Canada and India each expelled six diplomats on Monday in retaliation as part of an escalating conflict over the June 2023 assassination of a Sikh activist in Canada.
Foreign Affairs Minister Mélanie Joly announced that Canada will expel six Indian diplomats, including the high commissioner, after police found evidence of targeted operations against Canadian citizens by Indian government officials.
Shortly after, India’s Ministry of External Affairs announced the expulsion of six Canadian diplomats, including the acting high commissioner and deputy high commissioner. The newspaper said in a statement that the diplomats were instructed to leave India by the end of Saturday.
The ministry had announced earlier on Monday that India would withdraw its diplomats after it rejected a Canadian diplomatic message on Sunday that said the Indian ambassador was a “person of interest” in the assassination case.
A senior Canadian official said Canada first expelled the Indian diplomats before withdrawing them. Both officials spoke on condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to speak publicly about the matter.
Jolly said in a statement that police had gathered information that established a criminal investigation and a link to Indian government officials. Jolly said India has been asked to waive its diplomatic and consular immunity and cooperate with the investigation.
“Unfortunately, India did not agree and given the continuing public safety concerns for Canadians, Canada served deportation notices on these individuals. India has announced that it will withdraw its officials,” Jolly said.
prime minister of canada Prime Minister Justin Trudeau said last year there were credible allegations. The Indian government has said that it has something to do with the assassination that occurred in Canada in June 2023. Sikh activist Hardeep Singh Nijjar.
“The decision to expel these individuals was made out of an abundance of caution and ensured that the RCMP (Royal Canadian Mounted Police) had gathered sufficient, clear and concrete evidence to identify the six individuals as persons of interest in the Niger case. “It was only after that,” Jolie said in a statement.
“We continue to call on the Indian government to support the ongoing investigation into the Nijjar case. It remains in the interests of both countries to get to the bottom of this case,” she said.
RCMP Officer Mike Duhem said police have evidence that Indian government officials have been implicated in other murders and acts of violence in Canada.
He did not provide details, but there were well over a dozen credible and imminent threats that resulted in police targeting members of the South Asian community, particularly the pro-Khalistan movement, or the Sikh Independence Movement. He also said that he had issued a warning. He added that attempts to hold talks with Indian law enforcement agencies also failed.
“The team received a significant amount of information regarding the breadth and depth of criminal activity orchestrated by agents of the Indian government and the resulting threats to the safety and security of Canadians and individuals living in Canada,” said Duhem. said.
RCMP Deputy Commissioner Bridget Gauvin said this is very concerning.
“We take this very seriously because Indian diplomats and consular staff are there to protect the interests and national interests of their nationals based in Canada, not to engage in criminal activity or intimidation. “This is undoubtedly a violation of the Vienna Convention on Diplomatic Relations,” Gauvin said.
India rejected the accusations as ridiculous.
Nijal, 45, was shot to death in a pickup truck in June 2023 after leaving his Sikh temple in Surrey, British Columbia. An Indian-born Canadian citizen, he owned a plumbing business and was a leader in a once-strong movement to create an independent Sikh homeland.
India designated him a terrorist in 2020 and was seeking his arrest at the time of his death on suspicion of involvement in the attack on a Hindu priest.
Following the allegations, India last year told Canada to dismiss 41 of its 62 diplomats in the country. Since then, relations between the two countries have cooled.
The pro-Khalistan movement is a thorny issue between India and Canada. New Delhi has repeatedly criticized Trudeau for being soft on supporters of the Khalistan movement in Canada. Although the Khalistan movement is banned in India, it enjoys support among the Sikh diaspora, particularly in Canada.
India has called on Canada, Australia, the UK and others to take legal action against Sikh activists. India has particularly expressed these concerns about Canada, where Sikhs make up nearly 2% of the country’s population.
“In response to the Trudeau government’s support for extremism, violence and separatism against India, India reserves the right to take further action,” India’s Ministry of External Affairs said on Monday.
The ministry also summoned Canada’s top diplomat in New Delhi and told them that the “baseless targeting” of India’s high commissioner, ambassador, and other Canadian diplomats and officials was “totally unacceptable.” Ta.
“We have no faith in the current Canadian government’s commitment to keeping Canada safe.”
Canadian diplomat Stewart Wheeler, who was ordered to leave India, told reporters after being summoned that the Indian government had “resolved the incredible refutation of the relationship between Indian government officials and the murder of a Canadian citizen on Canadian soil.” He said he shared “irresolute evidence.”
Wheeler said India must investigate the allegations and that Canada is “ready to work with India.”
Meanwhile, the US State Department announced in a statement on Monday that an Indian commission of inquiry has been set up to investigate the assassination plot. Another prominent Sikh separatist leader The New York resident is scheduled to fly to Washington on Tuesday as part of an ongoing investigation to discuss the incident.
“Additionally, India has informed the United States that it continues its efforts to investigate other connections involving former government officials and will determine further action as appropriate.”
last year, america, prosecutor Indian government officials announced charges against a man accused of orchestrating and being part of a thwarted plot to assassinate Sikh separatist leader Gurpatwant Singh Panun on U.S. soil.
The Indian government official, who has not been charged or named, is described as a “senior field officer” with security and intelligence responsibilities and previously served in India’s Central Reserve Police Force. It is said that
New Delhi at the time expressed concern after the US raised the issue and said India was also taking the issue seriously.
