Modi govt accuses Canada of surveillance on Indian diplomats

"By citing technicalities, the Canadian government cannot justify the fact that it is indulging in harassment and intimidation," Randhir Jaiswal alleged.

New Delhi: India on Saturday, November 2, accused Canada of indulging in “harassment and intimidation” of Indian consular staff, thereby putting them under audio and video surveillance in “flagrant violation” of diplomatic conventions.

Responding to a query during a media briefing here, MEA spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal also said India has “formally protested” to the Canadian government.

He was asked about reports claiming that many Indian diplomats in Canada were allegedly under surveillance amid the diplomatic standoff.

“Yes, some of our consular officials were recently informed by the Canadian government that they have been and continue to be under audio and video surveillance. Their communications have also been intercepted. We have formally protested to the Canadian government, as we deem these actions to be in flagrant violation of relevant diplomatic and consular conventions,” Jaiswal told reporters.

“By citing technicalities, the Canadian government cannot justify the fact that it is indulging in harassment and intimidation,” he alleged.

Tensions lead to expulsion of Canadian diplomats

India has expelled six Canadian diplomats and withdrawn its high commissioner, Sanjay Verma, and other “targeted” officials from Canada after strongly dismissing Ottawa’s charges.

“Our diplomatic and consular personnel are already functioning in an environment of extremism and violence. This action of the Canadian government aggravates the situation and is incompatible with established diplomatic norms and practices,” Jaiswal said.

India has been maintaining that the main issue between the two countries is that of Canada giving space to pro-Khalistan elements operating from Canadian soil with impunity.

The relations between the two countries came under severe strain following Trudeau’s allegations in September last year of a “potential” involvement of Indian agents in Khalistan extremist Hardeep Singh Nijjar’s killing.

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Canada names India as ‘cyber threat adversaries’

Canada has for the first time named India in a list of cyber threat adversaries, suggesting that state-sponsored actors could be spying against it.

Amid an ongoing diplomatic row, India is named fifth after China, Russia, Iran, and North Korea in the National Cyber Threat Assessment 2025-2026 (NCTA 2025-2026) report.

“We assess that Indian state-sponsored cyber threat actors likely conduct cyber threat activity against Government of Canada networks for the purpose of espionage,” the report said.

The NCTA 2025-2026 highlights the cyber threats facing individuals and organisations in Canada was released on October 30 by the Canadian Centre for Cyber Security (Cyber Centre), which is Canada’s technical authority on cyber security and part of the Communications Security Establishment Canada (CSE).

While there was no mention of India in the National Cyber Threat Assessment reports of 2018, 2020, and 2023-24, the 2025-26 assessment mentions India—along with China, Russia, Iran, and North Korea—in the ‘Cyber Threat from State Adversaries’ section that introduces the state cyber threat ecosystem and discusses the cyber threats to Canada.

“India’s leadership almost certainly aspires to build a modernised cyber program with domestic cyber capabilities. India very likely uses its cyber program to advance its national security imperatives, including espionage, counterterrorism, and the country’s efforts to promote its global status and counter narratives against India and the Indian government,” the assessment report said.

“We assess that India’s cyber program likely leverages commercial cyber vendors to enhance its operations. We assess that Indian state-sponsored cyber threat actors likely conduct cyber threat activity against Government of Canada networks for the purpose of espionage,” it said further.

“We judge that official bilateral relations between Canada and India will very likely drive Indian state-sponsored cyber threat activity against Canada,” it claimed.

Ongoing monitoring of cyber threats

CSE and its partners in Canada and across the Five Eyes are attuned to the cyber threats to Canada from state and nonstate cyber threat actors and are tracking them as they evolve, the report said.

NCTA 2025-2026 provides the Canadian public with CSE’s current insights on the state and non-state cyber threat actors conducting malicious cyber threat activity against Canada and how we assess the cyber threat landscape will evolve in the next two years, it added.