credible allegations of a potential link between agents of the government of India and the killing of a Canadian citizen, Hardeep Singh Nijjar," Trudeau said in an emergency statement to the House of Commons.

Soon after Trudeau made the claim, Canadian foreign minister Mélanie Joly announced the expulsion of a “top Indian diplomat” as a consequence.

Joly’s office identified the diplomat as Pavan Kumar Rai, the head of the Research and Analysis Wing (RAW) in Canada, according to public broadcaster CBC.

In response to Trudeau's claim and expulsion of Indian diplomat, the MEA said, "We have seen and reject the statement of the Canadian Prime Minister in their Parliament, as also the statement by their Foreign Minister".

The MEA revealed that similar allegations were made by Trudeau during his meeting with Prime Minister Narendra Modi on the sidelines of G20 Summit in New Delhi, "and were completely rejected".

"We are a democratic polity with a strong commitment to rule of law," the MEA said.

"Such unsubstantiated allegations seek to shift the focus from Khalistani terrorists and extremists, who have been provided shelter in Canada and continue to threaten India’s sovereignty and territorial integrity," the MEA said.

The inaction of the Canadian Government on this matter has been a long-standing and continuing concern, it added.

"That Canadian political figures have openly expressed sympathy for such elements remains a matter of deep concern. The space given in Canada to a range of illegal activities including murders, human trafficking and organised crime is not new," the MEA said.

"We reject any attempts to connect Government of India to such developments," the MEA said.

Further, the MEA urged the Canadian government to take "prompt and effective legal action" against all anti-India elements operating from their soil.