Former Canadian NSA Suggests Nijjar’s Killing Linked to Retaliation
In the ongoing tensions between India and Canada over the assassination of Sikh separatist Hardeep Singh Nijjar, former Canadian National Security Adviser (NSA) Jody Thomas revealed key insights into the case. While testifying at Canada’s foreign interference inquiry, Thomas suggested that the initial intelligence and police investigations pointed to Nijjar’s killing as retaliation for the murder of Ripudaman Singh Malik, who was accused in the 1985 Air India Kanishka bombing.
Testimony from Jody Thomas, who was NSA at the time of the Nijjar assassination
Says the initial intelligence and police investigation was that it was a retaliation for Ripudaman Malik’s murder but the community was not satisfied…subsequently with further intelligence they… pic.twitter.com/Lac5NeKitj
— Journalist V (@OnTheNewsBeat) October 17, 2024
Retaliation Hypothesis for Nijjar’s Killing
Thomas, who was serving as NSA at the time of Nijjar’s murder in Surrey last year, highlighted that the initial theory linked Nijjar’s assassination to Malik’s killing, which had occurred almost exactly a year prior in the same gurdwara. She noted that members of the Canadian Sikh community were unsatisfied with this assessment, prompting further investigations.
Shift Toward Extra-Judicial Killing Theory
As the investigation deepened, Thomas testified that further intelligence suggested Nijjar’s killing may have been an extra-judicial act. “Through very good intelligence and policing work, we learnt that there was a high probability that this was an extra-judicial killing,” she said, which aligned with Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau’s allegations implicating Indian agents in the assassination.
Jody Thomas, who was NSA at the time of the Nijjar assassination, says we couldn’t share as much evidence with India as America was able to
This explains the difference in the handling and co-operation of the two cases. pic.twitter.com/mBNuKycT08
— Journalist V (@OnTheNewsBeat) October 17, 2024
India Rejects Allegations
India has strongly denied Trudeau’s accusations, with the Ministry of External Affairs stating that no evidence has been provided by Canada to substantiate the claims. Thomas, in her testimony, also addressed the reason Canada did not share as much evidence with India, pointing out that the country’s ongoing investigation limited what could be disclosed.
This development adds another layer of complexity to the already strained relations between India and Canada over the issue.
