Six Indian diplomats, including the high commissioner, were expelled by Canada on Monday after it claimed they were involved in the killing of a Sikh separatist leader and that there was a larger attempt to target Indian dissidents in the country.
India responded earlier in the day by declaring it had removed its envoy from Canada and demanding the expulsion of six senior Canadian diplomats, including the acting high commissioner, in defiance of Canada’s expulsion declaration.
Ties between the two Commonwealth nations have significantly deteriorated as a result of the diplomatic dispute.
Since Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau claimed to have proof last year that Indian spies were involved in the killing of Sikh leader Hardeep Singh Nijjar on Canadian soil, relations have soured.
At a press conference, Trudeau stated that the government now had “clear and compelling proof of agents of the government of India were involved in and continue to take part in activities that pose an important risk to the safety of the public.”
According to him, these operations included the use of covert methods for obtaining information, coercive tactics, targeting South Asian Canadians, and taking part in more than a dozen violent and threatening crimes, including murder.
“This is unacceptable,” he stated, adding that India had made a basic mistake by committing crimes in Canada.
India has always refuted Trudeau’s charges. It denounced Canada’s action on the investigation on Monday and charged Trudeau with having a “political agenda.”
In a previous press conference, the Royal Canadian Mounted Police stated that the Indian government had launched a comprehensive campaign against Indian dissidents, which included extortion and murders. According to investigators, it has also obstructed democratic procedures and targeted the South Asian population in Canada through organized crime.
