India not cooperating with Canada investigations: U.S.

We have made it clear that the allegations are extremely serious and they need to be taken seriously, says State Department spokesperson Matt Miller

The Biden administration has said that India is not cooperating with the Canadian authorities who are investigating linkages between Indian government agents and violent incidents across Canada, especially with regard to pro-Khalistan figures.

“When it comes to the Canadian matter, we have made it clear that the allegations are extremely serious and they need to be taken seriously,” State Department spokesperson Matt Miller said during Tuesday’s briefing in Washington.

“And we wanted to see the Government of India cooperate with Canada in its investigation. Obviously they have not chosen that path,” he added.

The Canadian authorities on Monday had alleged Indian government agents were linked to a number of unlawful activities in Canada, including homicides and extortion. This includes the killing of Khalistani separatist Hardeep Singh Nijjar, who was gunned down in British Columbia in June 2023.

Also read | ‘Simply not true’: India denies Canada’s accusations linking Indian diplomats to organised crime gangs

India team in Washington

On Tuesday, an investigative committee from India , probing a separate but related matter – an assassination plot to kill Khalistani separatist and Sikhs for Justice (SFJ) leader Gurpatwant Singh Pannun — was in Washington DC. Mr. Miller said the timing of the meeting was coincidental and not related to the Canadian investigation. The U.S. Department of Justice (DoJ) had charged Indian citizens with directing a plot to kill Pannun, who is a designated terrorist in India. Pannun is a U.S. citizen.

“They [the Indian government] have told us that they are taking the allegations seriously,” Mr. Miller said, adding that the Indian government had said “the activities in the DoJ indictment do not represent government policy”.

Published - October 16, 2024 12:57 am IST