India’s dispute with Canada over allegations regarding a Sikh activist’s death grew on Monday as India recalled its ambassador to Canada.
Soon after India announced the move, Canada expelled six Indian diplomats, including the high commissioner, after authors allegedly uncovered evidence of criminal activity, a senior Canadian government official reportedly told The Associated Press (AP).
According to a statement released on Monday by the Indian foreign ministry, India has recalled its ambassador and other senior diplomats from Canada after the Canadian government identified them as persons of interest in an investigation. While the statement did not explain what the investigation was about, it cited an “atmosphere of extremism and violence” that allegedly jeopardizes the safety of its diplomatic staff in Ottawa.
This move escalates a dispute that has simmered for over a year, linked to the assassination of a prominent Canadian Sikh cleric in British Columbia.
In June 2023, Hardeep Singh Nijjar, a Sikh leader, was gunned down and killed outside a temple in Surrey, British Columbia. Three Indian nationals have since been arrested and charged in the ongoing investigation.
The Canadian government at the time accused India of orchestrating the killing, a claim that India has vehemently denied while claiming that Canada’s Prime Minister Justin Trudeau is pandering to Canada’s large Sikh community for political gain.
Newsweek reached out to the Canadian foreign ministry via email on Monday for comment.
People hold flags during a Sikh rally outside the Indian consulate in Toronto to raise awareness for the Indian government’s alleged involvement in the killing of Sikh separatist Hardeep Singh Nijjar in British Columbia on September 25, 2023. India’s dispute with Canada over allegations regarding the activist’s death grew on Monday.
COLE BURSTON/AFP/Getty Images
In its statement on Monday, the Indian foreign ministry reiterated its stance as it condemned what it described as “preposterous imputations” and accused Trudeau of playing “vote bank politics.”
“The Government of India strongly rejects these preposterous imputations and ascribes them to the political agenda of the Trudeau Government that is centered around vote bank politics,” the Indian foreign ministry said.
The assassination of Nijjar has also intensified a broader diplomatic crisis as India has long expressed concerns over what it sees as growing support for Sikh separatist movements within Canada, which is home to a large Sikh population.
The New York Times reported that the Indian government asserts that Trudeau is sympathetic to Sikh separatists because they support him and his Liberal Party.
Meanwhile, the Canadian government has stood by its claims, stating that it has “credible evidence” linking Indian agents to Nijjar’s death.
On Monday, Canada’s chargé d’affaires, Stewart Wheeler, was summoned by Indian authorities to discuss the escalating situation. According to reports from Indian media, Wheeler emphasized the credibility of Canada’s evidence and urged India to cooperate with the investigation, stating that it was in both countries’ best interests to “get to the bottom of this, Canada stands ready to cooperate with India.”
Wheeler’s remarks come as Canada has also recently withdrawn several diplomats from its mission in New Delhi as tensions between the two nations continue to rise.
This article includes reporting from The Associated Press.
