New Delhi: Days after reports from Canada suggested that the country’s police are close to arresting two men believed to be responsible for the fatal shooting of Sikh separatist Hardeep Singh Nijjar, India Friday said it has no information on the matter.
“We certainly do not have any information on that,” Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) spokesperson Arindam Bagchi said.
His remarks at a press briefing came when asked about a media report that said Canada may arrest two suspects in Nijjar’s killing “within weeks”.
In a report, Canada’s “The Globe and Mail” newspaper said the suspects are under police surveillance and are expected to be apprehended “in a matter of weeks”.
According to three anonymous sources quoted by the newspaper, the two suspected killers did not leave Canada following Nijjar’s assassination in British Columbia and have been under police surveillance for months.
The ties between India and Canada came under severe strain following Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau’s allegations in September of a “potential” involvement of Indian agents in the killing of Khalistani separatist Nijjar outside a gurdwara in Surrey city June 18.
India designated Nijjar as a terrorist in 2020. The country has rejected Trudeau’s allegations as “absurd” and “motivated”.
The report Wednesday said police will unveil details regarding the alleged involvement of the suspected assassins and their connection to the Indian government when formal charges are filed.
India has been asserting that its “core issue” with Canada remains that of the space given to separatists, terrorists and anti-India elements in that country.
“What I can tell you is that we have made our position very clear on where we stand on the issue and I do not have anything further on that,” Bagchi said.
To a question on reports of shots fired at the residence of the president of the Swami Narayan temple in Canada, Bagchi declined to comment on the details.
“Our understanding of that incident in British Columbia is that it was at a private residence related to, of course, somebody who is a member of the temple managing committee,” he said.
“I understand that investigations are underway. I do not think it is appropriate to comment at this stage on the motivations or details behind it until such time the investigation is completed,” the MEA spokesperson added.
To another question on some unverified reports about Indian officials being expelled from a couple of countries, Bagchi said he was not aware of any such development.
“There were some speculative reports saying intelligence officers are not being allowed posting abroad. As a matter of policy, we do not comment on intelligence issues,” he said.
“I would caution against speculative reports. I am not aware of any such expulsion,” Bagchi said.
PTI