Modi knew Nijjar killing: Canadian newspaper

New Delhi: Canada’s security agencies allege that Prime Minister Narendra Modi was in the loop about the killing of Sikh separatist Hardeep Singh Nijjar and plans to eliminate other prominent separatists, leading Canadian daily The Globe and Mail said Wednesday,

The report comes even though Indian officials have strenuously denied any complicity in Nijjar’s murder.

The Canadians are, in fact, convinced that the plot was led by Union home minister Amit Shah and that Modi, external affairs minister S. Jaishankar and national security adviser Ajit Doval were all informed about it, an unnamed Canadian national security official told the newspaper.

This is the first time an accusation has been made that Modi, Jaishankar, and Doval knew about the attempt to kill Nijjar.

But Canada’s security agencies claim discussions must have taken place about it at the very topmost levels of government.

“The official said the (Canadian) assessment is that it would be unthinkable that three senior political figures in India would not have discussed the targeted killings with Mr. Modi before proceeding,” according to the Canadian newspaper.

However, experts in India point out that knowledge about intelligence operations is usually shared only on what is called “a need-to-know basis.”