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OTTAWA – CSIS director David Vigneault travelled to India earlier this year to discuss with officials there the killing of Canadian Sikh activist Hardeep Singh Nijjar, according to Indian media, but the spy agency won’t confirm any details about the trips.
Several Indian news outlets reported this week that Vigneault travelled to India in February and again in March to brief Indian officials on the case. Nijjar, who advocated for an independent Sikh homeland inside India, was gunned down outside his temple in Surrey, B.C., last year.
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In September, Prime Minister Justin Trudeau announced there were credible allegations that the Indian government played a role in Nijjar’s killings.
According to this week’s media reports, Vigneault visited India twice, in February and March, right before the RCMP arrested four people in connection to Nijjar’s killing. Eric Balsam, a spokesperson for the agency, confirmed Vigneault had been to India, but did not confirm the dates or the reasons for the trip.
“Given CSIS’ mandate and specific operational requirements, and in order to protect the safety and security of Canadians, we do not comment on activities of employees, including the Director of CSIS,” he said in an email. “With that said, since Canada became aware of the credible allegations, we have consistently provided all the information we can to India on the Nijjar case, through multiple channels.”
Canada raised the killing with Indian officials, including Indian president Narendra Modi before Trudeau went public with his claims. In addition to meetings between Modi and Trudeau, the prime minister’s national security advisor presented information to Indian government officials before Trudeau went public.
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India has denied any involvement in the killing and the diplomatic fallout over Trudeau’s charges was significant, with both countries calling off trade talks and 41 Canadian diplomats being sent home after the Indian government threatened to revoke their diplomatic immunity.
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Trudeau attended the G7 summit this week in Italy. India is not a member of the G7, but Modi was invited to the meetings. There were no official meetings with Modi on Trudeau’s calendar, but the Indian prime minster posted on the social media site X that he had met with Trudeau.
Balsam said Canada has tried from the beginning to be open and transparent.
“Canada’s priorities from the start have been to ensure truth and accountability. This is in both our countries’ interest. In this regard, Canada continues to underscore the importance of the ongoing, independent investigation led by the RCMP.”
When the four men were arrested for the killing, RCMP officers emphasized the investigation was still active and ongoing. The U.S. has also implicated India in an attempted assassination, suggesting an Indian government official directed an attempt to kill a Sikh activist in New York, which was thwarted by U.S. authorities.
National Post
rtumilty@postmedia.com
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