The United States Department of Justice plans to seek the extradition of Lawrence Bishnoi, accused of orchestrating the killing of Khalistan separatist Hardeep Singh Nijjar in Canada and involvement in other crimes in the US. Extradition is also sought for Gurinderjit Singh Nagra in an extortion case. These actions are part of a larger international operation targeting India-based transnational organised crime groups.
'This whole story is going to become extremely murky and that discovering who is an agent of the Indian government is not necessarily a simple matter.' 'And that if Trudeau was to name (the person) who he thinks is the connection with the Indian government, that the Indian government will be sure to have some deniability and will be able to say he had nothing to do with us.'
Canadian police have found no evidence linking Indian government officials to the 2023 killing of Sikh separatist Hardeep Singh Nijjar, directly contradicting earlier allegations by former Prime Minister Justin Trudeau that strained bilateral ties.
India has categorically rejected allegations of its involvement in transnational violence or organised crime in Canada, following a media report linking Indian officials to the killing of Sikh extremist Hardeep Singh Nijjar.
A coordinated international operation, 'Operation Hard Ball', led to the arrest of 24 alleged members and associates of three India-based criminal syndicates, including the Lawrence Bishnoi gang, across the US, Canada, and Europe.
A Station House Officer (SHO) in Hoshiarpur, Punjab, has been shifted to Police Lines following a fact-finding inquiry initiated by Punjab Police. This action comes after news reports linked the officer to an extortion-related investigation by the US Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) under "Operation Hard Ball," targeting India-based organised crime syndicates. The US indictment alleges the officer's involvement in a $400,000 extortion scheme using false murder charges, drawing significant political criticism.
Bollywood actor Aamir Khan has reportedly received a threat from individuals claiming affiliation with jailed gangster Lawrence Bishnoi, accusing him of promoting 'love jihad' following his recent third marriage. Mumbai Police are currently verifying the authenticity of a social media post and a voice note related to the alleged threat.
The killing of Khalistani separatist Hardeep Singh Nijjar remains an 'active and ongoing investigation', the Royal Canadian Mounted Police (RCMP) have said.
His remarks at a press briefing came when asked about a media report that said Canada may arrest two suspects in Nijjar's killing "within weeks".
'It was a fiasco on the part of the Indian government to think that it could carry out crimes in Canada and the US and get away with it'
According to the sources, when the charges are laid against the two men, police will reveal their role and that of the Indian government.
The float glorifying Indira Gandhi's assassination was part of a parade that was taken out in Brampton to mark the 40th anniversary of Operation Bluestar.
Canada's Minister of Foreign Affairs Mlanie Joly on Friday said the remaining Indian diplomats in the country are "clearly on notice".
Speaking to reporters, Trudeau said, "The news coming out of the United States further underscores what we've been talking about from the very beginning: which is India needs to take this seriously."
Despite ongoing tension between the two countries on the issue of extremism, Bezirgan said he expects warmer ties henceforth as Carney has invited Prime Minister Modi for the G7 Summit.
The spokesperson for the White House National Security Council said they are "coordinating and consulting" with Canada and also "engaging" with the Indian government.
'As the trial gets closer for Nikhil Gupta, they're going to want to make sure that he doesn't talk.' 'And they're going to put pressure on Mr Gupta to make some deal where the evidence doesn't come out.'
India is taking the allegations regarding the assassination plot of Sikh separatist leader Gurpatwant Singh Pannun in the United States seriously, the White House has said but refrained from commenting on the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) probe into the matter and the criminal case filed by the Department of Justice.
Avani Dias, the South Asia Bureau Chief of the Australian Broadcasting Corporation, said she had to leave India on April 19, the day the Lok Sabha elections started after the government objected to her reporting on the assassination of Sikh separatist Hardeep Singh Nijjar.
India has summoned Canadian high commissioner in New Delhi over propaganda material, including posters, containing threats to Indian diplomats being circulated in Canada and has served a demarche to the Justin Trudeau government.
'India and Canada have almost 200 years of shared history and migrations. This won't be the last of our partnership.'
The United States State Department has refuted reports claiming Washington, DC is considering 'expelling' Indian diplomats amid the strained ties between India and Canada.
"Over the last year or even more, the kind of things that we have seen attacking Indian diplomats, threatening, intimidating, harassing Indian diplomats...Yes, the threats have increased," he added.
A day after The Washington Post named an Indian official for allegedly plotting to eliminate Sikh extremist Gurpatwant Singh Pannun, India on Tuesday said the report made 'unwarranted and unsubstantiated' imputations on a serious matter.
He said that India is far more important strategically than Canada is and Ottawa picking up a fight with India is like "an ant picking up a fight against an elephant".
When asked if Modi and Singh's comments can be seen as "confessions" on the alleged "assassination of (Khalistani separatist Hardeep Singh) Nijjar in Canada, (designated terrorist Gurpatwant Singh) Pannu's murder-for-hire plot in New York, and killings in Pakistan", Miller said the US will not get involved in the matter.
Khalistani separatist Gurpatwant Singh Pannun has filed a civil lawsuit against the Government of India and National Security Advisor Ajit Doval, with a US court issuing summons in the case.
The unidentified youths shot Nijjar, a designated terrorist, inside the premises of Guru Nanak Sikh Gurdwara Sahib, of which he was the head, at Surrey at 8:27 pm (local time) on Sunday, they said.
India also accused Canada of allowing "celebration and glorification" of violence, expressing concerns over the security of Indian diplomats in that country, and said it expects Ottawa to ensure that they are able to carry out their responsibilities without fear.
In the first information report (FIR), the cyber crime branch of the Ahmedabad police said that people from across the country have received Pannun's threat via a pre-recorded voice message sent from a foreign number.
The posters shared by Australia Today, read "Canada investigates the role of India in June 18th assassination".
'In the end, officials in India will be thrown to the wolves, quietly released a couple of years down the road and we'll never hear about them again.'
"I think there is a beginning of an understanding that they can't bluster their way through this and there is an openness to collaborating in a way that perhaps they were less open before," Trudeau told the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation.
India on Tuesday strongly rejected the claims, saying that the report made "unwarranted and unsubstantiated" imputations on a serious matter and that an investigation into the case was underway.
A high-powered enquiry committee set up by the Indian government has recommended legal action against an unnamed individual after probing activities of organized criminal groups and terrorist organizations that undermined the security interests of both India and the US. The probe was ordered after the US alleged an attempt to kill Khalistani separatist Gurpatwant Singh Pannun by Indian agents in New York in 2023. The committee, which received full cooperation from US authorities, has also recommended functional improvements in systems and procedures to strengthen India's response capability.
'If a citizen of ours has done anything good or bad, we are ready to look into it. Our commitment is to the rule of law.'
The City of Newark Police Department in Newark, Newark, California told PTI in an emailed statement that on Friday at approximately 8.35 am, they received a report of graffiti at the Shri Swaminarayan Mandir Hindu Temple.
At least nine separatist organisations supporting terror groups have their bases in Canada and despite multiple deportation requests Ottawa has taken no action against those involved in heinous crimes, including the killing of popular Punjabi singer Sidhu Moosewala, officials in New Delhi said on Tuesday.
Former Research and Analysis Wing (RAW) chief A S Dulat Tuesday said Canada expelling an Indian diplomat after claiming that New Delhi was potentially linked to the killing of a Khalistani extremist will have a bearing on bilateral relations.
The Indian envoy said that India was "absolutely" and "decidedly" not involved in the homicide, terming it a "motivated and absurd allegation."
