India was ‘convicted’ before probe was concluded: Sanjay Kumar Verma

Ottawa, Canada: Indian High Commissioner to Canada Sanjay Kumar Verma pointed out that India was ‘convicted’ in Hardeep Singh Nijjar's murder even before investigation was concluded.

Prime Minister Justin Trudeau of Canada accused India of involvement in the murder of Sikh terrorist outside Gurdwara in Canada's Surrey on June 18, leading to diplomatic impasse soon after the G20 Summit in Delhi.

Now the Indian envoy in an interview with CTV news channel said that India requires ‘very specific and relevant’ details from Canada that will back up Justin Trudeau’s allegations.

When asked about India’s involvement in the murder, Verma was quoted as saying: ‘There are two points on that. One is that, even without the investigation being concluded, India was convicted. Is that a rule of law?’

The high commissioner clarified the question of how India was convicted, saying ‘ India was asked to cooperate’, adding that it is a ‘typical criminal terminology’.

‘Because India was asked to cooperate and if you look at the typical criminal terminology, when someone asks to cooperate, it means you have already been convicted and you better cooperate,’ Verma reportedly said.

The Indian envoy said that New Delhi had taken it in a ‘very different interpretation’, adding the country will look into everything ‘specific and relevant’ being communicated to it.

India rubbished Canada’s allegations calling them ‘absurd and motivated’ and reciprocally expelled Canadian diplomats and suspended visa services to Canadian citizens.

After weeks of freezing, India earlier this week resumed electronic visa services to Canadian citizens.