India rejects ‘baseless’ reports of Nijjar murder claim links amid Carney visit to mend ties

India on March 2 categorically rejected what it called “baseless" allegations in sections of the Canadian press linking New Delhi to the murder of Khalistani separatist Hardeep Singh Nijjar, terming the claims politically motivated and unsupported by credible evidence.

The rebuttal came after Canadian reports claimed to have evidence of India’s involvement in Nijjar’s June 2023 killing in British Columbia. The reports surfaced during Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney’s first visit to India, seen as an effort to repair strained ties.

P Kumaran, Secretary (East), Ministry of External Affairs, said, "India categorically rejects allegations of involvement in transnational violence or organised crime. These claims are baseless, politically motivated and unsupported by credible evidence despite repeated requests. India believes that concerns of this nature must be addressed through credible law enforcement and judicial processes, not through public or politicised narratives..."

On the investigation, he said, "We understand that the criminal investigation is proceeding as per established legal procedures... It will move to the full jury trial stage. The Canadians have an established legal procedure, and it will proceed as per that procedure. India has consistently maintained its commitment to the judicial process. We believe that sensitive matters are best allowed to proceed through established legal processes without public commentary..."

Kumaran said both sides are gradually restoring diplomatic strength. "This has been discussed during various dialogues at various levels, and there is broad agreement that we should be increasing diplomatic strength on both sides progressively to reach their levels in the past. We are already in the process of doing that. You would have seen that the High Commissioners have returned to their positions. We have a High Commissioner in our mission in Canada, and similarly, the Canadian mission is headed now by a High Commissioner. The numbers are currently at levels better than what we had in 2023. We continue to take steps to take this to the next level in keeping with the expanded agenda and ambition. We are taking this on a step-by-step basis."

On security concerns, he added, "On criminals getting space in Canada, let me try and give you some broader context on the current security cooperation between Canada and India. Based on the guidance provided by the leaders, we had a meeting between the national security advisors of the two countries in Delhi on 18 September 2025 and for a second time again on 7th February, 2026 in Ottawa. The two sides acknowledge progress on initiatives aimed at supporting the safety and security of their countries and citizens. It was also agreed to continue senior official-level discussions on security and law enforcement cooperation. We have a JWG on counter-terrorism. We have a consular dialogue mechanism in place that addresses all issues, including extradition, lookout, and circular notices. We will be holding the next edition of the Consular Dialogue sometime in the coming months..."