Canada has alleged that Indian Home Minister Amit Shah led a campaign against Sikh separatists in Canada, sparking significant diplomatic tension.

Deputy Foreign Minister David Morrison testified before the national security committee on Tuesday and revealed that Shah’s involvement had been confirmed. Washington Postwho initially reported the claims.

Morrison explained to the committee how he had verified Shah’s name to the journalist. “The journalist called me and asked if I was that person. I confirmed it was that person,” Morrison said, without detailing how Canadian intelligence identified Shah’s connection.

The Indian embassy in Ottawa did not immediately respond to messages seeking comment on the allegation against Shah.

The allegations mark an escalation in Canada’s ongoing concerns about foreign interference, after Prime Minister Justin TrudeauLast year’s claim that Indian agents were involved in the 2023 murder of Canadian Sikh activist Hardeep Singh Nijjar in British Columbia.

Canadian officials insist that evidence was shared with Indian authorities, although Indian officials have denied receiving evidence and called the allegations unfounded.

Diplomatic expulsions

In October, Canada expelled India’s high commissionerry and five other diplomats, alleging that they were linked to coercive efforts aimed at silencing the activism of Sikh separatists in Canada. The expulsion follows Canada’s long-standing concerns about outside interference, particularly as other nations report similar activities.

In mid-October, the US Justice Department charged an Indian official, Vikash Yadav, with a murder-for-hire plot against a Sikh separatist leader in New York.

According to US authorities, Yadav allegedly intended to instigate a series of politically motivated murders in both the United States and Canada.

Networks and covert operations

During the committee hearing, Trudeau’s national security adviser Nathalie Drouin shared more details and revealed that Canada possesses evidence suggesting that the Indian government collected intelligence on Canadian and Indian citizens through its diplomatic channels.

This intelligence information was allegedly passed to New Delhi, where Indian officials allegedly worked with criminal networks, including one affiliated with Lawrence Bishnoi, a notorious figure currently imprisoned in India.

Drouin cited links between Bishnoi’s network and various acts of violence in Canada, ranging from coercion to assassination plots, describing a sophisticated network of organized efforts.

Drouin also revealed that the Royal Canadian Mounted Police (RCMP) had approached Indian officials in an attempt to secure cooperation. He described a meeting in Singapore with India’s national security adviser, Ajit Doval, to discuss working together on Canadian security issues.

However, the RCMP decided to make its investigations public due to potential threats to Canadian public safety.

Indian denials and Nijjar’s legacy

India has repeatedly denied these allegations and responded by expelling six Canadian diplomats. Ongoing investigations arise from The fatal shooting of 45-year-old Nijjar.who was murdered in his truck outside the Sikh temple he ran in Surrey, British Columbia.

Known as a prominent supporter of the Khalistan movement, Nijjar had moved to Canada, where he owned a plumbing business and continued to lead calls for Sikh independence.

four Indian citizens in Canada They have since been charged with Nijjar’s murder and are awaiting trial.

For decades, some Sikh activists have called for a separate country for their minority religious community in what is now the Indian state of Punjab.

The Indian government has largely responded to these calls by suppressing the Sikh separatist movement both at home and abroad.

This article includes reporting from The Associated Press.