India's High Commissioner to Canada, Dinesh Patnaik, has publicly challenged the Canadian government to produce concrete evidence of Indian state involvement in the killing of Sikh separatist Hardeep Singh Nijjar, asserting that nearly three years after the allegation was first made, no such proof has been forthcoming. The remarks, made in an interview with CPAC's Open Question hosted by Marc-Andre Cossette and posted on 9 October, mark one of the sharpest direct challenges yet from New Delhi's diplomatic representative in Ottawa.

The Core Challenge: 'Show Us the Evidence'

'It's been almost three years since Prime Minister Trudeau spoke in parliament. Where is the evidence?' Patnaik said during the interview. He went further, stating India's willingness to act on any credible proof: 'If you have evidence which implicates anybody in India on this issue, we are willing to take action. We are ready to take action. Show us the evidence.'

The dispute dates to September 2023, when then Prime Minister Justin Trudeau told Canada's Parliament that Canadian agencies were pursuing credible allegations of a potential link between Indian government agents and Nijjar's killing. New Delhi rejected the charge as absurd at the time, and that position has not shifted.

The Surrey Trial and Operation Hardball

Patnaik declined to comment on the ongoing trial of four individuals in Surrey, citing sub-judice constraints. 'There are four individuals who are being tried and so it's now in the court. So I'm not going to comment on it,' he said, while adding: 'If the case brings out any evidence that there are people in India involved in it, we will take action against them.'

The High Commissioner also referenced Operation Hardball, a US-led investigation that he said resulted in arrests in both the United States and Canada roughly two months earlier. According to Patnaik, the operation identified the Bishnoi gang as the relevant criminal network — and, critically, he said both American and Canadian authorities found no Indian government involvement. 'Any suggestion that a government is involved with criminal gangs is just preposterous,' he said.

India's Rebuttal on CSIS Report and Khalistan

On Canada's domestic spy agency, the Canadian Security Intelligence Service (CSIS), which listed India among the primary sources of foreign interference in its 2025 public report, Patnaik was categorical: 'We are very clear. We do not do such things.' He noted that the same report identified Canada-based Khalistan extremists as the biggest threat to both countries, and expressed hope that India would be removed from the list in next year's edition.

'Khalistan is not an issue in India. It's in Canada,' Patnaik said, pointing out that a pro-Khalistan party that once held seats in Punjab now holds none. He also pushed back against what he characterised as a conflation of the broader Sikh community with a fringe extremist element, citing 45,000 fans attending a Diljit Dosanjh concert in Toronto alongside just 15 protesters outside as an illustration of the community's actual sentiments.

Carney Remarks and the Diplomatic 'Blip'

Patnaik also disputed how Prime Minister Mark Carney's comments to The New York Times — reportedly suggesting he could not guarantee India would not commit crimes in Canada — were characterised. According to the High Commissioner, Carney's actual words were: 'I cannot guarantee no crime will be committed in Canada' — a materially different framing, he argued.

Despite the prolonged diplomatic friction, Patnaik described the overall relationship as fundamentally sound, calling the rupture 'a blip.' 'We do not have any geopolitical problems between us. And yet all it took was one politician for whatever reason to spoil it,' he said, without naming the politician. He acknowledged that the Canadian government had taken 'a lot of action' over the past year to dismantle extortion, drug smuggling, and human trafficking networks linked to extremist groups.

What Comes Next

The Surrey trial of the four accused remains the most immediate legal flashpoint in the case, and its proceedings could either bolster or undercut the competing narratives. With India maintaining its demand for evidence and Canada's CSIS report still listing New Delhi as a foreign interference concern, the bilateral relationship faces continued strain — even as both sides publicly insist the foundations remain intact.