NEW DELHI
\nCanadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau has said Canada was \u201cactively pursuing credible allegations\u201d linking Indian government agents to the murder of a Sikh separatist leader, Hardeep Singh Nijjar, in British Columbia in June, a concern India dismissed as \u201cabsurd\u201d.
\nThe spat deals a fresh blow to diplomatic ties that have been fraying for years, with New Delhi unhappy over Sikh separatist activity in Canada. It now threatens trade ties too, with talks on a proposed trade deal frozen last week.
\nEach nation also expelled a diplomat in tat-for-tat moves, with Canada throwing out India\u2019s top intelligence agent there while New Delhi responded by giving a Canadian diplomat five days to leave.
\nAny involvement of a foreign government in the killing of a Canadian citizen was \u201can unacceptable violation of our sovereignty\u201d, Trudeau told the House of Commons in an emergency statement on Monday.
\nHe was referring to Hardeep Singh Nijjar, 45, shot dead outside a Sikh temple on June 18 in Surrey, a Vancouver suburb with a large Sikh population, three years after India had designated him as a \u201cterrorist\u201d.
\nNijjar supported a Sikh homeland in the form of an independent, so-called state of Khalistan in India\u2019s northern state of Punjab, the birthplace of the Sikh religion, which borders Pakistan.
\nOn Tuesday, India\u2019s foreign ministry said it had given the Canadian diplomat five days to leave the country, without disclosing his name or rank.
\n\u201cThe decision reflects the government of India\u2019s growing concern at the interference of Canadian diplomats in our internal matters and their involvement in anti-India activities,\u201d it said in a statement.
\nThe ministry had summoned Cameron MacKay, Canada\u2019s high commissioner, or ambassador, in New Delhi to notify him of the move, it added.
\nEarlier, New Delhi urged Ottawa to take action against anti-Indian elements in Canada.
\n\u201cAllegations of the government of India\u2019s involvement in any act of violence in Canada are absurd and motivated,\u201d it said, adding that similar accusations made by Trudeau to Prime Minister Narendra Modi had been \u201ccompletely rejected\u201d.
\nIt said the \u201cunsubstantiated allegations\u201d sought to shift focus away from \u201cKhalistani terrorists and extremists who have been provided shelter in Canada\u201d.
\nThe ministry added, \u201cWe urge the government of Canada to take prompt and effective legal action against all anti-India elements operating from their soil,\u201d the ministry said.
\nTrudeau said he had raised the matter directly with Modi on the sidelines of G20 summit in New Delhi on Sept. 9 and 10, and had urged his government to co-operate with Canada to resolve it.
\nModi, in turn, conveyed strong concern to Trudeau over recent demonstrations in Canada by Sikhs calling for an independent state.
\nCanada has the largest population of Sikhs outside the Indian state of Punjab, with about 770,000 people reporting Sikhism as their religion in the 2021 census.
\nKhalistan is an independent Sikh state whose creation has been sought for decades. A Sikh insurgency killed tens of thousands of people in India in the 1980s and early 1990s before it was suppressed by tough security action.
\nHowever, New Delhi has been wary of any revival, with a particular focus on small groups of Sikhs in Australia, Britain, Canada and the United States, who support the separatist demand and occasionally stage protests outside its embassies.
\nThe United States and Australia expressed \u201cdeep concern\u201d over Canada\u2019s accusations, while Britain said it was in close touch with its Canadian partners about the \u201cserious allegations\u201d.
\nIndia has been particularly sensitive to Sikh protesters in Canada with some Indian analysts saying Ottawa does not stop them as Sikhs are a politically influential group there.
\nIn June, India criticised Canada for permitting a float in a parade depicting the 1984 assassination of Prime Minister Indira Gandhi by her bodyguards, perceived to be glorification of violence by Sikh separatists.
\nOttawa paused talks this month on a proposed trade treaty with India, just three months after both said they aimed to seal an initial deal this year.
\nModi did not hold a two-way meeting with Trudeau at the G20 summit, despite similar meetings with other world leaders. Days earlier, metro stations in the Indian capital were vandalised with pro-Khalistan graffiti.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
NEW DELHI Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau has said Canada was \u201cactively pursuing credible allegations\u201d linking Indian government agents to the murder of a Sikh separatist leader, Hardeep Singh Nijjar, in British Columbia in June, a concern India dismissed as \u201cabsurd\u201d. The spat deals a fresh blow to diplomatic ties that have been fraying for […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":357077,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[6],"tags":[],"class_list":{"0":"post-357043","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-world"},"yoast_head":"\n