Canada has expelled India’s top diplomat and five other diplomats, accusing them of involvement in the assassination of a Sikh activist and other criminal activities, escalating a diplomatic row between the two countries, The Ass0ciated Press reports.
“We will never tolerate the involvement of a foreign government threatening and killing Canadian citizens on Canadian soil,” Prime Minister Justin Trudeau said.
He alleged that Indian diplomats were collecting intelligence on Canadians and passing it on to organized crime to target them.
The expulsion stems from credible allegations that the Indian government was involved in the June 2023 assassination of Hardeep Singh Nijjar, a prominent Sikh activist in Canada.
Canada’s Foreign Minister Mélanie Joly stated that police have uncovered evidence of a “worsening campaign” by Indian government agents targeting Canadian citizens.
India vehemently denies the accusations, calling them “absurd.” In retaliation, India expelled Canada’s acting high commissioner and five other diplomats, giving them until Saturday to leave the country.
“India reserves the right to take further steps in response to the Trudeau government’s support for extremism, violence and separatism against India,” the Indian Foreign Ministry said.
The ministry also summoned Canada’s top diplomat in New Delhi, calling the “baseless targeting” of the Indian high commissioner and other officials “completely unacceptable.”
The expelled diplomats are considered “persons of interest” in the investigation into Nijjar’s assassination. Nijjar, a 45-year-old Canadian citizen of Indian origin, was fatally shot in his pickup truck after leaving a Sikh temple he led in Surrey, British Columbia. He was a leader in the Khalistan movement, advocating for an independent Sikh homeland.
India has repeatedly criticized Canada for its perceived leniency towards supporters of the Khalistan movement, which is banned in India but has support among the Sikh diaspora, particularly in Canada. India has been urging countries like Canada, Australia, and the UK to take legal action against Sikh activists.
Relations between India and Canada have been strained since last year when India asked Canada to remove 41 of its 62 diplomats in response to earlier allegations of Indian involvement in Sikh activism.
