Washington, Sep 21: The US on Thursday said it supports Canada’s efforts to investigate allegations of India’s involvement in the killing of a Sikh separatist leader in Surrey, observing that no country can get any “special exemption” for such kind of activities.
Hardeep Singh Nijjar, 45, the chief of the banned Khalistan Tiger Force (KTF) and one of India’s most-wanted terrorists who carried a cash reward of Rs 10 lakh on his head, was shot dead by two unidentified gunmen outside a gurdwara in Surrey in the western Canadian province of British Columbia on June 18.
Canadian Prime Minister Trudeau on Monday alleged the involvement of “agents of the Indian government” in the killing. New Delhi outrightly rejected the claims as “absurd” and “motivated” and expelled a senior Canadian diplomat in a tit-for-tat move to Ottawa’s expulsion of an Indian official over the case.
“As soon as we heard from the Canadian Prime Minister publicly about the allegations, we went out publicly ourselves and expressed our deep concern about them, our support for a law enforcement process to get to the bottom of exactly what happened, and to ensure that the perpetrators are held accountable,” National Security Advisor Jake Sullivan told reporters at a White House news conference.
“I’m not going to get into the substance of private diplomatic conversations, but we are in constant contact with our Canadian counterparts. We are consulting with them closely. We support the efforts that they are undertaking in this investigation and we have also been in touch with the Indian government as well,” he said in response to a question.
“It is a matter of concern for us. It is something we take seriously. It is something we will keep working on regardless of the country,” Sullivan said. (PTI)
