“Rejected Charges Of Involvement In Act Of Violence In Canada”: Government

In calling for India’s cooperation into its allegations of a potential Indian link to the killing of a Khalistani leader on its soil.

Canada has not provided any “specific and relevant information” to New Delhi for it to act upon, the government informed Parliament on Friday.

Minister of State for External Affairs V Muraleedharan said in Lok Sabha that the government has conveyed to Canada its “concerns” over activities of anti-India elements in that country and requested Ottawa to take action against such elements besides denying space to them.

The government has rejected the allegations of its involvement in “any act of violence” in Canada, he said replying to a question.

In September, Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau made an explosive allegation of a “potential” involvement of Indian agents in the killing of Khalistani extremist Hardeep Singh Nijjar on Canadian soil on June 18. India has strongly rejected the charges.

“The government has rejected the allegations of the government of India’s involvement in any act of violence in Canada. While calling for India’s ‘cooperation’, the Canadian government has not provided any specific and relevant information for us to act upon,” Mr Muraleedharan said.

“The government has conveyed to the government of Canada our concerns about anti-India elements in Canada and their activities, and requested Canada to take action against such elements and deny space given to them,” he said.

“Due to the security environment in Canada and incitement to violence against our diplomats, our consular operations in Canada were disrupted,” Mr Muraleedharan added.

He said India issued an advisory for all Indian nationals, including students and those visiting Canada, to exercise utmost caution and avoid travelling to regions and potential venues in Canada that have seen such incidents.

“We have also urged Indian nationals in Canada, including students to register with our High Commission in Ottawa or Consulates General in Toronto and Vancouver through their respective websites, or the MADAD portal madad.gov.in,” he said.

Mr Muraleedharan said it will enable the high commission and the Consulates General to better connect with Indian citizens in Canada in the event of any “emergency or untoward incident”.

Days after Trudeau’s allegations, India has suspended issuance of visas to Canadians. Subsequently, the suspension has been revoked for certain categories.

“After a considered review of the security situation, from October 26, some categories of visa are being issued to the Canadian nationals through the IVFRT portal,” Mr Muraleedharan said.

The Immigration Visa Foreigner Registration Tracking (IVFRT) is a platform for online registration of foreigners and related services.

“From November 22, e-visas for Canadian nationals were resumed, including e-Tourist visa. Government will continue to monitor the security situation in Canada from this perspective,” the minister added.