Ottawa has declined to consider the National Investigation Agency’s request for the death certificate of Hardeep Singh Nijjar, a pro-Khalistan operative of Indian descent who was killed in Canada in June of the previous year. Nijjar was implicated in nine ongoing investigations by the NIA. The agency sought the death certificate to meet legal obligations for updating the courts regarding the pending cases against him. However, according to sources within the NIA, Canadian officials raised several counter-questions, including the rationale behind India’s request for the death certificate of one of its citizens. An officer noted that following these inquiries, the Canadian authorities ultimately refused to provide the document. The murder of Nijjar has sparked a diplomatic conflict, with the Canadian government accusing Indian agencies of involvement, a claim that New Delhi has categorically denied. The situation has further intensified, as Canada has identified senior Indian diplomats as “persons of interest” in the investigation into Nijjar’s murder, prompting India to respond by withdrawing those diplomats from Canada.
The National Investigation Agency (NIA) has yet to achieve success in obtaining an Interpol red-corner notice for Gurpatwant Singh Pannun, a US citizen identified as a pro-Khalistan agitator and designated terrorist. The NIA is currently probing six cases related to Khalistani terrorism involving Pannun and has seized three of his properties located in Chandigarh, Amritsar, and Pathankot, citing them as proceeds of terrorism. Notably, there was an assassination attempt on Pannun’s life in New York in June 2023, which led to allegations from the US regarding the involvement of an Indian official. Recently, an unsealed indictment revealed that Vikash Yadav, a former officer of India’s Research and Analysis Wing, has been charged by the US for orchestrating the plot against the Sikh separatist.
