Canada’s Prime minister wants India to cooperate in murder probe, refuses to release evidence

Canadian Prime Minister, Justin Trudeau in New York on Thursday called on India to cooperate with the investigation into the murder of a Sikh separatist leader in British Columbia and said no evidence will be released.

Trudeau said on Monday that Ottawa had credible allegations linking Indian government agents to the murder of Hardeep Singh Nijjar, 45 years old and a Canadian citizen in June, prompting an angry reaction from New Delhi. 

The Canadian government has amassed both human and signals intelligence in a months-long investigation into the Sikh separatist leader’s murder, CBC News separately reported on Thursday citing sources.

Traditional Canadian allies have so far taken a relatively cautious approach to the matter. Political analysts said this was partly because the United States and other major players see India as a counterweight to the growing influence of China.

“There is no question that India is a country of growing importance and a country that we need to continue to work with and we’re not looking to provoke or cause problems”, Trudeau said in a press conference in New York on the sidelines of the annual high-level United Nations General Assembly. “But we are unequivocal around the importance of the rule of law and about the importance of protecting Canadians.”

The United States is in touch with both Canada and India over Ottawa’s allegations, U.S. national security adviser Jake Sullivan said on Thursday, confirming for the first time that Washington was talking to New Delhi about the matter.
“There’s not some special exemption you get for actions like this”, Sullivan told reporters when asked about Trudeau’s statement about possible Indian involvement. “It is a matter of concern for us, it is something we take seriously”.

The Indian foreign ministry said Canada had not shared any specific information about the murder. 

“As a country with a strong and independent justice system, we allow those justice processes to unfold themselves with the utmost integrity”, Trudeau replied when asked when Canada would release the evidence it had.

India, however on Thursday suspended new visas for Canadians and asked Ottawa to reduce its diplomatic presence in the country. Trudeau did not respond when asked about these measures.

Speaking separately, an Indian trade official said there was no reason for Canadian pension funds to back out of investing in the country.