Oct 15 \u2013 India and Canada have expelled their top envoys along with other diplomats as the row intensifies over last year\u2019s assassination of a Sikh separatist on Canadian soil.<\/p>\n
Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau said his government responded after police began pursuing credible allegations that Indian agents were directly involved in the killing of Hardeep Singh Nijjar.<\/p>\n
Canadian police accused Indian agents of involvement in \u201chomicides, extortion and violent acts\u201d and targeting supporters of the pro-Khalistan movement, which seeks a separate homeland for Sikhs in India.<\/p>\n
India has rejected the allegations as \u201cpreposterous\u201d, accusing Trudeau of pandering to Canada\u2019s large Sikh community for political gain.<\/p>\n
Speaking on live television on Monday afternoon, Trudeau said India had made a \u201cfundamental\u00a0error\u201d in\u00a0supporting\u00a0\u201ccriminal\u201d acts\u00a0in\u00a0Canada and his government had to act on the latest findings.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe\u00a0evidence\u00a0brought\u00a0to\u00a0light\u00a0by\u00a0the\u00a0RCMP\u00a0[Royal Canadian Mounted Police, Canada\u2019s national police service] cannot\u00a0be\u00a0ignored,\u201d the prime minister said.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt\u00a0leads\u00a0to\u00a0one\u00a0conclusion,\u00a0it\u00a0is\u00a0necessary\u00a0to\u00a0disrupt\u00a0the\u00a0criminal\u00a0activities that continue\u00a0to\u00a0pose\u00a0a\u00a0threat\u00a0to\u00a0public\u00a0safety\u00a0in\u00a0Canada.\u00a0That\u00a0is\u00a0why\u00a0we\u00a0acted.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
India has vehemently denied all allegations and maintained that Canada has provided no evidence to support its claims.<\/p>\n
Relations between Delhi and Ottawa have been strained since Trudeau said Canada had credible evidence linking Indian agents to Nijjar\u2019s murder.<\/p>\n
The row led to a\u00a0deterioration in ties<\/a>, with India asking Canada to withdraw dozens of its diplomatic staff and\u00a0suspending visa services<\/a>.<\/p>\n On Monday, a furious statement from India\u2019s foreign ministry said Canada\u2019s allegations were influenced by Sikh separatist campaigners.<\/p>\n Later in the day, it announced six Canadian diplomats, including acting High Commissioner Stewart Ross Wheeler, had been asked to leave India by 19 October.<\/p>\n Mr Wheeler was also summoned by India\u2019s external affairs ministry to explain Canada\u2019s move.<\/p>\n Speaking to reporters after the meeting, Mr Wheeler said Canada had given India the evidence it had demanded, it now needed to investigate the allegations.<\/p>\n \u201cIt\u00a0is\u00a0in\u00a0the\u00a0interests\u00a0of\u00a0both\u00a0our\u00a0countries\u00a0and\u00a0the\u00a0peoples\u00a0of\u00a0our\u00a0countries\u00a0to\u00a0get\u00a0to\u00a0the\u00a0bottom\u00a0of\u00a0this,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n Delhi has defended its High Commissioner Sanjay Kumar Verma, referring to his \u201cdistinguished career spanning 36 years\u201d.<\/p>\n \u201cThe aspersions cast on him by the government of Canada are ludicrous and deserve to be treated with contempt,\u201d it said.<\/p>\n The Indian foreign ministry also said it was \u201cwithdrawing\u201d its top envoy and other diplomats.<\/p>\n \u201cWe have no faith in the current Canadian government\u2019s commitment to ensure their security. Therefore, the government of India has decided to withdraw the High Commissioner and other targeted diplomats and officials.\u201d<\/p>\n Earlier on Monday, Canadian police said they had taken the unusual step of publicly disclosing information about ongoing investigation \u201cdue to significant threat to public safety in our country\u201d.<\/p>\n RCMP commissioner Mike Duheme told reporters at a news conference on Monday that there had been \u201cover a dozen credible and imminent threats to life\u201d which he said \u201cspecifically\u201d focussed on members of the pro-Khalistan movement.<\/p>\n He added that the threats were sufficiently serious to warrant the RCMP\u2019s public intervention.<\/p>\n \u201cWe reached a point where we felt it was imperative to confront the government of India.\u201d<\/p>\n Officials said a dozen Indian agents were involved in the alleged criminal activities, but did not confirm if they were directly linked to the June 2023 murder of Sikh separatist leader Nijjar .<\/p>\n