Investigators probing the 2023 killing of Sikh separatist Hardeep Singh Nijjar in Canada have found no evidence linking Indian government officials to the murder, a senior Canadian police official said, directly contradicting previous allegations by then Prime Minister Justin Trudeau that severely strained bilateral ties.
RCMP Deputy Commissioner Contradicts Trudeau's Claims
Lisa Moreland, Deputy Commissioner of the Royal Canadian Mounted Police (RCMP), told CBC News that the investigation uncovered no evidence of Indian official involvement. "There's no evidence to suggest through this organised crime investigation and the charges and the indictment laid forward that Indian officials were charged or involved," she said in response to a question about Trudeau's charges. Moreland added that the Indian government extended cooperation to the investigation.
US-Led Operation Hardball Targets Bishnoi Gang
Moreland's remarks came hours after US authorities charged jailed gangster Lawrence Bishnoi and his aide Satinderjeet Singh, alias Goldy Brar, with ordering Nijjar's assassination. Under a coordinated hunt named 'Operation Hardball', law enforcement agencies from the US, Canada, and Europe arrested 24 people for alleged links to three India-based organised crime groups, including the Bishnoi gang. The charges against them included orchestrating Nijjar's murder as well as various other cross-border organised crime.
The US Justice Department stated that the crackdown on the crime networks of Lawrence Bishnoi, Ravinder Dhanda, and Jaggu Bhagwanpuria was part of a years-long federal investigation into Indian crime syndicates engaged in targeted killings, shootings, extortion, drug trafficking, and other crimes worldwide. In total, 37 defendants—including two who ran their global criminal syndicates while imprisoned in India—are charged across three unsealed indictments.
Impact on India-Canada Relations
Weeks after Nijjar's killing outside a Gurudwara in British Columbia, Trudeau made a sensational allegation linking the Indian government to the murder. New Delhi categorically dismissed the charges as "absurd." As relations hit rock bottom, India accused Ottawa of allowing pro-Khalistani elements to operate from Canadian soil. In October 2024, India recalled its high commissioner and five other diplomats after Ottawa attempted to link them to the Nijjar case, and India expelled an equal number of Canadian diplomats.
However, Liberal Party leader Mark Carney's victory in the parliamentary election in April 2025 helped rebuild relations. Subsequently, both sides posted their high commissioners in each other's capitals and agreed to revive several mechanisms to advance relations in a range of areas. The relations witnessed a major upswing after PM Carney's visit to India in March 2025.
Bishnoi Gang's Criminal Activities
Moreland said the investigation found that the Bishnoi gang has been involved in extortion, drug trafficking, kidnapping, and violence in Canada and elsewhere. While Bishnoi has been in jail in India since 2015, the FBI announced a reward of USD 50,000 for information leading to the arrest of Goldy Brar.
Bilal A. Essay, First Assistant US Attorney, said, "The charges set forth in the indictment include allegations that Lawrence Bishnoi and Goldy Brar directed the 2023 assassination of a prominent Sikh leader in Canada identified by his initials HSN (Nijjar) in the indictment."
RCMP Commissioner Mike Duheme said the agencies disrupted the operations of "organised criminals who used murder, cruelty and fear to extort and control people in both Canada and the United States. We won’t pause for long to reflect on the work it took to get this job done; we’ll keep doing what we do best to preserve public safety in Canada, in the United States, and around the world."
Nijjar was the chief of the banned Khalistan Tiger Force (KTF) and was designated as a terrorist by India.
