India: Want Canada to deport Bishnoi gang members, 26 pending for more than decade
India also said that the Trudeau government has made “baseless” allegations, and reiterated that “no evidence” has been shared with regard to the killing of Khalistani terrorist Hardeep Singh Nijjar
Amid India’s diplomatic row with Canada, the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) on Thursday (October 17) claimed that Ottawa has not deported certain individuals linked to notorious gangster Lawrence Bishnoi, who is currently lodged in a Gujarat prison.
“We find it really strange that people we asked to be deported, Canada cops are now claiming that these people are committing crimes in Canada, for which India is being blamed,” MEA spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal said.
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“Twenty-six are pending for a decade or more. Several probational requests are pending too,” he added on India’s extradition requests.
'Baseless allegations'
India also said that the Trudeau government has made “baseless” allegations, and reiterated that “no evidence” has been shared in support.
The allegations relate to the killing of Khalistani terrorist Hardeep Singh Nijjar in Canada last year.
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At his weekly briefing, Jaiswal said Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau's own admission during a public inquiry tells the value of allegations levelled against India.
Testifying before the public inquiry into foreign interference in federal electoral processes and democratic institutions, Trudeau on Wednesday acknowledged that he had only intelligence and no "hard evidentiary proof" when he alleged the involvement of Indian government agents in the killing of Nijjar.
The MEA early on Thursday reacted to this and said what it has heard only "confirms" New Delhi's consistent stand that Canada has "presented us no evidence" in support of the serious allegations Ottawa chose to level against India and Indian diplomats.
During the briefing, Jaiswal reiterated that so far no evidence has been shared by Canada.
“The current crisis (in India-Canada relationship) has been precipitated by the Trudeau government's baseless allegations,” he said.