British intercepts linked India to Canadian Sikh's killing: Documentary
What's the story
A new documentary by Bloomberg Originals, titled Inside the Deaths that Rocked India's Relations with the West, has claimed that British spy call intercepts helped Canadian authorities link India to Hardeep Singh Nijjar's killing in June 2023. The documentary alleges that a British intelligence agency, likely the United Kingdom's Government Communications Headquarters (GCHQ), intercepted calls discussing three targets: Nijjar, Avtar Singh Khanda, and Gurpatwant Singh Pannun.
Alleged conversations
The intercepted calls allegedly discussed 3 potential targets
The documentary claims that the file contained summaries of conversations intercepted by British intelligence, allegedly between individuals whom analysts believed to be working for the Indian government. It states, "They had discussed three potential targets: Nijjar, Khanda, and Pannun. Later, there was an exchange about how Nijjar had been successfully eliminated."
Death and concerns
Khanda's death was ruled no suspicious circumstances
Khanda, a British Sikh pro-Khalistani activist, died in June 2023 of terminal blood cancer at a Birmingham hospital. Despite allegations from some groups in the UK, British authorities ruled "no suspicious circumstances" surrounding his death. The Sikh Federation UK has since written to security minister Dan Jarvis asking why this intelligence wasn't shared with MPs representing the Sikh community.
Diplomatic tensions
India rejected Canadian allegations as 'absurd and motivated'
India has strongly rejected the Canadian allegations as "absurd and motivated," accusing Canada of attempting to smear India "for political gains." The issue sparked a diplomatic row after then-Prime Minister Justin Trudeau alleged in 2023 that Canada's security forces were "actively pursuing credible allegations" of Indian government agents' involvement in Nijjar's murder. In October 2024, India recalled its high commissioner and five diplomats after Ottawa linked them to the case, expelling an equal number of Canadian diplomats.
Diplomatic efforts
Carney's victory helped mend ties between India, Canada
Despite the diplomatic tensions, Liberal Party leader Carney's victory in the April parliamentary election helped start the process of mending ties. In June, Prime Minister Narendra Modi met his Canadian counterpart Mark Carney at the G7 summit in Kananaskis, Canada. By August, both countries had appointed envoys to each other's capitals as part of their efforts to restore diplomatic relations.