India ordered the expulsion of six Canadian diplomats on Monday and also withdrew its ambassador to Canada, over what it said was Ottawa’s decision to name him and others as “persons of interest” in the investigation.
India has not elaborated on the investigation, but relations have worsened since 2023, when Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau said he had evidence linking Indian agents to the killing of a separatist Sikh leader in his country.
India has long denied Trudeau’s allegations. On Monday it dismissed Canada’s initiative in the investigation and accused Trudeau of pursuing a “political agenda.”
“We do not trust the commitment of the current Canadian Government to ensure their safety. “Therefore, the Government of India has decided to withdraw the High Commissioner and other diplomats and other targeted officials,” India’s Ministry of External Affairs said in a statement.
It later said it had asked six Canadian diplomats to leave on Saturday.
It also said it has called Canadian Charge d’Affaires Stewart Wheeler to protest.
The Canadian government has not publicly confirmed that it has designated any Indian official as a person of interest.
The Royal Canadian Mounted Police said on Monday it has extensive information about criminal activities organized by agents of the Indian government.
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The investigation revealed that Indian politicians and diplomatic officials based in Canada were using their official positions to carry out “covert operations,” the RCMP said.
The Indian government has been collecting information on its officials in the country and this information is being used by the Indian government to target members of the South Asian community, according to the RCMP.
Wheeler on Monday emphasized Trudeau’s accusations, saying in a statement: “Canada has provided credible, irrefutable evidence of a relationship between agents of the Government of India and the killing of a Canadian citizen on Canadian soil.
“Now, it’s time for India to do what it said it would do and look into those allegations.”
India has also repeatedly stated that Canada has not shared any evidence to support its claim.
“This latest move follows an engagement that again saw assurances without facts. This leaves little doubt that for the purpose of the investigation, there is a deliberate plan to defame India for political gain,” said India’s Ministry of External Affairs earlier on Monday.
Canada withdrew more than 40 diplomats from India in October 2023 after New Delhi asked Ottawa to reduce its diplomatic presence.
In June, a Canadian parliamentary committee named India and China as the biggest foreign threats to its democratic institutions, based on the opinion of intelligence agencies.
The United States also alleged that Indian agents were involved in an attempt to kill another Sikh leader in New York in 2023, and said it blamed an Indian national acting on the orders of an unnamed Indian government official.
India has expressed concern after the US raised the issue, dissociated itself from the plot, and has launched an investigation.
Alleged assassination plots against various Sikh leaders in Canada and the US have tested their relationship with India as they look to build deeper ties with the country to counter China’s growing global influence.
-Reporting by Krishn Kaushik, Sakshi Dayal and Promit Mukherjee; editing by Sudipto Ganguly, Christian Schmollinger, Ed Osmond and Andrew Heavens