Canada announces the expulsion of six Indian diplomats over the killing of a Sikh separatist

Shafaq News/ Canada expelled six senior Indian diplomats and consular officials in connection with an investigation into the killing of a Sikh separatist leader in British Columbia, the foreign ministry confirmed on Monday. Earlier, India responded by expelling six high-level Canadian diplomats and recalling its ambassador from Canada.

These actions mark a significant worsening of diplomatic ties between the two Commonwealth nations, already strained after Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau claimed to have evidence connecting Indian agents to the assassination of the Sikh separatist leader within Canada.

Trudeau has tied Indian government agents to the murder of Hardeep Singh Nijjar, a Sikh separatist leader, in British Columbia in June. India has consistently rejected Trudeau's allegations. On Monday, it dismissed Canada’s actions related to the investigation, accusing Trudeau of pushing a "political agenda." The Royal Canadian Mounted Police (RCMP) previously stated that Indian diplomats and consular officials in Canada were abusing their positions for covert operations.

"The decision to expel these individuals was made with great consideration and only after the RCMP gathered ample, clear and concrete evidence which identified six individuals as persons of interest in the Nijjar case," the foreign ministry explained in a statement.

India ordered the six Canadian diplomats to depart by Saturday. The ministry added it had summoned Stewart Wheeler, Acting High Commissioner to India and currently Canada’s top diplomat in the country. India justified the expulsions, citing concerns for the diplomats' safety. "We have no faith in the current Canadian Government's commitment to ensure their security. Therefore, the Government of India has decided to withdraw the High Commissioner and other targeted diplomats and officials," said India’s foreign ministry.

The RCMP indicated they had a"significant amount of information about the breadth and depth of criminal activity orchestrated by agents of the government of India in consequential threats to the safety and security of Canadians and individuals living in Canada."

The law enforcement agency also linked the Indian government to homicides, extortion, and using organized crime to target the South Asian community in Canada and interfere in democratic affairs. India has repeatedly stated that Canada has not provided any evidence to support its allegations. "This latest step follows interactions that have again witnessed assertions without any facts. This leaves little doubt that on the pretext of an investigation, there is a deliberate strategy of smearing India for political gains," India’s foreign ministry asserted on Monday.

In October 2023, Canada withdrew over 40 diplomats from India after New Delhi demanded a reduction in Ottawa’s diplomatic presence. "We have gone from a rift to a major rupture in the relationship with India," remarked Fen Osler Hampson, a professor of international relations at Carleton University, Ottawa, in a phone interview. "It is hard to see at this juncture that a return to normalcy will happen any time in the foreseeable future."

In June, a Canadian parliamentary committee identified India and China as primary foreign threats to its democratic institutions, based on intelligence inputs. The US also alleged that Indian agents were involved in an assassination attempt on another Sikh separatist leader in New York last year and charged an Indian national, allegedly acting on the orders of an unnamed Indian official.

India raised concerns after the US brought up the issue, distancing itself from the alleged plot and launching an investigation. These allegations of assassination attempts on Sikh separatist leaders in Canada and the US have strained their ties with India as they seek to strengthen relations with the country to counter China’s growing global influence.