NEW DELHI: Canada on Friday issued a statement clarifying that it has no evidence linking Prime Minister Narendra Modi, external affairs minister S Jaishankar, or National Security Advisor Ajit Doval to criminal activities in the country.
"This was October 14 and 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," read statement issued by intelligence advisor to the Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau.
"The government of Canada has neither stated nor has it made a case of having any evidence that implicates Prime Minister Modi, Minister Jaishankar or NSA Doval to the serious criminal activity within Canada. Any such suggestion is both speculative and incorrect," it added.

This comes after Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau in October had publicly accused India of conducting covert operations in Canada that posed a significant threat to public safety. Trudeau claimed that Canadian officials had made multiple attempts to collaborate with Indian authorities but faced consistent refusals.

The Canadian Prime Minister stated that the Royal Canadian Mounted Police had "probative evidence linking Indian government agents to activity such as intelligence gathering and coercion, including serious criminal acts." He condemned these activities and called for respect towards Canada's sovereignty.
India had categorically dismissed the allegations, labeling them as baseless and politically motivated. The Ministry of External Affairs said that the government of Trudeau was using anti-India rhetoric for domestic political gains. They pointed to his past acts, including associations with political groups that advocate for separatism in India, as evidence of his longstanding hostility towards India.

The MEA also attacked Canada for giving a platform to extremist elements, especially when an investigation into Nijjar's murder had been undertaken.

India responded by expelling six Canadian diplomats, and it also recalled its High Commissioner from Canada. The MEA summoned Canada's charge d'affaires, Stewart Wheeler, to protest against these allegations and threatened that it will take further retaliatory measures. India's government termed the charges that Modi had a role in Nijjar's killing as "absurd" and said that the accusations were only for political motives to further prolong straining relations.

'Ludicrous, smear campaign': India rejects Canadian media report on Nijjar killing

India rejected on Wednesday the Canadian media reports that alleged PM Modi was aware of a plot to kill pro-Khalistan separatist Hardeep Singh Nijjar in Canada.

The MEA dismissed these claims as "ludicrous" and urged that they be dismissed with the "contempt they deserve." MEA spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal said, "We do not normally comment on media reports. However, such ludicrous statements made to a newspaper purportedly by a Canadian government source should be dismissed with the contempt they deserve. Smear campaigns like this only further damage our already strained ties."