New Delhi: A new documentary has intensified the diplomatic standoff between India and Canada, alleging that British intelligence intercepted phone calls implicating individuals linked to the Indian government in the killing of Sikh separatist leader Hardeep Singh Nijjar. The revelations aired in a Bloomberg Originals production suggest that information shared among allied intelligence agencies under the Five Eyes network played a key role in shaping Canada’s 2023 accusations against India.

According to the Bloomberg documentary Inside the Deaths that Rocked India’s Relations with the West, the United Kingdom’s signals intelligence agency, the Government Communications Headquarters (GCHQ), intercepted a series of telephone conversations in 2023. The calls allegedly revealed discussions about three Sikh separatist figures Hardeep Singh Nijjar, Avtar Singh Khanda, and Gurpatwant Singh Pannun with one of the voices claiming that Nijjar had been “successfully eliminated.”

The film claims this intelligence was passed to Canada through the Five Eyes alliance comprising the U.S., U.K., Canada, Australia, and New Zealand and that it was treated with utmost secrecy. The material was reportedly hand-delivered to Canadian officials, kept off digital systems, and shared only among a small, security-cleared group of investigators.

Hardeep Singh Nijjar, who led a Sikh temple in Surrey, British Columbia, was shot dead outside his gurdwara in June 2023. A vocal advocate for the creation of an independent Khalistan, Nijjar had been listed as a terrorist by India in 2020 for his alleged role in promoting separatist violence.

Months after his death, then–Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau made a bombshell statement in Parliament, asserting that Canadian intelligence agencies were “pursuing credible allegations” of Indian government involvement in the killing. The claim set off a diplomatic firestorm, with India vehemently rejecting the charges as “absurd and politically motivated.”

New Delhi responded by suspending visa services for Canadians, reducing diplomatic staff, and accusing Ottawa of sheltering Khalistan extremists hostile to India’s sovereignty. Relations between the two countries plunged to historic lows, even as both sides continued limited security and trade engagements through back channels.

The new documentary expands the scope of the controversy beyond Nijjar’s death, alleging that the intercepted communications referred to three “targets” Nijjar in Canada, Avtar Singh Khanda in the U.K., and Gurpatwant Singh Pannun, a U.S.-based lawyer and separatist leader.

Khanda, who died in June 2023 while undergoing treatment for leukemia in Birmingham, was also associated with pro-Khalistan activism. His death had drawn suspicion within the Sikh diaspora, with community leaders demanding transparency from British authorities. The documentary’s suggestion that Khanda was also a target could reignite those concerns.

Pannun, the third individual named, remains active in the Khalistan movement from the United States. Indian authorities have long accused him of financing anti-India campaigns abroad, while Pannun has claimed repeated threats to his life.

The alleged British intercepts, if verified, could reshape the narrative surrounding the Nijjar case. They imply that Canada’s allegations were not solely based on domestic intelligence but bolstered by signals intercepts shared by one of its closest allies.

For India, the renewed spotlight brings diplomatic discomfort. It faces the dual challenge of defending its international image while countering separatist propaganda abroad. The Ministry of External Affairs has so far maintained its categorical denial, asserting that India “does not condone or conduct such actions.”

For Canada, the fresh disclosures may bolster its earlier claims but also expose it to criticism for withholding evidence from the public. Analysts suggest that the intelligence-sharing arrangement among the Five Eyes nations prevents Ottawa from freely releasing sensitive intercept data without London’s approval.

The revelations have reignited activism among Sikh organizations in the U.K. and Canada. The Sikh Federation (UK) has reportedly written to British Security Minister Dan Jarvis, seeking clarification on what information GCHQ obtained and why it was not shared earlier, especially concerning the death of Khanda.

Canadian Sikh groups, meanwhile, have renewed calls for a public inquiry into Nijjar’s murder, arguing that continued secrecy only deepens mistrust between Ottawa and the Sikh diaspora.

The controversy underscores the growing tension between national security operations and the sanctity of international borders. If the claims of extraterritorial action are substantiated, it would represent an unprecedented breach of sovereignty by a democratic nation within the Western alliance system.

Experts warn that the incident could set a troubling precedent for how intelligence networks are used and potentially misused to pursue dissidents abroad. It also raises questions about the accountability mechanisms governing cross-border covert operations.

With the election of Canada’s new Prime Minister Mark Carney earlier this year, there were hopes for a gradual thaw in bilateral ties. However, the documentary’s timing threatens to reopen old wounds just as both nations were exploring renewed dialogue on trade and security.

As diplomatic channels attempt damage control, the larger mystery remains unresolved: who ordered Nijjar’s killing, and what evidence substantiates the claims of state involvement?

Until those questions are answered, the shadow of Surrey’s gunfire in 2023 now echoed by British intelligence revelations will continue to haunt India–Canada relations and shape the global debate on the ethics of state power beyond borders.