People familiar with the matter said that in recent weeks and months, Indian and Canadian security officials and diplomats have met multiple times to discuss the killing of Khalistani activist Hardeep Singh Nijjar. Among these meetings were two between Canada’s intelligence chief and an Indian interlocutor in a third country.
People familiar with the matter said that in recent weeks and months, Indian and Canadian security officials and diplomats have met multiple times to discuss the killing of Khalistani activist Hardeep Singh Nijjar. Among these meetings were two between Canada’s intelligence chief and an Indian interlocutor in a third country.
After the Lok Sabha elections, David Vigneault, the then-director of the Canadian Security and Intelligence Service (CSIS), met at least twice with a senior Indian intelligence official in a third country, according to three people from both sides who were briefed on the matter and who spoke on condition of anonymity.
After leading the espionage agency for seven years, Vigneault announced his retirement on July 4. Vanessa Lloyd assumed the position of CSIS chief in an acting capacity.
According to three additional people with knowledge of the situation, Sanjay Kumar Verma, India’s high commissioner to Canada, has met with Nathalie G. Drouin, Canada’s National Security and Intelligence Advisor (NSIA) four times this year. A participant characterised the gatherings as “friendly” discussions.
The subject matter of all these sessions was Nijjar’s murder, who was shot and killed on June 18, 2018, in Surrey, British Columbia. India designated Nijjar as a terrorist in 2020, and New Delhi dismissed Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau’s claims in September of last year about a possible connection between the Khalistani activist’s death and Indian government operatives as “absurd.”
A CSIS spokesman declined to explicitly respond to a question from HT on the recent exchanges overseas. “I can verify that the director has traveled to India for meetings with officials,” he stated. To safeguard Canadians’ safety and security, I am unable to share more precise information on the actions of CSIS personnel, including the director, due to the agency’s mission and unique operating requirements.
Regarding the meetings, there was no formal announcement from the Indian end. A request for response from the ministry of external affairs was not answered.
In June, HT revealed that Vigneault had paid two surprise trips to India in February and March of this year to meet with Indian authorities and talk about the murder.
According to the persons, these events have occurred at the same time as the Research and Analysis Wing (RAW) has fired at least two additional personnel over claims of a purported “murder for hire” plan in the United States. This is on top of the removal of Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF) officer Vikram Yadav, who was seconded to an external intelligence agency, and the reorganization of other personnel in the first quarter of the year related to the same plot, which involved an attempted assassination of Sikh separatist Gurpatwant Singh Pannun.
The persons stated that there were signs that some more people would be arrested, but they would not elaborate.
According to people with knowledge of the circumstances, Yadav was the person named by US prosecutors in an indictment submitted in a Manhattan court last November as “CC-1,” a top field officer in charge of intelligence.
The murder of Nijjar still has a negative impact on Canada-India ties. Although Canadian law enforcement has detained and prosecuted four Indian nationals in relation to the murder, investigators have not yet confirmed reports that implicated Indian operatives in the crime, but it is still under investigation.
Meanwhile, Pannun, the general counsel of Sikhs for Justice (SFJ) in New York, may have been the target of an attempted murder or there may be other Indian nationals in Canadian detention connected to the death of Nijjar. India has also designated Pannun as a terrorist, and SFJ has been outlawed.
When Amandeep Singh, 22, was accused in the Nijjar case this year, Peel Regional Police (PRP) had already taken him into jail following his arrest on November 3, 2023. In relation to the incident, he was taken into custody at Brampton, in the Greater Toronto Area, along with four other males. He faces nine counts, including possession of a prohibited drug and unauthorized weapon.
Pannun was scheduled to attend a wedding reception in Brampton the day before these arrests occurred. The four other people, including Amandeep Singh, were taken into custody close to the location of the event, which was held in honor of Santokh Singh Khela, a pro-Khalistan activist.
In the end, Pannun acknowledged, he did not go to the wedding. Since it appears that this is a continuing, intricate investigation involving the Indian government as well, he stated, “I will let the Canadian government speak on the arrests, that who was ‘target’.”
Ramanpreet Singh, 30, Maninder Singh, 21, Swaranpreet Singh, 20, and Jobanpreet Singh, 20, were the four guys detained alongside Amandeep Singh. They are not facing any charges related to the killing of Nijjar. On July 26, Amandeep and Jobanpreet appeared for a court hearing but were not granted bail.
In November of last year, PRP released a statement stating that during two traffic stops, members of its Specialized Enforcement Bureau STEP Team detained and charged Amandeep Singh along with the other four individuals. On November 3, at about noon, the first stop was made in the city of Vaughan, which resulted in three arrests. Around 3:44 p.m., the other two were taken into custody in Brampton. The action also engaged the PRP Tactical Unit.
A representative for the Royal Canadian Mounted Police (RCMP) Integrated Homicide Investigation Team responded, when asked about any additional arrests related to Nijjar’s death: “The RCMP does not provide specific details, or confirm the possible involvement of any person, business, or entity in any investigation until such time as charges have been laid.” The inquiry is still on.
