New Delhi: The Indian government on Saturday said it has lodged a protest over "absurd and baseless" references made by Canadian deputy minister David Morrison about Union home minister Amit Shah in the Hardeep Singh Nijjhar murder case. India also cautioned that such irresponsible actions will have serious consequences for bilateral ties .
The ministry of external affairs said a Canadian high commission representative was summoned to lodge India's protest. According to foreign ministry spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal a diplomatic note was handed over in reference to the proceedings of the Canadian standing committee on public safety and national security in Ottawa on October 29.
“The government of India protests in the strongest terms to the absurd and baseless references made to the Union home minister... In fact, the revelation that high Canadian officials deliberately leak unfounded insinuations to the international media as part of a conscious strategy to discredit India and influence other nations only confirms the view the government of India has long held about the current Canadian government’s political agenda and behavioral pattern,"Mr Jaiswal said, adding, "Such irresponsible actions will have serious consequences for bilateral ties.”
India and Canada diplomatic relations have hit a low after Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau accused India of carrying out the killing of Khalistani separatist Nijjhar. The relations between the two countries are in a downward spiral as the Canadian side makes fresh allegations and targets the Indian diplomats. Both India and Canada have already withdrawn senior diplomats.
The remaining Indian diplomats continue to be under high surveillance by Canada. Some of the Indian consular officials were recently informed by the Canadian government that they are under audio and video surveillance and that their communications have also been intercepted.
“We have formally protested to the Canadian government as we deem these actions to be a flagrant violation of relevant diplomatic and consular conventions. By citing technicalities, the Canadian government cannot justify the fact that it is indulging in harassment and intimidation. Our diplomatic and consular personnel are already functioning in an environment of extremism and violence. This action of the Canadian government aggravates the situation and is incompatible with established diplomatic norms and practices,” said Mr Jaiswal.
Amid the deteriorating ties, Canada has named India as an “adversary” in its National Cyber Threat Assessment 2025-26 Report released on October 30. Listing India alongside Russia, China, Iran and North Korea, the report states: "We assess that Indian state-sponsored cyber threat actors likely conduct cyber threat activity against Government of Canada networks for the purpose of espionage. We judge that official bilateral relations between Canada and India will very likely drive Indian state-sponsored cyber threat activity against Canada."
Responding to this report, the foreign ministry spokesperson said, “This appears to be another example of a Canadian strategy to attack India… Their senior officials have openly confessed that they are seeking to manipulate global opinion against India. As on other occasions, imputations are made without any evidence.”
The Indian government said that given the strain in ties, it is monitoring the well-being of students and temporary workers who are currently in Canada. “Our concern for their safety and security remains strong,” said Mr Jaiswal.
