The ministry of external affairs on Sunday denied a report on Hardeep Singh Nijjar that claimed that New Delhi sent a ‘secret memo’ to consulates in North America to launch a “sophisticated crackdown scheme” against Sikh diaspora organisations in Western countries. Calling the report by The Intercept fake and completely fabricated, the ministry said there was no such memo. “This is part of a sustained disinformation campaign against India. The outlet in question is known for propagating fake narratives peddled by Pakistani intelligence. The posts of the authors confirm this linkage,” the MEA said. “Those who amplify such fake news only do so at the cost of their own credibility,” the statement read.
The Intercept report claimed that a secret memo was issued in April 2023. It “lists several Sikh dissidents under investigation by India’s intelligence agencies including the Canadian citizen Hardeep Singh Nijjar”, the report termed fake by the government read. It claimed the memo was sent two months before Hardeep Singh Nijjar was killed in Vancouver.
India-Canada relationship received a jolt after Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau alleged that India was behind Hardeep Singh Nijjar’s assassination. India rejected the claim and assured that it would cooperate in the investigation process if Canada provided evidence. There was a diplomatic row between the two countries and India temporarily suspended its visa services in Canada. The services resumed but Ottawa had to withdraw around 40 diplomats from India as New Delhi pointed out a disparity in the number of diplomats between India and Canada. India also accused Canadian diplomats posted in India of interfering in internal affairs.
