Canada expels Indian diplomat as Trudeau accuses India of killing Sikh leader
Americas, Europe, News September 20, 2023 2 Comments on Canada expels Indian diplomat as Trudeau accuses India of killing Sikh leaderIndia expelled a Canadian diplomat on September 19, 2023, in a tit-for-tat move after Canada accused its diplomat of being involved in the assassination of a Sikh activist on its soil. The expelled Indian diplomat was the head of the Indian intelligence agency in Canada.
The growing spat between Ottawa and New Delhi reached its climax after Prime Minister Justin Trudeau said that his government was investigating “credible allegations” linking an Indian diplomat to the June killing of Canadian citizen and prominent Sikh leader, Hardeep Singh Nijjar.
“Over the past number of weeks, Canadian security agencies have been actively pursuing credible allegations of a potential link between agents of the government of India and the killing of a Canadian citizen Hardeep Singh Nijjar,” Trudeau said in his parliamentary speech on Monday. He added that his government would take all steps necessary “to hold perpetrators of this murder to account.”
Following Trudeau’s speech, Canada’s foreign minister Mélanie Joly announced that an Indian diplomat had been kicked out of Canada in connection with the murder of Hardeep Singh Nijjar. “Today we’re acting by expelling a key diplomat, but we will get to the bottom of this,” she told reporters in Ottawa.
My statement on allegations surrounding the killing of Hardeep Singh Nijjar. pic.twitter.com/auIyj194A8
— Mélanie Joly (@melaniejoly) September 19, 2023
Joly also added that the Canadian administration has raised the issue of India’s involvement in the murder on the international stage and Prime Minister Trudeau has also spoken with U.S. President Joe Biden and British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak regarding the issue.
Indian Foreign Ministry responded by expelling a senior Canadian diplomat from India after accusing him of meddling in India’s internal affairs. “The concerned diplomat has been asked to leave India within the next five days,” the Indian foreign ministry said in a statement. “The decision reflects the Government of India’s growing concern at the interference of Canadian diplomats in our internal matters and their involvement in anti-India activities,” it added.
Who was Hardeep Singh Nijjar?
Hardeep Singh Nijjar was the figurehead of the Sikh movement that demanded the independence of India’s Punjab. He was an outspoken supporter of the creation of a separate Sikh homeland known as Khalistan. The Indian government had labeled Nijjar as a terrorist for leading a separatist movement.
In 2016, Interpol accused Nijjar as the key culprit behind the 2007 bombing of a cinema in India’s Punjab. The Indian government had also accused Nijjar of recruiting and fundraising for anti-Indian movements, a charge that he denied.
The 45-year-old Canadian citizen and Sikh leader was killed in a shooting on June 28, 2023, outside a Sikh temple in British Colombia. He was serving as the president of the temple. Indian authorities had announced a cash reward last year for information leading to Nijjar’s arrest.
Following the announcement of the expulsion of the Indian diplomat, Nijjar’s 21-year-old son spoke to the media and thanked Prime Minister Trudeau and other Canadian politicians. “When we heard the news today, it was a sense of relief that it’s finally coming to the public,” he said. “It was just a matter of time for when the truth would come out,” the younger Nijjar added.
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[…] between the two countries took a toll after Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau has accused the Indian government of being involved in the killing of Sikh separatist leader Hardeep Singh Nijjar. Trudeau said […]
[…] a lot of pressure from the international community for its domestic human rights violations and the murder of Canadian citizen and prominent Sikh leader, Hardeep Singh Nijjar. Both Nijjar and Pannun are linked with the […]