The White House has described the Canadian allegations regarding India’s involvement in the killing of Sikh leader Hardeep Singh Nijjar as “serious” and has called for a thorough investigation.
Nijjar, who was the chief of the banned Khalistan Tiger Force (KTF), was killed in Surrey, British Columbia, on June 18. India had designated Nijjar as a terrorist in 2020.
These claims made by Canada were a topic of discussion during a meeting between India’s External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar and National Security Advisor Jake Sullivan.
John Kirby, Coordinator for Strategic Communications at the National Security Council in the White House, addressed reporters during a news conference and stated, “The issue was discussed. We’ll certainly leave it to those two countries to talk about their bilateral relationship.”
Kirby further emphasized, “We’ve been clear, these allegations are serious, they need to be fully investigated, and of course, as we’ve said before, we urge India to participate actively in that investigation.”
Vedant Patel, the State Department’s Deputy Spokesperson, also commented on the matter in a separate news conference, stressing the importance of Canada’s investigation proceeding and the perpetrators being brought to justice. He added, “We also have, as we’ve previously said publicly and privately, urged the Indian government to cooperate in the Canadian investigation and cooperate in those efforts.”
Regarding reports about diplomatic staffing levels for the Canadian High Commission in New Delhi, Patel mentioned that the U.S. has seen these reports but did not provide further details, emphasizing the need to take the process one step at a time. He reiterated the U.S.’s commitment to its Indo-Pacific strategy and continued collaboration with India on various important issues while also expressing their seriousness in addressing the allegations and urging India to cooperate with Canada in the investigation.
