A recent report indicates that the UK's Government Communications Headquarters (GCHQ), a British intelligence agency, was the first to provide Canada with intelligence concerning the alleged involvement of Indian agents in the killing of Hardeep Singh Nijjar. Nijjar, a Khalistani activist, was shot dead in Surrey, British Columbia, in June 2023.
The intelligence shared by GCHQ reportedly included intercepted conversations suggesting plans to target Nijjar, as well as Gurpatwant Singh Pannun in the United States and Avtar Singh Khanda in the United Kingdom. According to the report, British analysts believed the individuals involved in these conversations were working on behalf of the Indian government. The report cited a Bloomberg documentary, titled "Inside the Deaths That Rocked India's Relations With the West," which claims that the GCHQ intercepted communications between individuals discussing potential targets.
The shared file, delivered to Ottawa in late July 2023, contained a summary and analysis of these intercepted conversations. The document reportedly didn't identify the individuals whose conversations were tapped or Nijjar's assassins, but British analysts concluded there was a strong likelihood that Nijjar had been murdered in an operation directed by the Indian state. Within an hour of receiving the document, Canada's National Security and Intelligence Adviser, Jody Thomas, briefed Prime Minister Justin Trudeau.
The allegations have led to strained relations between Canada and India. In September 2023, Prime Minister Trudeau stated in the House of Commons that there were "credible allegations" linking Indian agents to Nijjar's murder. India has dismissed these allegations as absurd.
In May 2025, four Indian nationals were arrested in Canada in connection with Nijjar's killing. They face charges related to first-degree murder and conspiracy to commit murder, and their trial is expected to resume in mid-November.
The US authorities have also charged an Indian national, Nikhil Gupta, in connection with an alleged murder-for-hire plot targeting Gurpatwant Singh Pannun in New York. US authorities said that Gupta was acting on the instructions of a former Indian intelligence officer, Vikas Yadav. Avtar Singh Khanda died in June 2023 in the UK. While the official cause of death was listed as acute myeloid leukemia, his family has demanded an inquest, with a pathologist noting that poisoning could not be completely excluded.
Canadian authorities have stated that the investigation into Nijjar's killing is ongoing. Weldon Epp, Assistant Deputy Minister for the Indo-Pacific at Global Affairs Canada (GAC), said that investigations by the Royal Canadian Mounted Police (RCMP) were underway. He added, "Until those investigations are done, we have allegations based on intelligence".
