Canada accuses India of murdering a Canadian citizen. India describes the accusation as absurd – and considers the man killed to be a terrorist. The dispute threatens to escalate.
The relationship between Canada and India has sunk to a low point due to serious allegations and the mutual expulsion of a senior diplomat. Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau accused Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s Indian government of the targeted murder of a Canadian citizen on Monday and had a diplomat expelled as a result. On Tuesday, the Foreign Ministry summoned the Canadian ambassador in New Delhi and also expelled a senior diplomat.
It was said that he had to leave the country within five days. “The decision reflects increasing concerns of the Indian government over the interference of Canadian diplomats in our internal affairs and their involvement in anti-India activities,” India’s foreign ministry said.
Canadian shot dead outside a Sikh cultural center
On Monday, Prime Minister Trudeau said in Parliament: “In recent weeks, Canadian security agencies have been actively pursuing credible allegations of a possible link between Indian government agents and the murder of Canadian citizen Hardeep Singh Nijjar.” Nijjar, a well-known supporter of an independent Sikh state on Indian territory, was shot dead in June outside a Sikh cultural center in Surrey, British Columbia.
“Every step must be taken to bring the perpetrators of this murder to justice,” said Trudeau. Ottawa has expressed deep concern to senior intelligence and security circles in the Indian government. At the recent G20 summit in New Delhi, he also addressed Modi directly about the incident. “I continue to urge the Indian government to work with Canada to get to the bottom of this matter,” Trudeau said.
India firmly rejects the allegations
India immediately rejected the allegations. The State Department said the allegation that the Indian government was involved in violence in Canada was “absurd” and politically motivated. Such “baseless allegations” are an attempt to divert the focus from terrorists and extremists of the so-called Khalistan movement who have found shelter in Canada and are threatening India’s sovereignty and territorial integrity. “Canada’s inaction on this matter has long been a concern,” it said. “We urge the Canadian government to take immediate and effective action against any anti-India elements operating from its soil.”
Authorities in India had been looking for Nijjar for a long time – he was accused of, among other things, “terrorism”. He is said to have been involved in several killings and to have financed secessionist activities.
Many Canadians with Indian origins
There are many people of Indian origin living in Canada. A particularly large number of them belong to the Sikh religious community. Prime Minister Modi recently made negative comments about the so-called Khalistan movement, to which Nijjar belonged, on the sidelines of the G20 summit without directly being named. This promotes secessionism and incites violence against Indian diplomats, Modi said.
Source: Stern
I have been working in the news industry for over 6 years, first as a reporter and now as an editor. I have covered politics extensively, and my work has appeared in major newspapers and online news outlets around the world. In addition to my writing, I also contribute regularly to 24 Hours World.
