BRITISH intelligence shared call intercepts with Canada that helped its authorities link India to the killing of Hardeep Singh Nijjar in June 2023, a new documentary has claimed.
The Bloomberg Originals film Inside the Deaths that Rocked India's Relations with the West reports that a British agency, believed to be the Government Communications Headquarters (GCHQ), the UK's main signals intelligence body, intercepted phone calls discussing three possible targets.
Nijjar, a Canadian Sikh declared a terrorist by India in 2020 for his alleged role in Khalistani extremism, was said to be among the names mentioned in the intelligence passed to Canada under the ‘Five Eyes’ intelligence-sharing agreement between the UK, US, Canada, Australia and New Zealand.
According to the documentary, a “breakthrough” in the investigation came in late July 2023, when the UK obtained “relevant information”. The intelligence was reportedly shared under strict conditions – hand-delivered to Ottawa, kept off electronic systems, and accessible only to a small group of Canadian officials approved by London.
“The file was a summary of conversations intercepted by a British intelligence agency between individuals believed to be working on behalf of the Indian government,” the film claims. “They discussed three potential targets – Nijjar, (Avtar Singh) Khanda and (Gurpatwant Singh) Pannun. Later, there was an exchange about how Nijjar had been successfully eliminated,” it alleged.
Khanda, a British Sikh pro-Khalistani activist, died in June 2023 in a Birmingham hospital after being diagnosed with blood cancer. Despite allegations from some groups, British authorities ruled out any suspicious circumstances.
Following the documentary’s release, the Sikh Federation UK said it had written to security minister Dan Jarvis, questioning why the government did not disclose the July 2023 intelligence “when specifically asked by MPs representing the Sikh community.” The group said it was also concerned about any information related to Khanda’s death.
Meanwhile, US-based Pannun, also designated a terrorist by India for Khalistani extremism, appears in the documentary surrounded by armed guards and says he fears for his life.
India has rejected the Canadian allegations as “absurd and motivated” and accused Ottawa of running a “deliberate strategy of smearing India for political gains.”
The dispute triggered a major diplomatic row after then prime minister Justin Trudeau told Parliament in 2023 that security agencies were “actively pursuing credible allegations” linking Indian government agents to Nijjar’s killing in British Columbia.
In October 2024, India recalled its high commissioner and five other diplomats after Canada sought to connect them to the case. Ottawa responded by expelling an equal number of Indian diplomats.
Relations began to improve after Liberal party leader Mark Carney’s victory in the April 2025 election.
Prime minister Narendra Modi and Carney met in June on the sidelines of the G7 summit in Kananaskis, Canada. In August, both countries appointed new envoys to each other’s capitals, signalling efforts to rebuild ties.
(PTI)
