Washington DC 23 Sep : The murder of a Sikh leader in Canada, in which Ottawa has implicated Indian authorities, is something that the US government wants “accountability” for, according to US Secretary of State Antony Blinken, who also requested India to assist in the investigation of the crime.
“We demand accountability. And it’s essential that the inquiry continue and get that outcome, he added at a press conference held in New York for the UN General Assembly. “We would hope that our Indian friends would cooperate with that investigation as well,” Blinken continued. After Ottawa this week accused New Delhi of participation in the death of Sikh leader Hardeep Singh Nijjar outside a Canadian shrine last June, the murder has sparked a diplomatic spat between India and Canada.
Blinken didn’t explicitly address the charges’ content, but he did say that the US takes instances of “transnational repression” “very, very seriously.” More generally, he said, “I think it’s crucial for the international system that any government that may consider committing such acts not do so. In addition to being wanted on suspicion of terrorism and murderous plotting, Nijjar was charged by India with encouraging anti-Indian sentiment in his minority community. He participated in the Khalistan movement, which calls for a distinct Sikh nation and was put down by Indian security forces in the 1980s.