A Sikh separatist was killed on Canadian soil last year, and as the controversy around this event has grown, both India and Canada have dismissed their top envoys as well as other diplomats.
Prime Minister Justin Trudeau of Canada indicated that his government took action in response to police investigating substantiated claims that Indian agents had a direct hand in Hardeep Singh Nijjar’s death.
Indian operatives have been charged by Canadian authorities of engaging in “homicides, extortion, and violent acts” and specifically targeting followers of the pro-Khalistan movement, which aims to provide Sikhs in India with their own homeland.
India has dismissed the accusations as “preposterous” and charged Trudeau with using the sizeable Sikh minority in Canada as a football.
Speaking on live television on Monday afternoon, Trudeau declared that his government needed to act on the most recent discoveries and that India had committed a “fundamental error” in encouraging “criminal” conduct in Canada.
“The evidence brought to light by the RCMP [Royal Canadian Mounted Police, Canada’s national police service] cannot be ignored,” the prime minister stated.
It all points to the same conclusion: illegal activity that continues to endanger public safety in Canada must be stopped. That’s why we took action.”
India has fiercely refuted all of the accusations and insisted that Canada has not offered any proof to back up its assertions.
Delhi and Ottawa have not been on good terms since Trudeau said that Canada had solid proof connecting Indian operatives to the killing of Nijjar.
The row took the lead to a deterioration in ties, with India asking Canada to withdraw dozens of its diplomatic staff and suspend visa services.
India’s foreign ministry has accused Canada of influencing allegations about the murder of Sikh separatist leader Hardeep Singh Nijjar in June 2023. The country has asked six Canadian diplomats, including acting High Commissioner Stewart Ross Wheeler, to leave India by October 19. Wheeler stated that Canada had provided India with the evidence it had demanded and now needed to investigate the allegations. Delhi has defended its High Commissioner Sanjay Kumar Verma, stating that the aspersions cast on him by the Canadian government are ludicrous and deserve to be treated with contempt.
The Indian foreign ministry has also announced the withdrawal of its top envoy and other diplomats. The Indian government has decided to confront the government of India. Canadian police have publicly disclosed information about the ongoing investigation due to significant threats to public safety in their country.
The RCMP commissioner, Mike Duheme, stated that there had been “over a dozen credible and imminent threats to life,” specifically targeting members of the pro-Khalistan movement. Officials said a dozen Indian agents were involved in the alleged criminal activities but did not confirm if they were directly linked to the June 2023 murder.
Frosty ties between the two countries seemed to have thawed slightly after India resumed processing visas in October 2023. However, Canadian Foreign Minister Mélanie Joly called the country’s relations with India “tense” and “very difficult” last week, stating that there remained a threat of more killings like Nijjar’s on Canadian soil.
(BBC)
