India says Canada’s allegations against Home Affairs Minister Amit Shah ’baseless’
India’s government has dismissed Canada’s accusations of alleged crimes by a senior member of Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s cabinet, and warned of serious consequences to bilateral ties.
The allegations made by a top Canadian official that Indian Home Affairs Minister Amit Shah allegedly orchestrated crimes including extortion and homicides in Canada, were “absurd and baseless,” Randhir Jaisawal, spokesperson for the Ministry of External Affairs, told reporters in New Delhi Saturday.
India summoned the representative of the Canadian High Commission Friday and a diplomatic note was handed over in reference to the proceedings on October 29 of the Standing Committee on Public Safety and National Security in Ottawa.
Sign up to The Nightly's newsletters.
Get the first look at the digital newspaper, curated daily stories and breaking headlines delivered to your inbox.
By continuing you agree to our Terms and Privacy Policy.David Morrison, Canada’s deputy foreign minister, told a parliamentary committee on Tuesday that he had confirmed the identity of Shah in a newspaper report earlier this month.
A year earlier, India expelled 41 Canadian diplomats after Prime Minister Justin Trudeau said there were “credible” allegations that Narendra Modi’s government helped orchestrate the killing of Sikh activist Hardeep Singh Nijjar on Canadian soil.
Jaiswal said the leaking of information about the case by senior Canadian official to international media suggests the government there has a political agenda in smearing India.
“Such irresponsible actions will have serious consequences for bilateral ties,” he said.
At the briefing, Mr Jaiswal also addressed the US’s decision to impose sanctions on 19 Indian entities for providing technologies to Russia.
The companies were among almost 400 individuals and companies from countries including China and Turkey, which were sanctioned as part of a bid to crack down on a sprawling network that has helped keep Russia’s war machine running nearly three years into the full-scale invasion of Ukraine.
“Our understanding is that the sanctioned transactions and companies are not in violation of Indian laws,” Mr Jaisawal said.
However, in keeping with India’s established non-proliferation credentials, the country is working with all the relevant departments and agencies to sensitise companies on applicable export control provisions, as well as inform them on new measures being implemented that could impact them in certain circumstances, the spokesperson said.
