Trudeau asserts Canadians’ right to safety amid Nijjar murder arrests

Trudeau made these remarks while speaking at the Sikh Foundation of Canada gala at the Royal Ontario Museum in Toronto on Saturday, according to the outlet CBC News.

He described the arrests as “important” as Canada was “a rule-of-law country with a strong and independent justice system, as well as a fundamental commitment to protecting all its citizens.”

Meanwhile, India called the arrest of three of its nationals as an “internal” issue for Canada.

In a statement released on Saturday, India’s High Commissioner to Ottawa Sanjay Kumar Verma said, “This issue is internal to Canada and therefore we have no comments to offer in this regard.”

Canadian investigators said that working with their law enforcement counterparts in India has become “rather challenging and difficult for the last several years.” However, Verma said, “We are always ready to work with partner countries in solving crimes, provided specific and relevant evidence is shared with us.”

While the initial report of the Public Inquiry into Foreign Interference in Federal Electoral Processes and Democratic Institutions, released on Friday, accused India of meddling in Canada’s affairs, Verma said, “As stated time and again, it is not the policy of the Government of India to interfere in the internal affairs of other countries.”

The High Commissioner said that they were “informed by the Canadian officials about the arrest of three Indian nationals, residing in Canada, in connection with shooting of a Canadian citizen Hardeep Singh Nijjar.”

“We hope to get regular updates from the concerned Canadian authorities regarding the arrested Indian nationals,” he added.

Canadian investigators have not, as yet, announced any link to the Indian Government in relation to the murder. However, on Friday, Assistant Commissioner David Teboul, Commander of the Federal Policing Program in the Pacific Region, said there were “separate and distinct investigations ongoing” including “investigating connections to the Government of India.”

The killing of Nijjar on June 18, in Surrey, British Columbia, caused India-Canada relations to rupture after Trudeau’s statement in the House of Commons three months later that there were “credible allegations” of a potential link between Indian agents and the murder. India reacted by saying those charges were “absurd” and “motivated.” However, more recently, India has said it could cooperate if “specific and relevant” information was provided with regard to any Indian angle.

The arrests of three Indian citizens, Karan Brar, 22, Kamalpreet Singh, 22 and Karanpreet Singh, 28, all residents of Edmonton, capital of the province of Alberta, were announced by the Integrated Homicide Investigation Team or IHIT on Friday. They have been charged with first degree murder and conspiracy to commit murder. They had all arrived in Canada within the last five years as international students and investigators alleged a link between them and the Lawrence Bishnoi gang.