Canadian allegations against India ‘serious’, need to be fully investigated: U.S.

White House says Canadian allegations of India's involvement in killing of pro-Khalistan leader are "serious" and need to be investigated; U.S. urges India to cooperate in Canadian investigation; U.S. continues to work closely with Canada and India on important issues.

The Canadian allegations regarding India’s involvement in the killing of a pro-Khalistan leader are “serious” and need to be investigated fully, the White House has said.

Hardeep Singh Nijjar, the chief of the banned Khalistan Tiger Force (KTF), was killed in Surrey, British Columbia on June 18. India had designated Nijjar as a terrorist in 2020.

The claims made by Canada were discussed when visiting External Affairs Minister S. Jaishankar and National Security Advisor Jake Sullivan met here last week, John Kirby, Coordinator for Strategic Communications at the National Security Council in the White House told reporters at a news conference here.

“The issue was discussed. We'll certainly leave it to those two countries to talk about their bilateral relationship,” Mr. Kirby said in response to a question.

“We've been clear, these allegations are serious, they need to be fully investigated and of course, as we've said before, we urge India to participate actively in that investigation,” Mr. Kirby said.

State Department’s Deputy Spokesperson Vedant Patel told reporters at a separate news conference that it's critical that Canada's investigation proceeds and the perpetrators are brought to justice.

“We also have, as we've previously said publicly and privately, urged the Indian government to cooperate in the Canadian investigation and cooperate in those efforts,” he said.