Top India minister authorised plots to target Sikh separatists in Canada, official alleges

Indian Home Affairs Minister Amit Shah authorised a wave of violence across Canada that included extortion and homicides, a senior Canadian government official said.

David Morrison, Canada’s deputy foreign minister, told a parliamentary committee on Tuesday that he had confirmed the identity of Shah in a newspaper report earlier this month.

The Washington Post reported that Canadian security agencies had collected evidence that “a senior official in India” had “authorised the intelligence-gathering missions and attacks on Sikh separatists” in Canada. The story went on to say that a Canadian source identified Shah as being the Indian official in question.

“The journalist called me and asked me if it was that person,” Morrison said. “I confirmed it was that person.”

Morrison was appearing at the committee alongside other Canadian police and government officials about the escalation of a diplomatic dispute two weeks ago. Canada ejected India’s high commissioner and five other diplomats from the country, and India then responded with a similar action.