Canada’s latest accusation: India using cyber tech to track Khalistanis, launch cyberattacks (WATCH)

Amidst the raging diplomatic showdown between India and Canada, Ottawa’s Communications Security Establishment (CSE) recently issued a stark warning, alleging that India is employing advanced cyber technology to monitor and track separatist activists abroad. This announcement follows serious accusations made by Canadian officials, implicating India’s highest ranks, including Home Affairs Minister Amit Shah, in the murder of Hardeep Singh Nijjar, a Sikh activist killed in Vancouver in 2023.

The CSE report indicates that India has significantly intensified its cyber capabilities to surveil and intimidate activists advocating for Khalistan. The CSE alleged that India was using its cyber capabilities “to track and surveil activists and dissidents living abroad”. 

“It is clear that we are seeing India being an emerging cyber threat actor,” stated CSE Chief Caroline Xavier at a press conference earlier this week.

Nijjar, a 45-year-old Canadian citizen, was a prominent figure in the Khalistan movement, and his assassination has heightened fears among the Sikh community in Canada, which is the largest outside of India. Trudeau’s government has expressed “clear indications” of Indian involvement in the murder, leading to a diplomatic crisis between the two nations.

The CSE report highlights that, in retaliation for Canada’s allegations, a pro-India hacktivist group launched a series of Distributed Denial of Service (DDoS) attacks against Canadian government websites, including those associated with the military, rendering them inaccessible.

Earlier this week, Canada’s Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs David Morrison testified before the House of Commons that the information linking Indian officials to Nijjar’s death was confirmed to a Washington Post journalist. Morrison indicated that Amit Shah had authorized a campaign aimed at collecting intelligence and carrying out acts of intimidation against Canadian Sikhs.

In response to these escalating tensions, both countries have expelled each other’s diplomats, signaling a deteriorating relationship that has implications for both security and international relations. Four Indian nationals have been arrested in connection with Nijjar’s murder, further complicating the diplomatic landscape.

India has categorically dismissed Canada’s accusations, labeling them as unfounded and politically motivated.