No clandestine activities right now linked to Indian government: Canadian police chief

Canadian Police Commissioner Mike Duheme told CTV News on Thursday that there are no longer clandestine activities or transnational repression taking place in the country linked to the Indian government.

“In the files that we have that involve transnational repression, we’re not seeing any connection right now with any foreign entity, based on the criminal information, the investigations that we have presently,” Duheme told the news channel.

His comments came after he was asked whether transnational repression by agents allegedly linked to the Indian government was still a concern. The full interview is scheduled to be broadcast on Sunday.

The comments came amid a thaw in diplomatic relations between India and Canada.

Ties between the two countries had deteriorated sharply in 2023 after Justin Trudeau, the Canadian prime minister at the time, told his country’s Parliament that intelligence agencies were actively pursuing “credible allegations” tying agents of the Indian government to the murder of Khalistani separatist Hardeep Singh Nijjar in Canada.

Nijjar was a supporter of Khalistan, an independent Sikh nation sought by some groups. He was the head of the Khalistan Tiger Force, which is designated a terrorist outfit in India.

New Delhi has rejected Canada’s allegations.

Four Indian citizens are facing trial in Canada in connection with Nijjar’s killing. They face charges of first-degree murder and conspiracy to...

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