India challenges Canada to provide evidence in Nijjar killing case

India’s High Commissioner to Canada, Dinesh Patnaik, has challenged the Canadian government to provide evidence linking Indian officials to the 2023 killing of Sikh separatist Hardeep Singh Nijjar. In a recent interview, Patnaik questioned why evidence has not been produced nearly three years after then-Prime Minister Justin Trudeau raised allegations in Parliament regarding potential links to Indian government agents.

Patnaik stated that India is prepared to take action against any individuals found to be involved if credible evidence is presented. He dismissed the suggestion of government involvement with criminal gangs as ‘preposterous,’ noting that investigations such as the US-led Operation Hardball identified links to the Bishnoi gang but did not establish Indian government involvement.

Regarding the ongoing trial of four individuals in Surrey, British Columbia, Patnaik declined to comment, noting the matter is currently before the courts. He characterized the recent diplomatic rupture between the two nations as ‘a blip,’ suggesting that the two countries share no fundamental geopolitical problems and that the tension was caused by specific political decisions.