At a time when the government of Canada has levelled serious charges against the government of India but placed little to no evidence in the public domain, and where the Indian side has used unprecedentedly strong language to deny these accusations, it is hard for journalists and laypersons to know what or whom to believe.

In such a situation, most Indians and Canadians are likely to take the default position of giving their government the benefit of doubt.

Here, The Wire's Siddharth Varadarajan unpacks the story into its basic elements to see where the balance of probability lies.

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