Canada Expels Six Indian Diplomats, Including High Commissioner, Over Sikh Leader’s Assassination Allegations
India Responds by Expelling Canadian Diplomats Amid Escalating Tensions
Canada expelled six Indian diplomats on Monday, including the high commissioner, accusing them of involvement in the assassination of a Sikh separatist leader and alleging broader targeting of Indian dissidents in Canada.
India swiftly retaliated by expelling six Canadian diplomats, including the acting high commissioner, and withdrawing its envoy from Canada, contradicting Ottawa’s statement of expulsion.
This diplomatic confrontation marks a significant downturn in relations between the two Commonwealth nations. Tensions have been simmering since Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau accused India of being linked to the killing of Sikh leader Hardeep Singh Nijjar on Canadian soil last year.
Trudeau stated that the government now has “clear and compelling evidence” of Indian agents engaging in activities that threaten public safety, including espionage, coercion, and violent acts targeting South Asian Canadians. He emphasized that these actions, including Nijjar’s murder, are unacceptable.
India has consistently denied the allegations, dismissing Trudeau’s accusations as politically motivated. On Monday, India criticized Canada’s investigation and asserted that Trudeau is pursuing a “political agenda.”
The Royal Canadian Mounted Police (RCMP) revealed that Indian agents had engaged in a wide-ranging campaign against dissidents in Canada, involving extortion, homicides, and even interference in democratic processes. According to the RCMP, the expulsion of the six diplomats was based on “clear and concrete evidence” linking them to these activities.
India, in turn, ordered six Canadian diplomats to leave by Saturday and summoned Canada’s Acting High Commissioner Stewart Wheeler. The Indian government announced it was withdrawing its diplomats due to concerns for their safety, citing a lack of confidence in Canada’s ability to protect them.
Canada’s Foreign Minister Melanie Joly said Ottawa had asked India to waive diplomatic immunity for the six expelled diplomats so that Canadian authorities could question them about their alleged involvement in criminal activities. When India refused, Canada decided to expel them.
Joly stressed that Canada is not seeking a diplomatic confrontation but will not remain silent if foreign agents threaten or harm Canadians. This latest move follows Canada’s earlier withdrawal of over 40 diplomats from India in October 2023, after New Delhi demanded a reduction in Canada’s diplomatic presence.
Experts have called the situation a “major rupture” in the Canada-India relationship. Fen Osler Hampson, an international relations professor at Carleton University, remarked that a return to normal diplomatic relations is unlikely in the near future.
Canada hosts the largest Sikh population outside Punjab, and recent demonstrations by Sikh separatists have irked the Indian government.
The U.S. has also accused Indian agents of plotting to assassinate a Sikh separatist leader in New York last year. An Indian national, allegedly working under the direction of an unnamed Indian official, was indicted in connection with the plot. A meeting between Indian and U.S. officials to discuss India’s involvement in the foiled New York plot is expected to take place this week, according to the U.S. State Department.
As both Canada and the U.S. seek closer ties with India to counterbalance China’s growing influence, the accusations of assassination plots have strained their relationships with New Delhi.
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