Relations between the two countries have deteriorated further following Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau’s allegations in September last year of “potential” involvement of Indian agents in the killing of Indian-origin Canadian citizen Hardeep Singh Nijjar
In a stinging move, the Government of India on Monday expelled six Canadian diplomats hours after recalling the Indian high commissioner and other officials from Canada. The Ministry of External Affairs announced the Canadian diplomats must leave the country by 11:59 pm on October 19. This was India’s retaliation to Canada’s associating them with an inquiry into the murder of Khalistani terrorist Hardeep Singh Nijjar. India chose to expel the following 6 Canadian Diplomats
1. Stewart Ross Wheeler, Acting High Commissioner
2. Patrick Hebert, Deputy High Commissioner
3. Marie Catherine Joly, First Secretary
lan Ross David Trites, First Secretary
4. Adam James Chuipka, First Secretary
5. Paula Orjuela, First Secretary
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India called in the Canadian Deputy High Commissioner
Earlier during the day, the Ministry of External Affairs summoned the Canadian Deputy High Commissioner Stewart Wheeler after slamming the Trudeau government for “preposterous” allegations on Indian envoy Sanjay Kumar Verma during an investigation in Canada.
India said it received a diplomatic communication suggesting that Indian High Commissioner to Canada Sanjay Kumar Verma and other diplomats are “persons of interest” in an investigation related to Nijjar’s death. “The Canadian Charge d’Affaires was called in by Secretary East in the evening. He conveyed that the unabated baseless targeting of the Indian High Commissioner and other diplomats and officials in Canada is completely unacceptable,” the MEA said. India on Thursday made a hard-hitting statement when it said Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau’s hostility towards India had long been in evidence and his government had consciously provided space to violent extremists and terrorists “to harass, threaten and intimidate Indian diplomats and community leaders in Canada.”.
A diplomatic note yesterday from Canada indicated that the Indian High Commissioner and other diplomats are ‘persons of interest’ in a matter related to an investigation in that country, The Government of India categorically rejects these preposterous imputations and attributes them to the political agenda of the Trudeau Government that is centered around vote bank politics, the statement said. India-Canada relation
It would be pertinent to mention here that the ties between India and Canada soured after last year when the Canadian Prime Minister, Justin Trudeau, alleged in the Canadian Parliament that he has “credible allegations” of India’s hand in the killing of Khalistani terrorist Hardeep Singh Nijjar.
India has denied all the allegations, terming them “absurd” and “motivated” and has accused Canada of giving space to extremist and anti-India elements in their country. India’s National Investigation Agency named him as a terrorist in 2020. He was shot and killed last June outside of a Gurdwara in Surrey.