On Tuesday, India expelled the Canadian diplomat and served him a five-day notice to leave the country. India’s move came right after the Canadian government expelled the Indian diplomat who Canada claimed was chief of India’s intelligence agency in the country. Canada expelled the Indian envoy on accusations of being involved in the murder of a Sikh separatist leader Hardeep Singh Nijjar, in British Columbia in June.
India accused Nijjar of carrying out terrorist attacks on their soil and declared him a wanted terrorist. He advocated for an independent Sikh state and got gunned down on June 18 in a suburb of Vancouver.
Action by Canada
Prime Minister Justin Trudeau released an emergency statement to the House of Commons. He stated that any involvement of a foreign government in the murder of a Canadian citizen was unacceptable. Trudeau added that Canadian security agencies have actively pursued credible allegations of a potential link between Indian agents & death of Hardeep Singh Nijjar.
The Canadian PM talked about the murder directly with Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi during G20 summit in New Delhi last week. He urged the government of India to cooperate with Canada.
Retaliation by India:
India’s foreign ministry said that the Canadian high commissioner, or ambassador, in New Delhi, had been summoned of the expulsion decision. The ministry added that their decision reflects India’s growing concern at the interference of Canadian diplomats in internal matters & involvement in anti-India activities.
India rejects allegations by Canada:https://t.co/KDzCczWNN2 pic.twitter.com/VSDxbefWLw
— Randhir Jaiswal (@MEAIndia) September 19, 2023
India dismissed the accusation by Canada and called them absurd and motivated.