In a significant shift from earlier allegations, Canada’s federal police have indicated that there is currently no evidence linking agents of the Government of India to clandestine operations or violent activities on Canadian soil.Speaking in an interview with a Canadian news channel, Royal Canadian Mounted Police (RCMP) Commissioner Mike Duheme said the ongoing investigations into transnational repression and foreign interference had not established any present connection to India.“What we’re seeing right now… in the files that we have that involve transnational repression, we’re not seeing any connection right now with any foreign entity,” Duheme said, clarifying the force’s latest assessment based on available criminal intelligence.The remarks mark a notable departure from the RCMP’s position in 2024, when Duheme had publicly stated that Indian Government agents or proxies were linked to serious criminal activities in Canada, including alleged involvement in violence and intimidation.Pressed repeatedly during the interview on whether any such India-linked threat persisted, the Commissioner maintained that while instances of harassment and intimidation continued to be investigated, “connecting the dots to a foreign entity… we don’t have that.”He, however, cautioned that transnational repression remained a complex phenomenon, often involving indirect methods and actors, making attribution difficult. “It doesn’t always… connect to a foreign entity,” he noted.On concerns surrounding the Lawrence Bishnoi gang, which has been linked in media reports to extortion rackets targeting South Asian communities in cities such as Surrey, Brampton and Calgary, Duheme acknowledged the ongoing investigations but underlined the difficulty in establishing clear affiliations.“Some groups may use Bishnoi’s name to advance their cause when it comes to extortion… that’s a little hard to untangle,” he said, adding that certain aspects, including the Nijjar case, remained sub judice and beyond public comment.For nearly two years, the India-Canada ties have been strained by allegations of foreign interference and violent activity, triggering diplomatic expulsions and a freeze in high-level engagement.The crisis was sparked in 2023 following the killing of Khalistan separatist Hardeep Singh Nijjar in British Columbia. Then Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau had told Parliament there were “credible allegations” linking Indian Government agents to the killing — a charge India dismissed as “absurd and motivated”.Subsequently, the RCMP had also accused Indian diplomats and consular officials of involvement in clandestine activities tied to serious criminal offences, further deepening the rift.Duheme’s latest remarks, however, suggest that Canadian law enforcement no longer sees evidence supporting those earlier claims in its current investigations.