Cascade of retaliation between India and Canada. The two countries each expelled their ambassador and five other high-ranking diplomats on Monday, October 14, after New Delhi declared that their envoy had been summoned among the “persons of interest” in an investigation into the murder of a Sikh separatist leader.
India initially indicated it would withdraw its six diplomats from Canada, but Mélanie Joly, Canada’s foreign minister, later confirmed that they had been expelled, not recalled. The minister highlighted having made this decision taking into account the “numerous clear and concrete evidence to identify six people as persons of interest in the Nijjar matter” and the lack of collaboration from India, which refused to lift the diplomatic immunity of its envoys.
The death of Canadian citizen Hardeep Singh Nijjar, who campaigned for the creation of an independent Sikh state in northern India called Khalistan, soured relations between the two countries, with Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau declaring there was no “credible accusations” linking Indian intelligence to this crime.
In turn, India “decided to expel” Ottawa’s acting high commissioner, Stewart Wheeler, his deputy and four first secretaries, ordered them to leave the country by midnight Sunday. The expulsion of the diplomats – the highest-ranking envoys of both parties – constitutes a significant escalation in the conflict.
“Monumental mistake”
Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau said on Monday that India had “a monumental mistake” when deciding“attack Canadians” after these crossed expulsions. “I think India made a monumental mistake by choosing to use its diplomats and organized crime to attack Canadians. (…) and generate acts of violence and homicides. “This is unacceptable.”he said, referring to allegations made by Canadian federal police against Indian government agents.
“We do not have confidence in the commitment of the current Canadian government to guarantee their security”explained the Indian Ministry of External Affairs to justify the withdrawal of its personnel. He remarkably described“absurd” accusations that India is involved in the assassination, considering it as a “Strategy of defaming India for political purposes”.
At the same time, the Royal Canadian Mounted Police (RCMP) announced on Monday that they had “evidence” for “the involvement of agents of the Government of India in serious criminal activities in Canada.” RCMP Commissioner Mike Duheme spoke in particular of cases of“intimidation, harassment, extortion and coercion” on Canadian territory, forcing government agents to “homicides and acts of violence”to “clandestine activities such as intelligence gathering” and of “interference in democratic processes”. The federal police emphasize that they tried to approach the Indian authorities with this evidence, without success.
oversupply
Since Justin Trudeau’s accusations, New Delhi and Ottawa have faced diplomatic retaliation. Last year, India temporarily restricted visas for Canadians and forced Canada to repatriate some of its diplomats. “India now reserves the right to take additional steps in response to these latest efforts by the Canadian government to fabricate allegations against Indian diplomats.”his Ministry of Foreign Affairs warned on Monday.
Nijjar, who immigrated to Canada in 1997 and has been a citizen since 2015, advocated for an independent Sikh state in India, Khalistan. Wanted by Indian authorities for alleged acts of “terrorism” and conspiracy to commit murder, charges he denied: Nijjar was shot to death on June 18, 2023, outside the Sikh temple he ran in suburban Vancouver. Four Indians were arrested after the murder.
In November 2023, the US Department of Justice accused an Indian citizen, resident in the Czech Republic, of having planned a similar assassination attempt in the United States. Prosecutors said an Indian government official was also involved in the case. Some 770,000 Sikhs live in Canada, making up 2% of the population, and an active minority calls for the creation of an independent state of Khalistan.
