India Rejects Canadian Media Report on Nijjar Assassination as "Smear Campaign"

India on Wednesday dismissed a Canadian media report as a "smear campaign," which alleged that the Indian Prime Minister was aware of a plot to assassinate Sikh separatist leader Hardeep Singh Nijjar.

External Affairs Ministry spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal denounced the report published in the Canadian newspaper The Globe and Mail, which cited an unnamed Canadian official, calling the claims "ludicrous statements" that warrant outright rejection.

Nijjar was killed outside a gurdwara in Surrey, British Columbia, in June 2023. Canadian authorities have since arrested and charged four Indian nationals in connection with his murder.

India has repeatedly stated that Canada has failed to provide any credible evidence to support allegations of the Indian government's involvement in Nijjar's killing.

India-Canada relations took a sharp downturn last month after Canada accused Indian High Commissioner Sanjay Verma and other diplomats of being involved in the murder.