High Commissioner of India to Canada Sanjay Kumar Verma speaks to reporters during an interview in Ottawa on Aug. 31, 2023.PATRICK DOYLE/The Canadian Press
India’s top diplomat in Canada told a forum on foreign relations Tuesday that this country’s failure to address India’s concerns about threats to its national security has led to consequences.
High Commissioner Sanjay Kumar Verma was speaking in Montreal at a gathering of business leaders on the same day as three Indian nationals appeared in court on charges of killing a Sikh separatist leader in B.C. The RCMP said last week their investigation continues into whether the killing may have ties to authorities in India.
Mr. Kumar Verma said Tuesday that in bilateral relations, “we expect both countries to understand each other’s perspectives, each other’s concerns, respect the cultural diversity,”
“Unfortunately, we’re having issues – and this is nothing new – decades-old issues which have resurfaced, re-emerged, and we’re having unfortunate crimes,” Mr. Kumar Verma said.
These issues relate to India’s territorial integrity, which “is a big red line for us,” he said.
Hardeep Singh Nijjar was gunned down in the parking lot of the Sikh gurdwara in Surrey, B.C., where he was a spiritual leader. Mr. Nijjar had been a key organizer for Sikhs for Justice, a group advocating for a separate Sikh homeland carved out of India’s Punjab called Khalistan.
Months later, Prime Minister Justin Trudeau stood in the House of Commons and suggested Indian agents may have been involved in Mr. Nijjar’s death.
Sikhs for Justice has been organizing a symbolic referendum on the creation of Khalistan. Hundreds of thousands of Sikhs have cast ballots in the non-binding referendum held over several years in Canada, the United States, Britain and Australia.
India’s government classified Mr. Nijjar as a terrorist in 2021, but his supporters see him as a human-rights activist exercising his right to free speech.
Karan Brar, 23, Kamalpreet Singh, 22, and 28-year-old Karanpreet Singh were arrested without incident last Friday in Edmonton and charged with murdering Mr. Nijjar. They were also charged with plotting the death for at least a month from Edmonton.
The trio made their first appearance before a judge at Surrey Provincial Court via a video call from the pretrial jail across the street. They all elected to be tried in English and all agreed to adjourn their cases until May 21.
In the meantime, they are under standard orders to refrain from contacting their alleged victims and witnesses to the alleged murder. Those they are prohibited from contacting include Mr. Nijjar’s widow and two sons, at least two men who said they saw the killing and chased the assassins and two other men.
Richard Fowler, who represents Mr. Brar, said the amount of evidence that will have to be disclosed to the defence from the Crown prosecutor will be substantial given the complexity of the allegations.
“There will be vast amount of disclosure, megabytes, terrabytes,” he said outside the courtroom after the brief hearing.
Jay Michi said he was notified by Legal Aid BC on Friday that Karanpreet Singh needed a qualified lawyer and, given the nature of the case, Mr. Michi seized the opportunity.
“The last six homicides I did nobody came, other than one or two victim’s family members. This one, a billion and a half people are going to be tuning in,” he said outside court in apparent reference to the importance of the case in India.
All three co-accused appeared in orange jail sweatsuits, Mr. Brar spent moments hunched over with his arms crossed while a dishevelled Karanpreet Singh bowed his head and nodded as a Punjabi interpreter confirmed the timing of his next hearing.
Outside court, dozens of Sikh demonstrators lined the walkway to the main entrance, holding signs venerating a man they consider a shaheed, or martyr, and others denouncing India’s alleged involvement in the death.
The Globe and Mail has reported India had been pressing Canada for years to take action against Sikhs in Canada that India considered terrorists.
In his speech on Tuesday, Mr. Kumar Verma referred to perceived threats from this country.
“My concern is national security threats emanating from the land of Canada,” Mr. Kumar Verma said, without naming specific threats or actors. “These threats are largely emanating from the Canadian citizens.”
“Indians will decide what will happen to India,” he added.
During the Q&A, Mr. Kumar Verma also said that Canada needs to work on its reputation for how it treats Indian international students.
When these students are duped by unethical educational outlets, “that creates quite a sensation,” back in India, he said.
In recent years, bringing Indian students to Canada has become a lucrative business for some institutions, but lack of support has been linked to large numbers of deaths by suicide or overdose among this population, he said.
“There was a time when we were sending one body bag of an Indian international student every 10 days,” Mr. Kumar Verma said. “As an ambassador, you can imagine what I would feel in my heart.”
Despite continuing challenges, Mr. Kumar Verma said India and Canada enjoy good, growing trade relations and are working to resolve issues through diplomatic channels.