The employment of nationalistic rhetoric to counter allegations of misconduct is a cowardly yet common defense strategy of conservative politicians worldwide. India’s Prime Minister Narendra Modi, is a vital offender of this tactic.

Modi’s persistent demonization of Sikh and Muslim minority communities is an attempt to control the national narrative and divert attention from his wrongdoings.

In the wake of the assassination of a Sikh leader and human rights activist, Hardeep Singh Nijjar, on June 18, Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau must support the Sikh communities and continue to advocate for their safety and success.

The historically-sound relationship between India and Canada has weakened over the years. Tensions between the two nations have been high since Trudeau came into power and appointed several Sikh ministers to his cabinet in 2015.

The Khalistan movement is the Sikh demand for an independent homeland outside Punjab, India. 

The movement is prominent both inside and outside India, where many Sikh Canadians have organized local demonstrations for Sikh independence from India.

In early June S. Jaishankar, the Indian Minister of External Affairs, publicly warned that Canada recognizing Sikh separatists was “not good for the relationship” between the countries. 

Ten days following Jaishankar’s warning, Nijjar was shot and killed outside a Sikh temple in Vancouver while in his pick-up truck. 

In a ground-breaking statement before Parliament on Sept. 25, Trudeau accused India of playing a prominent role in the assassination of Nijjar, mentioning “credible allegations of a potential link.”

Canada had expelled the head of Indian intelligence in the country in September and India then mirrored Canada’s actions, expelling the Canadian diplomat in New Delhi. As a result, all trade talks have been brought to a halt.

Visas for Canadians at Indian missions have been suspended because of “security threats” to Indian diplomats.

India is the world’s most populated country and therefore the world’s largest democracy. Their anti-Canadian rhetoric is dangerous and endangers Sikh Canadians and Canadian officials.

An Indian spokesperson for the Indian Ministry of External Affairs  that Canada is a “safe haven for terrorists, for extremists, and for organized crime.”

Other absurdly false rumors have emerged among an increasingly right-leaning domestic Indian audience, accusing Trudeau of being a cocaine addict and storing the drug on government property.

These childish, hyper-defensive attacks on Trudeau and the Canadian government are unfounded and take away from India’s credibility in this debacle, characterizing them as irresponsible and even guilty.

In a true democracy, all groups of people have the right to protest a government that they are unsatisfied with. The murder of Canadian citizen Nijjar on Canadian soil violates Canada’s sovereignty and wrongfully interferes in the nation’s internal affairs.

Modi isn’t showing any sign of relenting, instead using pressure tactics against Canada in hopes that Trudeau will walk back his allegations. On an international stage, Modi’s use of harsh nationalism as a response to all criticism makes a mockery of himself.

Suppose India wants to continue to be recognized as a robust democracy on the world stage. In that case, it must grant its opposition the right of protest and respect the privacy of Indians living abroad, staying clear of other countries’ domestic affairs.

Ultimately, if India is caught lying about their involvement in Nijjar’s murder, its international reputation will be forever tarnished, betraying global trust and cementing the threat to Sikh populations everywhere.