OTTAWA, Canada (Diya TV) — India’s High Commissioner to Canada, Dinesh Patnaik, has publicly rejected allegations published in The Globe and Mail that Indian government officials are involved in crimes on Canadian soil, calling the RCMP’s investigation “fantasy” and accusing the Canadian Security Intelligence Service (CSIS) of being politically compromised.
In a statement posted by the High Commission of India in Ottawa on May 26, Patnaik said: “I am disappointed by the allegations made in the Globe and Mail article today. India has maintained excellent cooperation, especially over the past year, with law enforcement and security agencies in Canada. The visit of the NSAs and the regular meetings between the security agencies are testimony to this cooperation. We have strong faith in Canada’s institutions and completely reject these misleading allegations. The report, based on an off-the-record discussion, has been taken out of context, uses selective quotations, and does not reflect our current assessment of the integrity of institutions.”
The Globe and Mail reported that in a sweeping interview, Patnaik went further, asserting that CSIS had been compromised by Sikh separatists who use Canada as a base for their campaign to establish a breakaway state in northwest India known as Khalistan. He said the RCMP’s investigation into the killing of British Columbia activist Hardeep Singh Nijjar had been “twisted around” and politicized, while also claiming that Khalistan supporters had paid Canadian intelligence officials to fabricate allegations against India. He conceded that “a few mad elements” within the Indian government could potentially be involved in anti-Khalistani plots but said India would prosecute any such individuals if evidence emerged.
The RCMP, in response to the diplomat’s statements, said it “continues to engage and build our relationship with India, recognizing its importance,” declining to directly address his characterizations.
The interview and its fallout come at a diplomatically sensitive moment. Canada is currently hosting what has been described as the largest Indian trade delegation ever to visit the country, led by Indian Commerce and Industry Minister Piyush Goyal, with ongoing discussions around a Comprehensive Economic Partnership Agreement between the two nations.
The background to the dispute spans several years. Hardeep Singh Nijjar, a Sikh separatist deemed a terrorist by India, was shot and killed outside a gurdwara in Surrey, British Columbia in June 2023. In September 2023, then-Prime Minister Justin Trudeau publicly alleged a potential link between Indian government agents and Nijjar’s death, a claim India denied. The fallout led to mutual expulsions of diplomats. Canada expelled six Indian diplomats including the high commissioner in October 2024; India expelled six Canadian diplomats in return. The RCMP stated at the time that Indian government agents were involved in “serious criminal activity in Canada,” a characterization India rejected entirely.
In March 2026, The Globe and Mail reported that intelligence gathered after Nijjar’s death indicated Indian consular staff operating in Vancouver supplied information that assisted in the assassination. The Canadian government has also alleged that India’s diplomatic missions used intelligence gathered through channels and proxies, which was then passed to New Delhi and coordinated with elements of the Lawrence Bishnoi organized crime network — a claim India denies.
Patnaik was appointed to his post in Ottawa in late 2025 as part of a diplomatic reset following meetings between Prime Ministers Modi and Carney on the sidelines of the G7 summit in Kananaskis. He is a 1990-batch Indian Foreign Service officer who previously served as ambassador to Spain. His appointment was seen as a sign of both governments’ intent to repair relations. In February 2026, CSIS’s annual report cited India’s role in the Nijjar murder as “a significant escalation in India’s repression efforts against the Khalistan movement and a clear intent to target individuals in North America.”
The World Sikh Organization of Canada condemned Patnaik’s remarks, with WSO President Danish Singh calling the allegations against Canadian institutions “ludicrous and scandalous” and calling on the Canadian government to formally summon the High Commissioner and demand a retraction.
No charges have been laid in the Nijjar murder investigation. The RCMP has stated that multiple open investigations into the alleged involvement of Indian government agents in criminal activity in Canada remain ongoing.
