The Ministry of External Affairs on Monday refuted reports alleging that Indian officials were involved in the 2023 killing of Khalistani separatist Hardeep Singh Nijjar in Canada.

P Kumaran, the ministry secretary (east), said that New Delhi rejects the allegations that India is involved in transnational violence or organised crime.

Nijjar was an advocate for Khalistan, an independent Sikh nation sought by some groups. He was the head of the Khalistan Tiger Force, which is a designated terrorist outfit in India.

On Monday, a report in the Toronto-based newspaper The Globe and Mail claimed, quoting unidentified officials, that Canadian security officials had received evidence that Indian consular staff in Vancouver had supplied information to allegedly assist in the 2023 killing of Nijjar.

The reporter also cited a report by Canadian newspaper The National Post on Sunday that quoted Ottawa’s domestic intelligence agency as alleging that India continues to be among the main perpetrators of foreign interference and espionage against the country.

During a press briefing later on Monday, Kumaran said the claims were “baseless, politically motivated and unsupported by credible evidence despite repeated requests”.

“India believes that concerns of this nature must be addressed through credible law enforcement and judicial processes, not through public or politicised narratives,” he added.

Kumaran said that the criminal investigation into Nijjar’s killing was proceeding as per legal procedures in Canada.

“It will move to the full jury trial stage,” he told reporters. “…India has consistently maintained its commitment to the judicial process.”

He added that New Delhi believes that “sensitive matters under judicial consideration are best allowed to proceed through established legal processes without public commentary”.

The reports came during Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney’s first official visit to India amid a thaw in diplomatic relations. On Monday, Carney held talks with Prime Minister Narendra Modi in Delhi.

Nijjar was killed by masked gunmen in June 2023. His killing had led to diplomatic tensions between New Delhi and Ottawa after Justin Trudeau, the Canadian prime minister at the time, told Parliament in September 2023 that intelligence agencies were examining “credible allegations” linking Indian government agents to the murder.

India has repeatedly rejected Canada’s allegations.

Four Indian citizens are facing trial in Canada in connection with Nijjar’s killing. They face charges of first-degree murder and conspiracy to commit murder.

On Saturday, a spokesperson for the Canadian Security Intelligence Service, Eric Balsam, told The National Post that the agency’s assessment had not changed.

This contradicted a statement by a senior government official. On February 25, Canadian news organisations quoted an unidentified senior official as saying that Ottawa believes India is no longer linked to alleged violent crimes in the country.

Ottawa had previously accused India of foreign interference.

In January 2025, a Canadian inquiry commission accused India of interfering in the country’s electoral process by clandestinely providing financial support to political leaders and engaging in disinformation.

The Indian external affairs ministry had rejected the inquiry panel’s report, and had alleged that it was Canada that was consistently interfering in India’s internal affairs.

In March 2025, the Canadian Security Intelligence Service had claimed that India, China, Russia and Pakistan could try to interfere in the Canadian general election that was scheduled to be held in April 2025.

On February 8, India and Canada said that they had agreed on a work plan to guide cooperation on national security and law enforcement.