India and Canada have expelled their top envoys along with other diplomats as controversy grows over the assassination of a Sikh separatist on Canadian soil last year.
Trudeau said his government responded after police began pursuing credible allegations that Indian agents were directly involved in the murder of Hardeep Singh Nijjar.
Canadian police accuse Indian agents of being involved in “murders, extortion and acts of violence” as well as targeting supporters of the pro-Khalistan movement, which seeks a separate homeland for Sikhs in India.
Delhi has dismissed the allegations as “ridiculous”, accusing Trudeau of pandering to Canada’s large Sikh community for political gain.
Speaking on live television on Monday afternoon, Mr. Trudeau said India had made a “fundamental mistake” in supporting “criminal” acts in Canada and that his government must act on the findings. Latest show.
“Evidence was brought to light by the RCMP [Royal Canadian Mounted Police, Canada’s national police service] cannot be ignored,” the Prime Minister said.
“It leads to one conclusion, there is a need to stop criminal activities that continue to pose a threat to public safety in Canada. That’s why we took action.”
India has vehemently denied all allegations and asserted that Canada has provided no evidence to support its claims.
Relations between Delhi and Ottawa have been strained since Trudeau said Canada has credible evidence linking Indian agents to Nijjar’s murder.
Row leads to one the relationship deteriorateswith India asking Canada to withdraw dozens of diplomatic staff and Suspension of visa services.
On Monday, an angry statement from India’s Ministry of External Affairs said the Canadian charges were influenced by Sikh separatist campaigners.
Later that day, it announced six Canadian diplomats, including acting High Commissioner Stewart Ross Wheeler, had been asked to leave India by October 19.
Mr. Wheeler was also summoned by the Indian Ministry of Foreign Affairs to explain Canada’s move.
Speaking to reporters after the meeting, Mr. Wheeler said Canada had provided India with the evidence it requested, now it needs to investigate the allegations.
“It is in the interests of both our countries and our people to get to the bottom of this issue,” he said.
Delhi has defended High Commissioner Sanjay Kumar Verma, mentioning his “distinguished career spanning 36 years”.
“The Canadian government’s defamation of him is ludicrous and deserves to be treated with contempt,” the agency wrote.
India’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs also said it was “withdrawing” its top special envoy and other diplomats back home.
“We do not believe in the current Canadian government’s commitment to ensuring their security. Therefore, the Indian government has decided to withdraw the High Commissioner and other targeted diplomats and officials.”
Earlier on Monday, Canadian police said they had taken the unusual step of publicly releasing information about the ongoing investigation “due to the significant threat to public safety in our country.” .
RCMP Commissioner Mike Duheme told reporters at a news conference Monday that there have been “more than a dozen credible and imminent threats to life” that he said are “in particular” focused on members of the pro-Khalistan movement.
He added that the threats were serious enough to warrant intervention by the RCMP.
“We have reached a point where we feel we need to confront the Indian government.”
Officials said dozens of Indian agents were involved in the alleged criminal activities, but did not confirm whether they were directly involved in the killing of Sikh separatist leader Nijjar in June 2023 or not.
Hardeep Singh Nijjar was shot dead by two masked gunmen outside a Sikh temple he led in Surrey, British Columbia.
He has been a vocal supporter of the Khalistan movement, which demands a separate homeland for the Sikhs, and has openly campaigned for it.
India has previously described him as a terrorist who leads a separatist militant group – an accusation his supporters call baseless.
Canadian police called the killing a “targeted attack”.
In September 2023, Trudeau told the Canadian parliament that allegations of Indian involvement in the killing were based on Canadian intelligence.
He called the move a violation of Canada’s sovereignty.
The frosty relationship between the two countries seems to have thawed a bit after India continue processing visa in October 2023.
But last week, Canada’s Foreign Minister Mélanie Joly called the country’s relationship with India “tense” and “very difficult.”
She also said there is still a risk of more murders like the Nijjar incident happening on Canadian soil.
Canada is home to the largest Sikh community outside of India, a religious minority living mainly in the state of Punjab.
