Public sentiment is polarized regarding the India-Canada diplomatic tensions stemming from the Nijjar murder, reflecting strong support for India's assertive actions and a belief in national sovereignty. Many commenters express pride in India's responses while raising concerns about the ethical implications of government narratives and the treatment of Sikh activists. Criticism towards Canada's handling of the situation is prevalent, framed by national pride and skepticism about international norms.

India

Canada

&gt;The following month, [Bloomberg reported](http://www.bloomberg.com/features/2025-india-sikh-separatist-deaths/), the U.K.’s Government Communications Headquarters advised Canada it had detected communications it believed involved suspects working for the Indian government, about plans to kill Nijjar and two Sikh activists in the U.S. and U.K.

&gt;“Over the next several days, Canadian security agencies corroborated the initial intelligence. They also received another British wiretap, this one capturing a conversation referring to how Nijjar had been successfully eliminated.”

&gt;Days after Nijjar’s killing, the FBI announced it had disrupted a second murder plot, this one targeting one of Nijjar’s associates, Gurpatwant Singh Pannun, a New York-based pro-Khalistan activist.

&gt;The U.S. plot was traced to the Research and Analysis Wing, the intelligence arm that reports to Modi’s office. RAW officer Vikash Yadav allegedly hired an Indian crime figure to kill Pannun, but also mentioned three targets in Canada.

**TL;DR:** The UK alerted Canada and the 5-Eyes, the 5-Eyes then traced India's assassination plots, then the FBI prevented the assassination in the US. However, this will be swept under the rug, because the US has military interests with India, and Canada &amp; UK increasingly need more trade partners because of US tariffs.

Salt_Court_6490

Previously when they assassinated someone in Canada, Canada provided their evidence of the assassination plot to the Indian government in an attempt to cooperate to investigate the perpetrators.  India's response was "shut up, fake news!"

Ketroc21

theMostProductivePro

And Australia although not stated publicly: https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=xYEUaI8Hbaw

No-Donut-4623

Oh boy the brigade is out in force today.

CryHavocAU

I mean.... we failed to block one assassination attempt in Canada already and UN told Trudeau to hush up about it.....

For the people who downvoted me and think it's a hoax:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hardeep_Singh_Nijjar#:~:text=stay%20at%20home.-,On%2018%20June%202023%2C%20Nijjar%20was%20shot%20and%20killed%20in,later%2C%20in%20his%20Dodge%20Ram.

ThatRandomGuy86

The Indian government should not be carrying out extrajudicial executions and ignore the Khalistan protests in the West. If they want to protest America, Canada, and Australia, they should, and it’s legal. It’s technically none of India’s business. Sikhs were oppressed and many families immigrated to places like Canada because of trauma and persecution. Sikhs today are one of the richest religious groups in the country. Khalistan is probably more popular among Sikhs in Canada than India. 

Hardeep Nijjar isn’t really an innocent activist either. Two Interpol red notices were issued against him in 2014 and 2016 because he has something to do in the 2007 cinema hall blasts in Shingaar. I wouldn’t really believe the militant claims if there weren’t pictures of him with AK-47s. He applied for permanent residency twice and both times were denied by Canadian immigration authorities. He became a Canadian citizen by marrying a Canadian woman. He used a fake passport but idk if that means anything. 

Before the Air India bombings, the Indian government warned the Canadian government about possible Khalistani terrorist plots against Indian targets. Canada’s security agencies viewed it as an “Indian problem”, not a domestic threat, even though almost all victims were Canadian. Apparently, there were recorded incriminating conversations but later erased the tapes because they said it was irrelevant. Which seems kinda odd. Witnesses were threatened or refused to testify which made things harder.

Pixi_Dust_408

It should be changed to 4 eyes, the USA is not sharing intelligence unless it’s vague and the other 4 nations are already aware, they are choosing what to share and specifically what not to share, Modi has decided he needs to project power by eliminating perceived threats anywhere in the world, straight out of Putins playbook

Sensitive_Double8652

No, this is totally normal, guys. 
Don’t even worry. Supposed allies plotting murders within our countries is totally chill, dude.

Swangthemthings

I hate that Canada is trying to strengthen ties with India despite them constantly meddling in our business and this assassination bullshit. It's only because they have so many fucking people that other countries care about them. Fix your own shit India.

polloyumyum

SpooderRocks

[deleted]

I wish India would worry more about fixing their own fucking problems and stay the fuck out of Canada.

Brain_Damage117

Oh man don't try say anything bad about the Modi gov in any form, this is reddit: they can do no wrong.

Esamers99

don't most countries do things like this?  not that I am condoning it at all,  but I just thought they did.  for example wasn't Russia considered responsible for the guy I. the UK.  . . .  chinese dignitaries falling off the roof in Paris . .  the US went into Pakistan to get bin laden and the current destroying vehicles in international waters.

again,  I am not condoning these actions,  just pointing out that it happens

Former-Toe

will_kill_kshitij

Can’t wait for us to continue to do nothing about this

Logical_Mess_4197

I am an Indian and this is not the India I grew up in. This is not even Indianness per-say. India has gone to dogs. You will see this comment getting brigaded by the same dogs in a minute and telling me how things were worse in the past and we r better now as terrorists

Travel__Agent007

Notice how you never see the phrase “American Intelligence” anymore

TheKingOfDub

Noooooooooooooooooooooooooo. 
Who could have imagined?
Whooooooooooooooooooooooooo?

ebimm86

Indian government is trying to learn to be Russia or something, assassin anyone don't fit their interest in foreign country.

s8018572

Rabbit9778

Alitaangel2025

Realistically, what can be done to India if these communications are corroborated? 
I'm guessing diplomatic pressure to hand over the culprits and international sanctions against the Modi government?

Southbird85

India also has a huge military and is a nuclear power, plus is a strong potential ally for the west against China.

Passionofthegrape

so only uncle sam has the right to off terrorists on foreign soil?

WolfGuptaofficial

The_Last_Bohican

"Cultures who believe honour killings are a moral good do heinous things, more at 11"

DoomguyFemboi

Interesting to see there be actual evidence and who/what the targets are

But its safe to assume the major powers all have plots in almost every other major power

GullibleDetective

Not surprising whatsoever. India keeps yapping about how Pakistan and Bangladesh treats their minorities but turns around do the same thing. Even worse cause they assassinate people not even living in India.

Sidhumoosewala22

&gt; But nothing in the evidence India presented, the people say, met the standard for criminal charges in Canada, let alone for extradition. To press their case, officials in New Delhi frequently sent clippings from Indian media, which was rife with lurid stories about Nijjar’s alleged involvement in violence, instead of providing what the process required: hard evidence, obtained without coercion, that would stand up in a Western courtroom. When that didn’t work, the people say, the Indians suggested that Canadian police find a way to concoct the necessary evidence.

&gt; The result was mutual incomprehension. To law enforcement agencies in Canada, Nijjar was an activist, unless India could persuasively demonstrate otherwise. To Indian police and their political overseers, he was a terrorist, as the country formally designated him in 2020. The conventional wisdom in New Delhi was that this standoff reflected Prime Minister Justin Trudeau’s domestic interests—specifically, his desire to court Sikh voters, who are a meaningful factor in Canadian elections.

Absolutely absurd that Indian officials thought that *news clippings* would be sufficient evidence for Canadian authorities to act. It only become even more absurd over this risible allegation that Trudeau himself was stopping them from acting. This theory completely falls flat when you consider that the US also wasn't satisfied with what had been presented to them:

&gt; Similar political incentives didn’t apply to Washington, though, and when the Indian government sought action against Khalistan campaigners in the US, the response was much the same as in Canada. Pannun, like Nijjar, was listed as a terrorist by Indian authorities, and they considered the group he was part of, Sikhs for Justice, to be an “unlawful organization.” The group’s messaging was often inflammatory, including posters calling on supporters to “burn [the] Indian constitution” and “balkanize India.” Yet in Queens, Pannun lived unmolested, as did fellow activists elsewhere in the country. Regardless of India’s demands, he and Nijjar were going to continue their campaign—unless events intervened.

Splemndid

Was all this more about the Indian government generally flexing and demonstrating the ability to kill abroad than it was about any specific target or security interest?

Trill-I-Am

I always wonder what these murder plots in America are like if the target lives in a state with lax gun laws. You might think you're getting an easy target but then find yourself in a shootout

Aware-Computer4550

Seems like the diplomatic crisis is over since Carney and Trump decided that empowerment of Khalistanis are not worth damaging relations with India over.

It is still gross though that they even tried to leverage those people to harm India while trying to get India in a China containment bloc.

Still_There3603

It’s interesting how an issue that should only really exist in India is debated in Canada and the US when most Americans/Canadians couldn’t care less about “Khalistan”.

ArugulaElectronic478

Reading the article makes it clear that the info was mostly leaked by the Canadian government, through Judy Thomas (former Canada NSA, under Trudeau). With the ongoing relationship reset between Canada and India, this article was probably a way to release (leak) information that would come out in the Nijjar trial later and could trigger another diplomatic crisis. This was basically a "rip some of the bandaid off now and avoid a future crisis" article.

Note the "sprinkle" of Indian concerns added in the article, re the bombing of Air India (1985) and a "large number on less publicized bombings" in India. The article then quickly points out that the air India bombers got to live freely in Canada, avoiding prison time, due to "error and incompetence" by Canadian investigators. But it stops there.

The article fails to explain the motivation of the Indians, however. For example, Canada basically set a precedent of not acting proactively to prevent terrorist attacks - like in the case of the Air India bombing, despite having all the intelligence before the bombings. They had even pulled out their inside mole so that the source doesn't become criminally "implicated" once the bombing happens - that is insane because they had inside knowledge of the plot before the bombings happened ([source](https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/csis-may-have-had-mole-in-air-india-conspiracy-1.360913).

The article also lightly brushes on the fact that many of the Khalistani rallies are "incendiary" but not illegal. But the article should have pointed out how many of the rallies are skirting hate speech. Lots of videos show calls for "kicking out hindus" and killing Indian government officials and diplomats. Hate speech is a sensitive issue and, while I get that it can be hard to convict, the police should start testing some of the hate speeches in court and let a judge decide. We saw how Canadian law enforcement clamped hard on the pro-palestinian protests, for less incendiary speeches even. So I don't buy that "freedom of speech" argument when so much of it is skirting "hate speech".

Marco1603

SS: Matthew Campbell, writing in Bloomberg Businessweek (Nov. 5, 2025), reports that US and Canadian investigations uncovered linked plots targeting Sikh separatists, with a DEA sting foiling an alleged RAW-directed plan to assassinate US citizen Gurpatwant Singh Pannun in New York while gunmen murdered his ally Hardeep Singh Nijjar near Vancouver.

Campbell details how prosecutors say Indian middleman Nikhil Gupta, allegedly handled by RAW officer Vikash Yadav, sought a $100,000 contract killing before Czech authorities arrested Gupta for extradition to the US, where Yadav was later indicted and remains at large. He recounts that British signals intelligence pointed Canada toward an Indian state nexus in Nijjar’s killing, triggering expulsions of diplomats and a diplomatic rupture, even as Washington privately pressed New Delhi for assurances and kept broader ties on track, including a drone sale. Canadian police have charged four Indian nationals in Nijjar’s murder and warn of further threats, while Ottawa’s efforts to engage India repeatedly stalled.

According to Campbell, India’s internal inquiry has aimed blame at a “rogue” operative, conflicting with US intelligence assessments that senior officials likely authorized the operation. Pannun continues his activism under heavy protection, Gupta awaits trial in New York, and both the US and Canada face the risk that court proceedings could reignite tensions with India.

telephonecompany

Why did the guy had to be so chatty tho? not that ik assassination business and we are chatty bunch but who talks so much with some dude you hired to kill for you?

ImpossibleBridge

Matthew Campbell, writing in Bloomberg Businessweek (Nov. 5, 2025), reports that US and Canadian investigations uncovered linked plots targeting Sikh separatists, with a DEA sting foiling an alleged RAW-directed plan to assassinate US citizen Gurpatwant Singh Pannun in New York while gunmen murdered his ally Hardeep Singh Nijjar near Vancouver. 

Campbell details how prosecutors say Indian middleman Nikhil Gupta, allegedly handled by RAW officer Vikash Yadav, sought a $100,000 contract killing before Czech authorities arrested Gupta for extradition to the US, where Yadav was later indicted and remains at large. He recounts that British signals intelligence pointed Canada toward an Indian state nexus in Nijjar’s killing, triggering expulsions of diplomats and a diplomatic rupture, even as Washington privately pressed New Delhi for assurances and kept broader ties on track, including a drone sale. Canadian police have charged four Indian nationals in Nijjar’s murder and warn of further threats, while Ottawa’s efforts to engage India repeatedly stalled. 

According to Campbell, India’s internal inquiry has aimed blame at a “rogue” operative, conflicting with US intelligence assessments that senior officials likely authorized the operation. Pannun continues his activism under heavy protection, Gupta awaits trial in New York, and both the US and Canada face the risk that court proceedings could reignite tensions with India.

Thanks for posting this, I actually wanted to read about this case and it comes at a perfect time.

Saatvik_tyagi_

Choicest excerpts:

Fingers pointing at Shah and Doval?

&gt;Within weeks of that message, Gupta and his handler’s alleged pursuit of Pannun would be brought to the attention of the highest levels of the US government. (Gupta has denied wrongdoing.) According to people familiar with the matter, US intelligence agencies assessed that the operation had probably been sanctioned by senior figures in New Delhi, potentially including members of Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s inner circle—an extraordinary gamble. The idea that Indian officials would even contemplate killing a US citizen on the streets of New York stunned people in the White House and the State Department, who’d done everything in their power to court the world’s most populous country.

How do you deal with the ambitions of a rising power that you need as a counterbalance to China, but one that is also unafraid of using underhanded means to deal with political dissent against your own citizens on your own soil, even if such a gamble risks cutting at the foundations of the diplomatic relationship painstakingly rebuilt over decades? I think the only obvious interpretation of the events that transpired can be that our Paramadarniya Pradhan Mantriji's inner-circle has been taking liberties by expending India's political and diplomatic capital built up during the MMS era.

&gt;The government of Canada was facing an equally challenging set of problems: how to demand accountability for Nijjar’s killing, which security officials separately concluded was directed by elements of the Indian state, and how to avoid further violence against Canadians whom India saw as threats. Over the ensuing months, investigators in Washington, New York, London and Ottawa worked to unravel what they believed to be a deadly Indian intelligence operation unfolding in North America, and to ensure that nothing of its kind was ever attempted again. These would be delicate tasks with any foreign nation; they were devilishly complex with India, a rising economic superpower that Western governments are counting on to offset China. This account of the targeting of Pannun and Nijjar, and the geopolitical crisis that followed, is based on legal filings and government documents, as well as interviews with people with knowledge of the situation, almost all of whom asked not to be identified due to the sensitivity of the topic.

Some more tidbits of ignominy reflecting on our intelligence and law enforcement agencies.

&gt;In other words, the chances were remote that Nijjar, Pannun and their small band of fellow activists could seriously threaten the Indian state. Nonetheless, Indian policymakers were intensely interested in their activities, especially as Modi consolidated power. One Western diplomat recalls being surprised by his Indian counterparts’ “absolute laser focus” on the Khalistan movement. The campaign “ought to be a third-order preoccupation at most, but it is utterly first order for them,” the diplomat says. Some observers saw a cynical political motive: By insisting the movement was a genuine threat, Modi and his lieutenants could portray themselves as defenders of the Hindu majority. But their anxiety was also rooted in real historical events—the killing of Indira Gandhi and the Air India bombing, along with the large number of less publicized attacks—as well as an understandable fear, in a nation of enormous diversity, of the notion that any part could break away. \[...\]

&gt;But nothing in the evidence India presented, the people say, met the standard for criminal charges in Canada, let alone for extradition. To press their case, officials in New Delhi frequently sent clippings from Indian media, which was rife with lurid stories about Nijjar’s alleged involvement in violence, instead of providing what the process required: hard evidence, obtained without coercion, that would stand up in a Western courtroom. When that didn’t work, the people say, the Indians suggested that Canadian police find a way to concoct the necessary evidence.

&gt;The result was mutual incomprehension. To law enforcement agencies in Canada, Nijjar was an activist, unless India could persuasively demonstrate otherwise. To Indian police and their political overseers, he was a terrorist, as the country formally designated him in 2020. The conventional wisdom in New Delhi was that this standoff reflected Prime Minister Justin Trudeau’s domestic interests—specifically, his desire to court Sikh voters, who are a meaningful factor in Canadian elections.

168

&gt;Agents also approached Pannun to warn him that he was being targeted and ask for a small measure of cooperation. They wanted to conduct mock surveillance of his daily routine and send the pictures to Gupta, to convince him that the men he was talking to in New York had eyes on the lawyer. Pannun didn’t object, and on June 4 the DEA source sent Gupta one of the images, explaining that Pannun would be killed as soon as an advance payment arrived. Soon after that, the source put Gupta in direct contact with a supposed hit man who was, in fact, an undercover NYPD officer.

&gt;The next step for investigators was to establish Gupta’s seriousness. Amanat encouraged him to move quickly, filings say, messaging him on June 9, a Friday: “Let’s activate the team and get it done this weekend.” The same day, Gupta told the undercover officer that someone would be in touch to deliver a “parcel.” Sure enough, just after 10 a.m. New York time, the “hit man” received a call from someone working with Gupta, who said he had “15k to give to you.” They met later that day in the undercover officer’s car, according to filings, not far from Penn Station in Manhattan. A stack of hundreds, complemented with a single $1 bill in the style of a South Asian wedding gift, changed hands.

Don't let Akshay Kumar read this else he will come up with a movie on this :-)

ImpressiveNeat9039

“Gupta was a medium length hustler with links to the drug trade”

India is using the Bishnoi gang as a proxy as well to harass Sikhs as well. It’s an odd practice. 

India would be served better to make better trade deals with Canada (as Canada is a top 10 gdp country). It’s the reason why China is doing well for its citizen and India is where it is

Julysky19

There are quite a few interesting tidbits in this post but I  think an important one is this :

"Indian law enforcement agencies frequently contacted their Canadian counterparts to insist that Nijjar was involved in terrorism and demand they act against him. In 2019 the Royal Canadian Mounted Police (RCMP) detained him for questioning about Indian claims that he had a role in an impending attack.

But nothing in the evidence India presented, the people say, met the standard for criminal charges in Canada, let alone for extradition. To press their case, officials in New Delhi frequently sent clippings from Indian media, which was rife with lurid stories about Nijjar’s alleged involvement in violence, instead of providing what the process required: hard evidence, obtained without coercion, that would stand up in a Western courtroom. When that didn’t work, the people say, **the Indians suggested that Canadian police find a way to concoct the necessary evidence.**

**The result was mutual incomprehension**. To law enforcement agencies in Canada, Nijjar was an activist, unless India could persuasively demonstrate otherwise. To Indian police and their political overseers, he was a terrorist, as the country formally designated him in 2020."


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The moment Jagmeet Singh pulled back his support, the Canadians have started seeing through the Charade of Khalistan.

lonelytunes09

The only proof they might have is only via tapping diplomats phone call which is illegal and violates international law because it infringes on the principle of state sovereignty. other than that, it’s just Trudeu’s imagination and vote bank politics. In the greed of khalistanis vote, he has single-handedly created a whole new problem in Canada. Great job!!

xofire

Trudeau just wants his vote bank secured. He doesn't mind harboring terrorists. Even in Punjab you can see people openly raise flags of Canada in their cars and homes, Canada is like a khalistani base for them

Daijoubu4985

Highly doubt they have any evidence or at least ethically acquired evidence. Other the kind of Dumbass justin trudeau is he would've definitely spilled by now.

darkwood007

Idiotic move by our government. Trying to assassinate a foreign citizen of an ally in their own soil was totally idiotic.

Tensions between India and Canada have escalated over allegations of India's involvement in the assassination of a Canadian Sikh leader, impacting diplomatic relations.

India-Canada Diplomatic Tensions Over Nijjar Murder

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