Haven't received anything worthy of being probed by Indian agencies: Jaishankar on Nijjar case

MUMBAI: India has never received anything which is specific and worthy of being pursued by its probe agencies, External Affairs Minister S. Jaishankar on Monday said over a fourth arrest made by Canada in the killing of Khalistan separatist Hardeep Singh Nijjar.

Jaishankar said New Delhi is open to an investigation if Ottawa has any evidence or information related to any violence which is relevant to be investigated in India. "We have never received anything which is specific and worthy of being pursued by our investigative agencies and I am not aware that anything has changed in the last few days in that regard," the minister said in response to a question during a press conference in Mumbai. “As a consular practice, it is informed to the government or the embassy of the country of origin when arrests of foreign nationals are made,” Jaishankar said.

Nijjar, 45, was killed outside Guru Nanak Sikh Gurdwara in Surrey, British Columbia on June 18, 2023. A fourth Indian national has been arrested by Canadian authorities in connection with the killing of Nijjar, a week after police arrested three Indians linked with the high-profile case that has severely strained India's relations with Canada.

Amandeep Singh, 22, a resident of Brampton, Surrey, and Abbotsford areas of Canada, has been charged with first-degree murder and conspiracy to commit murder, as per officials.

The Royal Canadian Mounted Police had earlier arrested Karanpreet Singh, 28, Karan Brar, 22, and Kamalpreet Singh, 22, and charged them with first-degree murder and conspiracy to commit murder. Police alleged that the Edmonton-based Indian nationals are members of an alleged hit squad tasked by New Delhi, claiming they had entered Canada on “student visas but may have been working at the direction of Indian intelligence when they shot Nijjar.”