The head of the Royal Canadian Mounted Police has told the federal government there is no evidence of any ongoing clandestine activities in Canada linked to the government of India, a finding that marks a significant easing of official concern over alleged Indian interference.

In an exclusive interview with CTV News, RCMP Commissioner Mike Duheme said the force currently sees no connection between transnational repression in Canada and “any foreign entity,” a formulation that implicitly clears New Delhi of involvement in ongoing covert operations on Canadian soil.

His assessment has been shared with cabinet-level officials and is shaping how Ottawa calibrates both its public messaging and its diplomatic engagement with India.

The commissioner stressed that his conclusion applies to the present security picture, not to historical claims. Over the past two years, Canadian agencies publicly alleged that Indian agents and proxies were involved in murders, intimidation and other serious crimes targeting members of the Sikh and broader South Asian community in Canada, triggering a deep chill in bilateral ties.

Reports based on RCMP and intelligence findings described how Indian diplomats and consular officials allegedly collected information on targets and passed it to higher levels in New Delhi, which then purportedly relied on criminal organisations to carry out violence and intimidation, including homicides.

India has consistently and categorically denied those accusations. The expelled Indian high commissioner and other officials have insisted that New Delhi had no role in any criminal activity in Canada, accusing Ottawa of politicising intelligence and mischaracterising India's counter-terrorism posture.

While several investigations and court processes remain active, Duheme's present-tense reassurance signals that the Mounties do not at this time classify any activity on Canadian soil as a clandestine operation directed by the Indian state.

Senior federal officials have also recently moved to soften their rhetoric as Prime Minister Mark Carney prepares for a high-stakes trade and diplomacy mission to India.

In a technical briefing in February, officials downplayed the idea that India is “actively” involved in foreign interference and transnational repression in Canada right now, saying Carney would not be travelling to India at all if Ottawa believed New Delhi was still directing covert operations or interfering in Canadian elections.

They emphasised that Canada has "systematic engagement" with India at multiple levels -- officials, ministers and leaders -- and that robust mechanisms remain in place to detect and counter any future foreign interference.

Taken together, Duheme's comments and the shift in tone from Ottawa suggest Canada is trying to uncouple present-day security assessments from earlier, more explosive allegations, without formally walking back past claims.

Commentators have framed the RCMP's current line as evidence that, at the very least, any India-linked activities that Canadian authorities previously viewed as clandestine have been paused or scaled back, easing what some had described as a low-grade "cold war" in India–Canada relations.

For now, the RCMP is signalling two messages at once: that it is not tracking any current India-directed clandestine operations in Canada, and that it will continue to monitor foreign actors closely as ongoing investigations and court cases test earlier allegations in the public square.