Ottawa: Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau said there are “credible allegations of a potential link” between agents of the Indian government and the killing of a prominent Sikh leader.
Hardeep Singh Nijjar was slain in June outside a temple in British Columbia, raising tensions between Sikh separatists and the Indian government. “Canada has declared its deep concerns to the top intelligence and security officials of the Indian government,” Trudeau said in the Ottawa legislature. The prime minister added that he raised those concerns “personally and directly” with his Indian counterpart, Narendra Modi, on the sidelines of the Group of 20 meeting recently in New Delhi.
“In no uncertain terms, any involvement of a foreign government in the killing of a Canadian citizen on Canadian soil is an unacceptable violation of our sovereignty,” Trudeau said. Melanie Joly, Canada’s foreign minister, said she has expelled the head of India’s intelligence agency in Canada from the country.
Trudeau’s speech highlights a souring relationship between the two nations. Last week, Canada postponed a trade mission to India, which had been planned for early October, after the prime minister’s contentious meeting with Modi in the Indian capital.
India rejects allegations
The Canadian government's "absurd" allegations that Indian operatives were involved in the murder of Khalistani terrorist were rejected by India. “We have seen and rejected the statement of the Canadian Prime Minister in their Parliament, as also the statement by their Foreign Minister. Allegations of Government of India's involvement in any act of violence in Canada are absurd and motivated...We are a democratic polity with a strong commitment to rule of law," the statement said.
Not trying to provoke India: Trudeau
Canada is not attempting to irritate India by implying that its operatives were involved in the assassination of a Khalistani terrorist, but Ottawa wants New Delhi to address the matter appropriately, Trudeau said after India rejected his allegations. "The government of India needs to take this matter with the utmost seriousness. We are doing that, we are not looking to provoke or escalate," he told reporters. In retaliation for Trudeau's accusation, India expelled a top Canadian diplomat. The anonymous diplomat has five days to leave the nation.