Indian High Commissioner Dinesh K. Patnaik has dismissed Canada’s old allegations linking New Delhi to the killing of a Sikh separatist leader, asserting that the case is against four individuals and not against the government of India.

In an interview with CBC News on Tuesday (January 14, 2026), Mr. Patnaik also pointed out how the investigation into the Air India bombing has still not yielded anything and not a single person has been convicted of it, despite New Delhi talking about terrorism in Canada for the last 40 years.

The remarks by Mr. Patnaik, who took charge in September 2025, coincided with British Columbia Premier David Eby’s visit to India on a trade mission amid the improving relationship between New Delhi and Ottawa.

The ties between India and Canada strained after the then-prime minister Justin Trudeau’s allegations in September 2023 of a “potential” involvement of Indian agents in Hardeep Singh Nijjar’s killing outside a gurdwara in Surrey city on June 18 that year.

India, which had designated Nijjar as a terrorist in 2020, had strongly rejected the allegations as “absurd” and “motivated.” The two countries have taken several steps in recent months to normalise their relations. They have also agreed to revive several mechanisms to advance relations in a range of areas.

Mr. Patnaik was asked how the two countries move past the ‘gap’ of more than a year after Mr. Trudeau’s accusation.

“Well, where is the evidence? Every time you keep on saying credible information, which is fine,” Mr. Patnaik said.

“We have always said, it’s preposterous and absurd. It’s something we don’t do. These allegations … have not been backed by evidence. There’s always … (it is) easy to make accusations,” the Indian diplomat said.

Who was Hardeep Singh Nijjar, the Sikh activist whose killing has divided Canada and India?

Mr. Patnaik also pointed out how the investigation into the Air India bombing (of June 1985) has still not yielded anything. “Nothing has happened on the ground. We’ve been talking about terrorism in Canada for the last 40 years. What has anybody done about it? Not a single person has been convicted of it,” he said.

The case in connection with Nijjar’s death is against four individuals, he said, “You have a case going on in Surrey, which says very clearly against four individuals. There is no case against the government of India. The government of India does not do such actions … never.”

India will take action if Canada provides evidence, he said, adding, “What we need is for you to give us evidence, for us to take action.” Mr. Patnaik repeated that Canada has only been providing information, but no evidence.

He cited several examples of cases where prior information provided by India was not acted upon but later turned out to be true.

“When you accuse us, what happens here is … my accusations need evidence, your accusations don’t need evidence?” he said, and then went on to add: “When I accuse you, and you tell me, ‘evidence is not enough’, I agree with it. And I say, ‘Yes, you are telling me evidence is not enough, when I find evidence, I’ll give it to you’.”

“When you accuse me, and I tell you, ‘evidence is not enough’, please accept it with the same alacrity with which you have,” he added.

When the interviewer pressed on by saying, “It’s about the activities of the state of India. It’s about allegations about the Government of India,” Mr. Patnaik said the government of India never does something like that.

“If there are people in the government of India (who) have done it, and you give us evidence, we will take action against them. We have never said otherwise,” he added.

Published – January 14, 2026 06:55 pm IST

New Delhi:

As its ties with Canada continued to remain at an all-time low, India on Saturday said some of its consular officials were informed by the Canadian government that they have been under audio and video surveillance, and termed the action a “flagrant violation” of diplomatic conventions.

Asserting that Canada could not hide behind technicalities to justify its harassment and intimidation, India said it had lodged a protest with the Canadian government.

Addressing a briefing on Saturday, Ministry of External Affairs Spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal said, “Some of our consular officials were recently informed by the Canadian government that they have been and continue to be under audio and video surveillance. Their communications have also been intercepted. We have formally protested to the Canadian government as we deem these actions to be a flagrant violation of relevant diplomatic and consular conventions.”

Pointing out that India’s diplomatic and consular personnel are already functioning in an environment of “extremism and violence”, Mr Jaiswal added, “By citing technicalities, the Canadian Government cannot justify the fact that it is indulging in harassment and intimidation… This action of the Canadian government aggravates the situation and is incompatible with established diplomatic norms and practices.”

During the briefing, Mr Jaiswal also revealed that a Canadian diplomat had been summoned on Friday over claims by Canada’s Deputy Foreign Affairs Minister David Morrison that Home Minister Amit Shah had ordered the targeting of Khalistani extremists in the country.

Stating that a diplomatic note had been handed over to the representative of the Canadian High Commission, the spokesperson said, “It was conveyed in the note that the Government of India protests in the strongest terms to the absurd and baseless references made to the Union Home Minister of India before the committee by Deputy Minister David Morrison.”

Referring to reports of Canada admitting that its officials leaked sensitive information to the Washington Post, the Ministry of External Affairs said such actions will have “serious consequences” for ties between India and Canada. 

“In fact, the revelation that high Canadian officials deliberately leak unfounded insinuations to the international media as part of a conscious strategy to discredit India and influence other nations only confirms the view the Government of India has long held about the current Canadian government’s political agenda and behavioural pattern. Such irresponsible actions will have serious consequences for bilateral ties,” he warned.

Ties between India and Canada have been strained since Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau claimed – without offering any evidence – last year that “Indian agents” were involved in the killing of Khalistani terrorist Hardeep Singh Nijjar. The allegation has been rubbished by New Delhi several times and it has asked Canada to produce evidence to back up the claim.

The relationship hit a new low earlier this month when the Indian High Commissioner was termed a “person of interest” in the killing. India dismissed the fresh charge as “ludicrous” and withdrew the High Commissioner and some diplomats while expelling six Canadian officials, including Canada’s acting High Commissioner Stewart Ross Wheeler.