Foreign Minister S Jaishankar stated on Saturday that India awaits information from Canadian authorities regarding the arrest and charges against three Indian men accused of murdering Khalistani terrorist Hardeep Singh Nijjar last year, according to an NDTV report. Canadian police made the arrests on Friday and are investigating potential links between the suspects and the Indian government.
Jaishankar noted that the suspects appear to have ties to some form of gang activity, stressing the need for clarity from the Canadian law enforcement authorities. He also reiterated India's longstanding concerns about organised crime from Punjab operating in Canada.
Speaking on the arrests, Jaishankar reportedly stated, "the suspects apparently are Indians of some kind of gang background... we'll have to wait for the police to tell us."
"But, as I said, one of our concerns which we have been telling them is that, you know, they have allowed organised crime from India, specifically from Punjab, to operate in Canada," he added.
India's High Commissioner to Canada On Arrests
On the other hand, India's High Commissioner to Canada, Sanjay Verma, expressed the hope for regular updates from Canadian authorities on the situation. He further stressed that the issue is internal to Canada, refraining from further comment.
"I understand that the arrests have been made as a result of investigations conducted by the relevant Canadian law enforcement agencies. This issue is internal to Canada and therefore we have no comments to offer in this regard," said Verma.
The trio, all Indian nationals, was arrested in Edmonton, Alberta, on Friday, according to police reports. Hardeep Singh Nijjar, aged 45, was fatally shot outside a gurdwara in Surrey, a suburb of Vancouver with a sizeable Sikh community. The incident occurred in June last year, and later, Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau alleged Indian government involvement, leading to tensions between Ottawa and New Delhi.
