'Absurd And Motivated': India Rejects Canada's Allegation Over Khalistani Terrorist Hardeep Singh Nijjar Killing

(MENAFN- Live Mint) "India on Tuesday rejected \"absurd\" accusations by the Canadian government that Indian agents were involved in the killing of Khalistani terrorist Hardeep Singh Nijjar.\"We have seen and reject the statement of the Canadian Prime Minister in their Parliament, as also the statement by their Foreign Minister. Allegations of Government of India's involvement in any act of violence in Canada are absurd and motivated...We are a democratic polity with a strong commitment to rule of law,\" the statement said.Also Read: Canada expels Indian diplomat LIVE Updates: PM Justin Trudeau blames India for Nijjar's killing, MEA rejects allegations“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 inaction of the Canadian Government on this matter has been a long-standing and continuing concern. 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. We reject any attempts to connect Government of India to such developments. We urge the Government of Canada to take prompt and effective legal action against all anti-India elements operating from their soil,” MEA said.On Monday, Canada took the step of expelling a high-ranking Indian diplomat while it conducts an investigation into what Prime Minister Justin Trudeau described as credible accusations that the Indian government might have had connections to the killing of a Khalistani terrorist in Canada.Trudeau, addressing the Canadian Parliament, disclosed that Canadian intelligence agencies had initiated an inquiry into the accusations following the assassination of Sikh leader Hardeep Singh Nijjar. Nijjar was a fervent advocate for an independent Sikh homeland, often referred to as Khalistan, and he was fatally shot on June 18 outside a Sikh cultural center in Surrey, British Columbia.Also Read: Canada accuses India of killing Khalistani supporter Hardeep Singh Nijjar: What we know so far. Top updatesDuring his speech, Trudeau mentioned that he had raised this matter with Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi during the G20 summit the previous week. Trudeau emphasized that he had conveyed to Modi that any involvement by the Indian government would be deemed unacceptable and had requested cooperation in the ongoing investigation.“If proven true this would be a great violation of our sovereignty and of the most basic rule of how countries deal with each other,” Joly said.“As a consequence we have expelled a top Indian diplomat.\"Canada has a Sikh population of more than 770,000, or about 2% of its total population.“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.(With inputs from AP)

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