The Indian Government's Long Arm Abroad: A Case Study of Alleged Indian Transnational Actions in the United States and Canada (2014-2024)

On November 18, 2023, Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau publicly accused India of being involved in the murder of Hardeep Singh Nijjar, a Sikh political activist who supported an independent state for Sikhs (Khalistan). Not long after, India was also mentioned by the United States as a possible actor in an assassination plot involving Gurpatwant Singh Pannun, a Sikh lawyer who had advocated for Khalistan. Although India continues to deny any involvement in both cases, the two events have led to a wider debate on whether India can be considered a perpetrator of transnational repression, a term which refers to governments reaching across borders to silence dissenters among diasporas and exiles. As India’s exact role (if it had any) in what happened to Nijjar and Pannun has not been conclusively proven, this thesis will use the more neutral term ‘transnational actions’ to examine any actions, whether physical or non-physical, taken by the current Indian BJP government between 2014...Show moreOn November 18, 2023, Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau publicly accused India of being involved in the murder of Hardeep Singh Nijjar, a Sikh political activist who supported an independent state for Sikhs (Khalistan). Not long after, India was also mentioned by the United States as a possible actor in an assassination plot involving Gurpatwant Singh Pannun, a Sikh lawyer who had advocated for Khalistan. Although India continues to deny any involvement in both cases, the two events have led to a wider debate on whether India can be considered a perpetrator of transnational repression, a term which refers to governments reaching across borders to silence dissenters among diasporas and exiles. As India’s exact role (if it had any) in what happened to Nijjar and Pannun has not been conclusively proven, this thesis will use the more neutral term ‘transnational actions’ to examine any actions, whether physical or non-physical, taken by the current Indian BJP government between 2014 and 2024 that were aimed at influencing their diaspora abroad, focusing on Sikhs and Kashmiris. Drawing on both primary sources such as reports and databases and secondary literature from history, international relations, security studies, diaspora studies and area studies, this thesis argues that India’s possible motives with the alleged transnational actions toward Nijjar and Pannun are not really because of fears regarding the Khalistan movement or Kashmiri separatism, but have more to do with the BJP’s government’s goals for India as a global superpower.Show less

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The Indian Government's Long Arm Abroad: A Case Study of Alleged Indian Transnational Actions in the United States and Canada (2014-2024)