November 22, 2024 – The Justin Trudeau government has rejected reports by Canadian media linking Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi to criminal activities within Canada. In a statement this morning, National Security and Intelligence Advisor to Canadian Prime Minister Trudeau, Nathalie G Drouin said the Canadian government was "not aware" of any evidence of the claims. The government was reacting to a report in a local newspaper Globe and Mail.

The newspaper cited unnamed Canadian officials who alleged that Modi, External Affairs Minister S. Jaishankar and National Security Advisor Ajit Doval were privy to plans to kill Khalistani separatist Hardeep Singh Nijjar. Nijjar was killed last year in Vancouver.

"On October 14th, because of a significant and ongoing threat to public safety, the RCMP and officials took the extraordinary step of making public accusations of serious criminal activity in Canada perpetrated by agents of the Government of India. The Government of Canada has not stated, nor is it aware of the evidence, linking Prime Minister Modi, Minister Jaishankar, or NSA Doval to the serious criminal activity within Canada," said the statement.

India had strongly rejected the media report yesterday calling it "ludicrous claims". External Affairs Ministry spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal described the report a "smear campaign".