Diplomatic win for India as Canada sees no foreign link in Nijjar killing probe, flags Bishnoi ‘copycats’

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Canada’s top police official says there’s no evidence linking India to transnational repression or the killing of Hardeep Singh Nijjar, marking a shift from earlier allegations and signaling improved bilateral relations between Canada and India.

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Canada has effectively walked back allegations linking India to transnational repression and the killing of Khalistani separatist Hardeep Singh Nijjar, with the country’s top police official stating there is no evidence tying such activities to New Delhi.

Royal Canadian Mounted Police Commissioner Mike Duheme said investigators have found no current connection between criminal activity in Canada and any foreign government, including India, even as concerns over interference persist.

“We’re not seeing any connection right now with any foreign entity, based on the criminal information, the investigations that we have presently,” Duheme told CTV News when asked if “transnational repression by agents of India" remained a concern.

He added, “I’m saying that based on the totality of the files that we have on foreign interference or transnational repression, what we have in our holdings is we have people that are intimidating people, harassing people, but connecting the dots to a foreign entity, regardless of the country, we don’t have that.”

On the Lawrence Bishnoi gang’s presence in Canada, the RCMP commissioner said some people may be using the gang’s name as copycats, without having any real connection to it.

The comment is significant because the Bishnoi network has often been linked to targeted killings and extortion threats in Canada in recent years.

Duheme's remarks mark a significant shift after months of strained ties between the two countries following then prime minister Justin Trudeau’s 2023 allegation of a potential Indian link to Nijjar’s killing, which India had rejected as “absurd.”

Relations had sharply deteriorated, with both countries expelling diplomats in October 2024 amid the row. However, ties have gradually stabilised since Liberal Party leader Mark Carney’s election victory, with both sides restoring high commissioners and stepping up engagement.

Carney’s recent visit to India further signalled a reset in bilateral relations, with agreements signed on uranium and critical mineral supplies and a commitment to advance a comprehensive economic partnership agreement. Duheme’s comments are likely to reinforce this thaw, suggesting Ottawa no longer has evidence to support earlier claims of direct Indian involvement in alleged transnational repression activities.