New Delhi, India: The Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) on Friday dismissed as “fake” a purported memo that allegedly instructed Indian diplomats in Canada to engage diaspora groups to counter Sikh extremist elements. The memo, which surfaced on social media, was claimed to have been issued by former Foreign Secretary Vinay Kwatra and instructed diplomats to “cultivate” Indian diaspora groups in Canada as a “vital force” in confrontations with Sikh extremists.

The MEA, through its External Publicity and Public Diplomacy Division (XP Division), refuted the claims, stating: “The said GoI communication is fake.” The ministry emphasized that no such directive had been issued by the Government of India.

The purported memo also mentioned specific Indian diaspora organizations in Canada, including the Indo-Canada Association (ICA), Indo-Canada Chamber of Commerce (ICCC), TiE Silicon Valley (TiE SV), and the US-India Business Council (USIBC). However, the MEA categorically denied the authenticity of the document, which had been circulating widely on social media platforms.

The alleged memo surfaced amid heightened tensions between India and Canada, primarily stemming from the investigation into the killing of Khalistani terrorist Hardeep Singh Nijjar. Nijjar, who was shot dead outside a Gurdwara in Surrey, Canada, in June 2023, had been designated a terrorist by India’s National Investigation Agency (NIA) in 2020. Canada’s Prime Minister Justin Trudeau’s government has been investigating the possible involvement of Indian diplomats, including the Indian High Commissioner, in the murder, and claimed to have provided India with “credible evidence.”

India has vehemently rejected these allegations, labeling them as “preposterous imputations” and part of a broader political agenda by the Trudeau government. New Delhi has called the accusations “absurd” and “motivated,” accusing the Canadian government of allowing “extremist” and “anti-India elements” to operate freely within the country.