Sanjay Kumar Verma said that his understanding is U.S. authorities have shared more specific information with India over the course of an investigation than Canada has, and that is likely the differentiating factor in the level of India’s cooperation in both cases.

Issued a travel warning to its citizens in Canada

Threatened to revoke the immunity of Canadian diplomats in India

On Wednesday, the Financial Times reported (opens in a new tab) that American authorities had “thwarted a conspiracy to assassinate” American-Canadian Sikh terrorist leader Gurpatwant Singh Pannun on U.S. soil and “issued a warning to India’s government over concerns it was involved in the plot.”

The British newspaper also reported that U.S. President Joe Biden “raised the matter” with Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi in September at the G20 Summit in New Delhi.

That gathering of G20 leaders was just days before Prime Minister Justin Trudeau’s September announcement in the House of Commons that there were “credible allegations” India may have been involved in the killing of Canadian Sikh leader Hardeep Singh Nijjar in B.C. in June.

India has denied the accusation, and Verma told Kapelos his country was “absolutely” and “decidedly” not involved in the homicide, calling it a “motivated and absurd allegation.”

The allegations spurred two months of diplomatic tensions between Canada and India, including the latter issuing a travel advisory for its citizens hoping to travel to Canada, stripping the diplomatic immunities of dozens of Canadian envoys, and suspending visa applications for Canadians.

While Verma said relations between the two countries are improving thanks to “constructive” dialogue, India has refused to cooperate with any investigation into Nijjar’s death.

According to Verma, his country is refusing to cooperate because it has a “very different interpretation” of what that entails, including finding the word “cooperate” in this instance to be “humiliating” in that it presumes guilt.

“But we always said that if there is anything specific and relevant, and communicated to us, we will look into it,” he said. “And that had been said from day one.”

Verma said India would try to prove it is innocent of any accusations if and when Canada presented specific information for it to “follow up with” or “respond to.”

The high commissioner also said that while U.S.-India relations are not under his purview, it’s his understanding that Indian authorities are cooperating in the American investigation because they have been provided with “inputs which are legally presentable.”

However, the Indian government is not cooperating with Canadian authorities investigating Nijjar’s death, because no such information has been shared in that case, according to Verma.

“The investigation in case of the U.S. as far as I know and understand … is at a much (more) advanced stage, and therefore, I presume, that there would be better information shared with India,” he said.

When pressed, however, on whether Canada’s national security advisor shared any such information with India during the nine days she visited that country in August and September, Verma said “conversations took place,” but no such “specific and relevant” “inputs” were provided.

“Conversations could have allegations, conversation could have some facts of the case, but allegations and facts do not make it specific and relevant,” he said. “So we need to have those facts.”

In his interview, Verma also discussed India’s decision to restore some visa applications for Canadians, why his country revoked diplomatic status for dozens of envoys last month — a move he said was based partially on “an emotional element” — and the Sikh separatism movement in Canada more broadly.