Canada, US reports allege Amit Shah authorised attacks on Sikh separatists

In a diplomatic row between Canada and India, Canadian officials have reportedly provided evidence to the Indian government suggesting the involvement of Union Home Minister Amit Shah and a senior official from the Research and Analysis Wing (RAW) in authorising intelligence-gathering missions and attacks on Sikh separatists in Canada, The Wire reported quoting the Washington Post.

This information was shared during a previously undisclosed meeting between Canadian officials and India’s National Security Adviser Ajit Doval in Singapore on 12 October, the report said.

The report indicates that the information, based on conversations and texts involving Indian diplomats expelled from Canada, includes references to Shah and a senior RAW official. However, the nature and accuracy of these references remain unclear. The Canadian government had requested the lifting of diplomatic immunity for the Indian officials to interrogate them further, a request India denied, which ultimately led to the expulsion of six diplomats, including the Indian High Commissioner to Canada.

This is the latest development in a tense standoff between the two countries following Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau's earlier accusation that Indian agents were involved in the June 2023 killing of Khalistan activist Hardeep Singh Nijjar.

At that time, Trudeau referred to "credible intelligence," but in recent statements, he has expressed increased confidence, citing "clear and compelling evidence" of Indian involvement in activities that threaten public safety, including covert operations and violent acts targeting South Asian Canadians.

The latest allegations, implicating Shah, suggest a much higher level of involvement within the Indian government than previously acknowledged. Indian officials, however, have remained silent on the matter, while retired diplomats have expressed surprise at the notion that a senior cabinet minister could be directly engaged in operational matters abroad.

Former intelligence officers have also questioned the likelihood of Shah being involved, given that such activities typically fall outside his official remit.

This situation is not without precedent, as Shah faced accusations over a decade ago concerning his alleged role in extrajudicial killings during his tenure as Gujarat’s home minister. He was charged by the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) for involvement in the killings of Sohrabuddin Sheikh, his wife Kauser Bi, and associate Tulsiram Prajapati in police encounters. Shah was later acquitted after Narendra Modi became prime minister, and the CBI chose not to appeal the verdict.

The allegations come as Canadian police are believed to have gathered more evidence, possibly with support from the United States, which has also claimed to have uncovered an assassination plot linked to the Indian government. The plot targeted a Khalistan advocate based in New York, with an Indian national, Nikhil Gupta, facing charges in connection with the attempted murder.

Meanwhile, the Canadian authorities have accused India of outsourcing the targeting of Sikh separatists to criminal gangs, specifically the Lawrence Bishnoi gang. Bishnoi, who is currently imprisoned in Gujarat, is reportedly managing his operations from jail. Despite being wanted for crimes in multiple Indian states, the Union Ministry of Home Affairs has ensured that he remains in Gujarat, renewing an order that restricts his transfer for questioning by other states.