WASHINGTON, Oct 31 : The United States has termed as “concerning” Canada’s allegations that Indian Home Minister Amit Shah was behind the plots to target Sikh activists on Canadian soil, saying that it would continue to consult Ottawa on this matter.
“The allegations made by the government of Canada are concerning, and we will continue to consult with the Canadian government about those allegations,” State Department Spokesperson Matthew Miller told reporters at his daily news briefing on Wednesday.
On Tuesday, Canadian officials alleged Amit Shah, a close associate of Prime Minister Narendra Modi, was behind a campaign of violence and intimidation targeting Sikh separatists in Canada.
Canadian Deputy Foreign Affairs Minister David Morrison said to a parliamentary panel on Tuesday that he told The Washington Post, a leading US newspaper, that Home Minister Shah was behind the plots.
“The journalist called me and asked if it (Shah) was that person. I confirmed it was that person,” Morrison told the committee.
India has called Sikh separatists “terrorists” and threats to its security. Sikh separatists demand an independent homeland of Khalistan to be carved out of India. An insurgency in India during the 1980s and 1990s killed tens of thousands.
That period included the 1984 anti-Sikh riots that left thousands dead following the assassination of then-prime minister Indira Gandhi by her Sikh bodyguards after she ordered security forces to storm the holiest Sikh temple to flush out Sikh separatists.
Canada in mid-October expelled Indian diplomats, linking them to the 2023 murder of Sikh separatist leader Hardeep Singh Nijjar on Canadian soil. India also ordered the expulsion of Canadian diplomats.
The Canadian case is not the only instance of India’s alleged targeting of Sikh separatists on foreign soil.
The United States has charged a former Indian intelligence officer, Vikash Yadav, for allegedly directing a foiled plot to murder Sikh separatist leader Gurpatwant Singh Pannun, a dual US-Canadian citizen and Indian critic in New York City.
The FBI warned against such a retaliation aimed at a US resident. India has said little publicly since announcing in November 2023 that it would formally investigate the US allegations.
The accusations have tested Washington and Ottawa’s relations with India, often viewed by the West as a counterbalance to China.
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