OTTAWA: In an interview, India’s ambassador to Canada, who faces expulsion due to allegations by Ottawa that he was involved in the killing of a Sikh leader, maintained his innocence and claimed that Prime Minister Justin Trudeau had ruined bilateral relations.
Six diplomats were ordered to leave both nations on Monday in retaliatory measures over Ottawa’s accusations that New Delhi was persecuting Indian dissidents on Canadian territory.
Particularly, Trudeau connected the six to the Sikh separatist Hardeep Singh Nijjar’s death in British Columbia the previous year.
India’s ambassador to Canada, Sanjay Kumar Verma, stated to CTV that Trudeau had been depending more on intelligence than proof.
“Be my guest to wreck a relationship based just on intelligence. And that’s exactly what he did,” Verma stated in a Sunday interview.
US-indicted Indian ex-official disputes accusations, family says
When asked if he was involved in Nijjar’s death, Verma said, “Not at all.” There was no proof offered. There is political motivation behind this.
The largest Sikh community outside of their native state of Punjab is found in Canada, and protests calling for the creation of a distinct nation outside of India have displeased New Delhi.
Ex-official from India “dismisses charges”
The family of an Indian ex-official who was accused by the US of masterminding a scheme to kill people for pay has refuted the accusations, stating they were shocked that Vikash Yadav was wanted by the FBI.
When Yadav, 39, spoke with his cousin Avinash Yadav on Saturday in their ancestral hamlet, which is located approximately 100 miles from the capital New Delhi, the relative stated that he considered the claims to be fake media reports.
Yadav was accused by the US Department of Justice of masterminding a failed scheme to kill Sikh separatist leader Gurpatwant Singh Pannun in the previous year. Yadav was employed by the Research and Analysis Wing (RAW) spy agency in India, as stated in the indictment that was revealed on Thursday.
Yadav is no longer employed by the government, according to India, which has said that it is looking into the claims. However, it is unclear if Yadav was an intelligence officer.
At the village of Pranpura in the state of Haryana, Yadav’s cousin stated, “The family has no information” about him working for the espionage agency. Even though they spoke frequently, “He never mentioned anything about it.”
According to Avinash Yadav, 28, “for us, he is still working for the CRPF,” the federal Central Reserve Police Force, which he joined in 2009.
He claimed to be a deputy commandant and to have received paratrooper training.
The relative added that although he did not know Yadav’s location, he was living with his wife and a daughter who was born the previous year.
Concerning Yadav’s whereabouts, Indian officials have remained silent. Yadav was still in India, according to The Washington Post, which quoted US sources on Thursday. The US was anticipated to request Yadav’s extradition.
Sudesh Yadav, 65, his mother, claimed she was still in disbelief. “What am I supposed to say? I’m not sure if the US administration is being truthful or not.
The United States charges Yadav with ordering Nikhil Gupta, another Indian national, to pay a hitman $15,000 to assassinate Pannun.
However, Yadav’s cousin in Pranpura questioned, pointing to the tiny, one-story home of the family, “Where would that much money come from? Is there a Mercedes or Audi parked outside this house? The almost 500 households in the area have a custom of sending their young men to enlist in the security services.
According to Avinash Yadav, Yadav’s brother is a police officer in Haryana, and his father served as an officer in the Indian border force till his death in 2007.
Amit Yadav, a 41-year-old relative, stated that Vikash Yadav was a talented marksman who was a calm youngster who enjoyed reading and sports.
He remarked, “Only the Indian government and Vikash know what has happened,” and that they ought to have word from Indian authorities.
As Amit Yadav put it, “If the government abandons” a paramilitary officer, then who will work for them?” “We want the Indian government to support us; they should tell us what has happened,” Avinash Yadav declared. Otherwise where will we go?”
