Daily Briefing: Deepening chill in India-Canada ties; Part 2 of Express Investigation into international kidney racket

Europa Clipper – NASA’s biggest spacecraft built to investigate another planet yet – will lift off this month and take 5.5 years to reach Jupiter. Once there, it will peer beneath the moon’s icy crust where an ocean is thought to be sloshing fairly close to the surface. It won’t search for life, but rather determine whether “it might be habitable today — right now”.

With that, let us move on to news from today’s edition:

• India-Canada ties hit new low over Nijjar’s killing;
• Express Investigation – Part 2
• Shinde waives off Mumbai entry toll

🚨Big Story

India-Canada ties have reached a new low after a diplomatic row deepening since September last year – over the killing of Khalistan separatist Hardeep Singh Nijjar – witnessed a sharp escalation on Monday

Series of fast-paced developments: The day began with the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) issuing a hard-hitting response to Canada’s “preposterous imputations” on the involvement of Indian diplomats including the Indian High Commissioner Sanjay Kumar Verma in the Nijjar case. Warning of action, the statement did not mention the Nijjar case directly but referred to “certain allegations” made by Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau in September 2023.

Throwback to Trudeau’s allegations: In September 2023, PM Trudeau alleged India’s hand in the assassination of the Canada-based Khalistan separatist on June 18, 2023, whom New Delhi had designated as a terrorist. India had rejected the charges as “absurd” and “motivated”. Canada has arrested four Indian nationals in the course of investigations in the Nijjar case as of now.

Later in the day… India ordered the expulsion of six Canadian diplomats, while also announcing its decision to withdraw Verma and “other targeted diplomats” on Monday. The statement cited security concerns after the Trudeau-led government identified the diplomats as “persons of interest” in its investigation into the killing of Nijjar.

Lawrence Bishnoi gets a mention: Hours after India’s move, the Canadian police alleged that “agents” of the Indian government were collaborating with jailed gangster Lawrence Bishnoi’s gang to spread terror on Canadian soil.

“This is not a choice that Canada made to create a chill in Canada-India relations” – PM Trudeau said on Monday, alleging that India “decided not to cooperate” even after evidence was shared about the “six agents” of the government. He also said that he informed PM Narendra Modi – on the sidelines of the East Asia Summit in Laos last week – about the importance of the upcoming meeting between the national security advisors of both countries in Singapore but nothing came out of it.

US joins in waving red flags: Over the last week or so, Washington and Ottawa are learnt to have had several rounds of discussions with their Indian counterparts, the nature of which have been described by a top official source as an “ambush by both Americans and Canadians”. The meetings detailed “credible information” on an Indian government official’s involvement in the transnational killings and plots to kill pro-Khalistan separatist figures – including Gurpatwant Singh Pannun – in the US and Canada, The Indian Express has learnt.

⚡Only in Express

If you were with us yesterday as we brought you up to speed on the latest Express Investigation about the bust of an international kidney racket, let’s get to Part 2, the kidney broker’s trail…

Of the 10-member gang involved in the Delhi-Dhaka racket, a key player is Rasel – a Bangladeshi national associated as an “interpreter” with Al Shifa Healthcare Services in Southeast Delhi’s Shaheen Bagh. But he was more than just an interpreter and was allegedly involved in fast-tracking approvals including extending visas from the Bangladesh High Commission for transplants.

Grey zones: The case records that connect Rasel to other accused persons lift the veil on opaque tie-ups between hospitals and smaller healthcare firms in India’s medical tourism sector to drive business but effectively providing a smokescreen for questionable practices. The police have now approached the Bangladesh High Commission for more information regarding the case, it is learnt.

“Omar Abdullah is clearly not going the Arvind Kejriwal way.”

In this week’s column, Neerja Chowdhury writes about how Omar Abdullah, set to return as the Chief Minister of Jammu and Kashmir, has decided to move with caution and realism.

📌Must Read

Toll-free: In yet another voter-driven initiative ahead of the upcoming Assembly elections, Maharashtra Chief Minister Eknath Shinde has waived off the Mumbai entry toll for light motor vehicles at all five toll plazas at the city’s entry points. How will it benefit Mumbaikars? Read here.

In our Opinion section today, Yogendra Yadav delves upon Sonam Wangchuk’s historic Leh to Delhi padyatra pushing for a ‘Himalayan policy.’ He writes: “The tourist-eye-view of the Himalayas as a source of natural beauty has shifted in favour of the Himalayas as a source of water, medicinal plants, bio-diversity, sustainable livelihood practices and knowledges. The Indian state is yet to come to terms with the idea that Himalaya is not just places, it’s also people.”

The Royal Swedish Academy of Sciences has awarded the Sveriges Riksbank Prize in Economic Sciences in Memory of Alfred Nobel for 2024 to three US-based economists “for studies of how institutions are formed and affect prosperity.” The big questions stay: Why are some nations rich and others poor? Why do some nations fail while others succeed in achieving prosperity? We try to answer.

👉And Finally…

Kohli needs home run: As the practice session ahead of the upcoming Test series unfolds at Chinnaswamy stadium, Virat Kohli’s hunger for victory remains. The three Tests against New Zealand will present a great opportunity for Kohli to set ground, where NZ’s “crafty seamers” could “test and tease him,” and “equip him for the Australia duel.” Can this home away from home help Kohli, and India secure a victory?

In our 3 Things podcast today, we explain the significance of SC striking down rules from state prison manuals that reinforced caste discrimination; discuss India’s concern over aligning itself against actions of the Israeli military; and share the highlights of RSS chief Mohan Bhagwat’s recent speech.

That’s all for today.

Until tomorrow,
Vibha B Madhava and Ariba

Business As Usual by E P Unny.