Canada expelled six Indian diplomats, including the high commissioner, as part of allegations linking them to the murder of a Sikh separatist leader and targeting Indian dissidents in Canada. India retaliated by expelling six Canadian diplomats, contradicting Canada’s statement of expulsion, leading to a major deterioration of relations between the two countries. Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau accused Indian agents of engaging in criminal activities in Canada, which India denied, calling it a “fundamental error.”
The Royal Canadian Mounted Police stated that India had undertaken activities targeting Indian dissidents, including homicides and extortion, as well as interference in democratic processes. Canada requested India to remove the diplomatic immunity of the diplomats for questioning, but when they did not cooperate, Canada expelled them. The relationship between Canada and India has ruptured, leading to a significant strain in their ties.
Canada, home to a large Sikh population, has faced tensions with India over allegations of Indian involvement in assassination plots against Sikh separatist leaders in Canada and the U.S. The U.S. has indicted an Indian national working for an unnamed Indian government official in connection with an attempted assassination in New York last year. The accusations have complicated the relationship between Canada, the U.S., and India, as they navigate global geopolitics.
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