'Pro-Modi Media Spread Fake News, Targeted Sikhs After Nijjar Killing': Canada

A report by the Global Affairs department of the Canadian government has accused "pro-Narendra Modi media" in India of "spreading disinformation" and "propaganda" regarding the killing of pro-Khalistan activist Hardeep Singh Nijjar in June 2023.

The report, which has been prepared as part of the Rapid Response Mechanism of the Global Affairs department, has been released by the Canadian government's Foreign Interference Commission in September 2024.

The report says that this "propaganda" intensified hugely after Canadian PM Justin Trudeau's statement in September 2023 alleging that Indian officials were involved in killing Nijjar.

The report, which even refers to pro-Modi media and influencers as 'Godi Media' says that the main targets of this alleged misinformation were PM Trudeau, Canada's High Commission to India and the Canadian Sikh community.

Here are some of the key allegations made in the report. We have divided it based on target of the alleged misinformation. The part in italics has been taken verbatim from the report.

PM Justin Trudeau

• Following PM Trudeau's statement that Canada's agencies were "pursuing credible allegations" of a "potential link" between agents of the Indian government and the killing of Hardeep Singh Nijjar, Modi-aligned outlets amplified several narratives that targeted PM Trudeau, Canada's High Commissioner to India, Canada's national security agencies, Canada's Punjabi Sikh diaspora, and Hardeep Singh Nijjar's political beliefs.

• The tenor of the narratives was often heated, with commentators employed by Modi-aligned outlets posting that PM Trudeau and Canadian institutions were "enablers of terrorism," "falling into the laps of Khalistani extremists," or "treacherous against Bharat (India)."

• "Newsl8 anchor Amish Devgan shared a picture of PM Trudeau speaking with businessman and philanthropist George Soros. Devgan writes that "the photo says it all", implying Trudeau ’ s loyalty is in question, or is being manipulated by wealthy elites.

• Several Modi-aligned influencers claimed Canada has historically sheltered terrorist elements of the Khalistan movement. In one high-engagement post (29.5K engagements, 419K user views), frequent Times Now and CNN-Newsl8 commentator Anand Ranganthan claims former PM Pierre Trudeau allowed the 1985 Air India bombing suspected to "walk free," and that "the apple never falls far from the tree," suggesting PM Justin Trudeau has familial reasons for safeguarding Khalistan supporters.

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Canada's Diplomatic Mission in India

• Some outlets looked to portray specific members of Canada's diplomatic mission to India in an unsavory light.

• Other posts sought to portray Canadian diplomats as haughty, or uncooperative with India's Ministry of External Affairs.

• In a popular post from ANI, High Commissioner Cameron MacKay leaves the Ministry of External Affairs building without taking questions from a reporter on the scene. Some commentators claim MacKay may have injured the journalist as he closed the embassy vehicle car door. 15The video received high levels of engagement (16.3K likes, shares, etc.) and viewed over 2.1M times.

• RRM Canada also documented some anonymous threats to High Commission staff. As Modi-aligned influencers shared news on Twitter that the Canadian High Commission called on India to ensure the safety of diplomats in the country, several unidentified users suggested that violence was warranted

NDP Leader Jagmeet Singh

• Many posts in our dataset claim Jagmeet Singh is "pro-Khalistani" and is culpable of terrorism himself. These narratives present Singh as the reason for PM Trudeau's ruination, as the NDP and the minority government Liberal Party of Canada currently hold a confidence-and-supply agreement.

• Some outlets claimed "all leaders of the Khalistani movement and the New Democratic Party (NDP) are receiving funds from Pakistan's Inter-Services Intelligence".

Challenges to Canada's Territorial Integrity

The report also cites social media content from users in India that can be construed as threats to Canada's territorial integrity. The report says:

"Atul Mishra founder of the fringe "The Frustrated Indian" media outlet, tagged Opposition leader Pierre Poilievre on Twitter, requesting that he "neutralise the Khalistanis immediately after becoming the Prime Minister because if you don't, you won't have a country. All the best in advance."

The report quotes BJP leader Baijyant Panda as having posted, "In the spirit of friendship with Canada, we in India must consider facilitating an online referendum on the Quebec independence issue (in gratitude for their allowing Khalistani separatists to try the same on Canadian soil)."

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The report observed high levels of similarity in the tone and type of narratives that circulated among Modi-aligned media, however, it was not possible for RRM Canada to verify if these outlets worked in conjunction to amplify their reach.

Amplified by China

According to the report, "State controlled outlets in China, were opportunistic in replicating narratives from a range of Indian sources that put Canada in a negative light, stressing Canada's isolation from its partners in the G7".

For instance Chinese state media also made frequent use of the ANI clip of High Commissioner MacKay walking away from a reporter's question during a visit to the MEA.

"PRC State media outlets added dramatic music and dynamic text to the clip. For example, state-backed provincial outlet the Hubei Daily shared the clip with its 44 million Douyin followers, claiming MacKay 'looked furious' when 'faced with questions from the media'. The clip received high levels of user engagement," the report says.

The allegations made in this report assume importance in the context of the ongoing standoff between India and Canada, over the latter's allegation that Indian agents connived with criminal gangs to carry out murder and extortion in Canada.