Indian and Canadian security officials and diplomats have reportedly held multiple secret meetings in recent weeks to discuss the killing of Khalistani activist Hardeep Singh Nijjar.
David Vigneault, the former director of the Canadian Security Intelligence Service (CSIS), met with a senior Indian intelligence official twice in a third country after India's Lok Sabha elections, according to sources cited by the Hindustan Times.
Additionally, India's high commissioner to Canada, Sanjay Kumar Verma, has met with Canada's National Security and Intelligence Advisor, Nathalie G Drouin, four times this year, it has been learnt from the report.
These meetings have reportedly been amicable and centered on Nijjar's killing in Surrey, British Columbia on June 18, 2022. Canada had, in September 2023, linked Indian agents to Nijjar's murder, a claim New Delhi soon dismissed as "absurd." The CSIS confirmed Vigneault’s travels to India but declined to provide specific details about recent meetings.
In parallel developments, India's Research and Analysis Wing (RAW) has removed several officials following allegations of a "murder for hire" plot in the US targeting Sikh separatist Gurpatwant Singh Pannun. The plot has led to the arrest of four Indian nationals by Canadian law enforcement, though their connection to Indian agents remains unproven.
The ongoing investigation and arrests, including that of Amandeep Singh in connection to Nijjar's killing, have strained India-Canada relations. Further arrests and charges are anticipated as the investigation continues.
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