India expels Canadian diplomat: Rejects talk of Canadian govt over Nijjar killing

New Delhi/Ottawa: Canada’s accusation that India may have been involved in the assassination of a Sikh activist on its soil has triggered a growing spat with Ottawa and New Delhi both expelling senior diplomats, sending relations between the two countries plunging.

In a statement, the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) termed the Canada’s allegations ‘absurd ‘and ‘motivated’. The government said the allegations were aimed at diverting attention from Khalistani terrorists and extremists who are given shelter in Canada. Hardeep Singh Nijjar, 45, a strong supporter of an independent Sikh homeland known as Khalistan, was gunned down on June 18 outside a Sikh cultural centre in Surrey, British Columbia.

In an official statement, the Indian government said that these allegations were driven by ulterior motives, emphasizing that they had also been rebuffed when raised by Canadian PM Justin Trudeau during discussions with Prime Minister Narendra Modi at the recent G20 summit. India has also urged the Canadian government to take prompt and effective legal action against all anti-India elements operating from their soil.

The tit-for-tat diplomatic expulsions came after Trudeau said Canada was investigating “credible allegations” linking India to the June killing of Canadian citizen and prominent Sikh leader, Hardeep Singh Nijjar.

Canada said it had kicked out an Indian diplomat, who foreign affairs minister Mélanie Joly described as the head of the Indian intelligence agency in the country. “Today we’re acting by expelling a key diplomat, but we will get to the bottom of this,” she told reporters.

India’s foreign ministry on Tuesday responded in kind, saying it had expelled a senior Canadian diplomat based in India. “The concerned diplomat has been asked to leave India within the next five days,” it said in a statement.

“The decision reflects Government of India’s growing concern at the interference of Canadian diplomats in our internal matters and their involvement in anti-India activities.”