India criticises Canada over probe into diplomatic envoy

INDIA criticised Canada on Monday, saying that Ottawa was investigating its ambassador and other diplomats as "persons of interest" in the 2023 murder of a Sikh separatist leader.

The killing of Hardeep Singh Nijjar, a Canadian citizen, last year has strained relations between the two countries after Canadian prime minister Justin Trudeau said there were "credible allegations" linking Indian intelligence to the crime.

India's foreign ministry, in a statement, said it had received "a diplomatic communication from Canada suggesting that the Indian high commissioner and other diplomats are persons of interest" in the ongoing investigation.

Nijjar, who moved to Canada in 1997 and gained citizenship in 2015, had been a proponent of a separate Sikh state, Khalistan, to be formed from Indian territory. He was wanted by Indian authorities for alleged terrorism and conspiracy to commit murder.

Four Indian nationals have been arrested in connection with Nijjar’s murder, which occurred in the parking lot of a Sikh temple in Vancouver in June 2023.

India dismissed the allegations of its involvement in the killing as "preposterous" and accused Canada of using a "strategy of smearing India for political gains."

India had previously curtailed visas for Canadians and demanded the withdrawal of diplomats in response to the dispute, and on Monday warned of possible further actions.

"India now reserves the right to take further steps in response to these latest efforts of the Canadian Government to concoct allegations against Indian diplomats," the foreign ministry added.

Canada is home to approximately 770,000 Sikhs, representing around two percent of its population, with a vocal minority advocating for an independent Khalistan.

In November 2023, the US Justice Department charged an Indian citizen residing in the Czech Republic with allegedly planning a similar assassination attempt on US soil. Court documents revealed that an Indian government official was also allegedly involved in the plot.

(With inputs from AFP)