Canada expels 6 Indian diplomats, government source says
New Delhi has rejected claims that its ambassador to Canada was involved in assassination
Canada expelled six Indian diplomats after police reported gathering evidence that these officials were involved in an Indian government "campaign of violence," a government source told Reuters on Monday.
The Washington Post first reported the expulsion. In response, India withdrew its envoy to Canada and other officials identified by Ottawa as persons of interest in an ongoing investigation, according to the Indian foreign ministry.
New Delhi dismissed the Canadian claims as "preposterous imputations," describing them as part of Prime Minister Justin Trudeau's "political agenda" driven by "vote bank politics."
India summoned the Canadian chargé d’affaires on Monday, labeling the allegations against its diplomats "completely unacceptable." A statement from the Indian foreign ministry said, "We have no faith in the current Canadian Government's commitment to ensure their security. Therefore, the Government of India has decided to withdraw the High Commissioner and other targeted diplomats and officials."
The ministry further asserted that India "reserves the right to take further steps" in response to what it described as Ottawa’s support for "extremism, violence, and separatism against India."
Tensions between the two countries have been escalating since September 2023, when Trudeau announced that Canada was "pursuing credible allegations of a potential link" between Indian agents and the assassination of a Canadian Sikh separatist leader. India strongly denied the accusation, claiming Canada had provided no evidence to support the claim.
India has expressed frustration with what it sees as politically motivated actions. "This latest step follows interactions that have again witnessed assertions without any facts. This leaves little doubt that on the pretext of an investigation, there is a deliberate strategy of smearing India for political gains," the statement read.
India also accused the Canadian government of enabling extremists. "The Trudeau government has consciously provided space to violent extremists and terrorists to harass, threaten, and intimidate Indian diplomats and community leaders in Canada," the statement said.
In October 2023, Canada reduced its diplomatic presence in India by pulling out over 40 diplomats following New Delhi’s demand to downsize its mission.
Relations between the two countries had already soured earlier in the year. A June report by Canadian parliamentarians identified India and China as key foreign threats to Canada’s democracy, based on intelligence inputs. India’s envoy in Ottawa, Sanjay Kumar Verma, dismissed the report as politically motivated and influenced by Sikh separatists.
Prime Minister Trudeau had previously expressed a desire for cooperation, saying he hoped India would "engage with us so that we can get to the bottom of this very serious matter."
Shortly after Canada’s initial allegations, the U.S. claimed Indian agents were involved in an attempted assassination of another Sikh separatist leader in New York in 2023. The U.S. announced it had indicted an Indian national who allegedly acted on instructions from an unnamed Indian government official.
Unlike its harsh response to Canada, India reacted with concern to the U.S. claims, distancing itself from the alleged plot and launching an investigation.
These alleged assassination plots in Canada and the U.S. have strained their relationships with India at a time when both Western countries are seeking closer ties with New Delhi to counter China’s growing influence globally.
