India strongly rejected a Canadian media report linking Prime Minister Narendra Modi, External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar and NSA Ajit Doval to the killing of Khalistani terrorist Hardeep Singh Nij

India on Wednesday strongly trashed as "smear campaign" a Canadian media report that claimed that the Indian prime minister was aware of the alleged plot to kill Sikh separatist Hardeep Singh Nijjar.

Ministry of External Affairs spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal warned that such smear campaigns further damaged the already strained relations between the two countries.

This response follows a report by The Globe and Mail, a Canadian publication, attempting to link Nijjar’s death to the Indian government. Nijjar, designated a terrorist by India’s National Investigation Agency (NIA), was killed outside a gurdwara in Surrey, British Columbia, on June 18 last year.

In a big statement, Canada has denied any role of Prime Minister Narendra Modi, EAM S Jaishankar and NSA Ajit Doval in its internal matters over Nijjar killing.

In response, MEA said such smear campaigns will further damage the already strained ties between the two countries.

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In a development that could further strain already tense India-Canada relations, a leading Canadian newspaper has alleged that Prime Minister Narendra Modi was aware of a plot to assassinate Khalistani terrorist leader Hardeep Singh Nijjar.

A report in The Globe and Mail claims India’s NSA and external affairs minister were aware of a plot to assassinate Hardeep Singh Nijjar.