India denies Canadian allegation involving mobsters

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NEW DELHI — India’s authorities on Thursday denied it was working with mobsters to focus on Sikh separatists in Canada as alleged publicly this week by Canadian officers in an escalating diplomatic dispute.

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India’s Exterior Affairs Ministry spokesman Randhir Jaiswal denied that India was in cahoots with India-based mobsters in Canada and even steered that Canadian authorities had been resisting India’s makes an attempt to extradite these folks to India.

“It’s unusual that individuals who we requested to be deported” are being blamed by the Canadians for “committing crimes in Canada,” Jaiswal mentioned.

Prime Minister Justin Trudeau and police officers went public this week with allegations that Indian diplomats had been focusing on Sikh separatists in Canada by sharing details about them with their authorities again residence. They mentioned prime Indian officers had been then passing that data alongside to Indian organized crime teams who had been focusing on the activists, who’re Canadian residents, with drive-by shootings, extortions and even homicide.

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The 2 sides ordered the expulsion of prime diplomats this week within the deepening disaster over the accusations, together with Canada’s allegation that t he diplomats had been linked to the June 2023 killing of Sikh activist Hardeep Singh Nijjar.

The Nijjar killing has soured ties for greater than a 12 months, and regardless of Canada’s assertion that it has forwarded proof of its allegations to Indian authorities, the Indian authorities continues to disclaim it has seen any.

Jaiswal mentioned once more on Thursday that Canada has supplied no proof of its allegations surrounding assaults on Sikh activists, contradicting Trudeau’s statements this week that his nation’s investigators have privately shared data with Indian counterparts and located them to be uncooperative.

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On the similar time, Jaiswal accused Canada of failing to take motion in opposition to Sikhs dwelling in Canada who face terrorism prices in India and who’re accused of being a part of a Sikh secessionist marketing campaign in India’s northern Punjab state.

Jaiswal mentioned India’s 26 extradition requests have been pending in Canada for a decade or extra. He additionally mentioned that a number of criminals had provisional arrest requests pending with Canadian authorities.

“A few of them are charged with terror and terror-related crimes (in India). To date, no motion has been taken by the Canadian aspect on our requests. That is very severe,” Jaiswal mentioned.

India has repeatedly criticized the Canadian authorities for being mushy on supporters of what’s often called the Khalistan motion, which is banned in India however has assist among the many Sikh diaspora, significantly in Canada.

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The Royal Canadian Police mentioned Monday it had recognized India’s prime diplomat within the nation and 5 different diplomats as individuals of curiosity within the Nijjar killing. The RCMP additionally mentioned they uncovered proof of an intensifying marketing campaign in opposition to Canadians by brokers of the Indian authorities.

Nijjar, 45, was fatally shot final 12 months in his pickup truck after he left the Sikh temple he led in Surrey, British Columbia. An Indian-born citizen of Canada, he owned a plumbing enterprise and was a pacesetter in what stays of a once-strong motion to create an impartial Sikh homeland.

4 Indian nationals dwelling in Canada had been charged with Nijjar’s homicide and are awaiting trial.

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