NEW DELHI — India dismissed allegations that its government was linked to the killing of a Sikh activist in Canada as “absurd” on Tuesday, and expelled a Canadian diplomat.
It came a day after Canada expelled a top Indian diplomat as it investigated what Prime Minister Justin Trudeau called credible allegations that his government may have been involved in the killing of Sikh leader Hardeep Singh Nijjar, who was gunned down on June 18 outside a Sikh cultural center. in Surrey, British Columbia.
Nijjar was organizing an unofficial referendum in India for an independent Sikh nation at the time of this death. Indian authorities announced a cash reward last year for information leading to Nijjar’s arrest, accusing him of involvement in an alleged attack on a Hindu priest in India.
In a statement, India’s Ministry of External Affairs wrote that “the decision reflects the growing concern of the Government of India about the inclusion of Canadian diplomats in our internal affairs and engaged in anti-India activities.
The dueling outings come as relations between Canada and India are strained. Trade talks have been canceled and Canada just canceled a trade trip to India that was planned for the fall. Protests by pro-Sikh independence groups in Canada have angered the Modi government.
The Sikh independence movement, or Khalistan, is banned in India, where officials see it and affiliated groups as a national security threat. But his movement still has support in northern India, as well as in countries like Canada and the United Kingdom that are home to a large Sikh diaspora.
Trudeau told Parliament he raised the killing with Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi at the G20 last week. He said he told Modi that it would not be acceptable to accept any Indian government and asked for cooperation in the investigation.
“Any involvement of a foreign government in the killing of a Canadian citizen on Canadian soil is an unacceptable violation of our sovereignty,” he said. “In the strongest terms I continue to send urge the government of India to cooperate with Canada to get to the bottom of this matter.”
On Tuesday, India’s foreign ministry issued a statement rejecting the allegation as “absurd and provocative”. The ministry said Trudeau had made similar allegations to Modi.
“Such baseless allegations seek to divert the focus from Khalistani terrorists and insurgents, who have been sheltered in Canada and continue to threaten India’s sovereignty and territorial integrity,” the statement said. referring to the proposed name for the Sikh homeland.
Canadian Foreign Minister Mélanie Joly said a top diplomat, who she said was the head of Indian intelligence in Canada, was fired as a result.
“If proven true, this would be a serious violation of our sovereignty and the most fundamental rule of how countries treat each other,” Joly said. “As a result we have expelled a top Indian diplomat.”
The cancellation comes as relations between Canada and India are strained. Trade talks have been canceled and Canada just canceled a trade trip to India that was planned for the fall.
At the G20 meeting, Modi expressed “strong concerns” about Canada’s handling of the Punjabi independence movement among Sikhs abroad during a meeting with Trudeau at the G20, according to India’s response, released by the Ministry of Affairs Foreign India.
The statement described the Sikh movement as “promoting secessionism and inciting violence” against Indian diplomats. It called on Canada to work with India on what New Delhi said was a threat to Canada’s Indian diaspora. .
Protests by pro-Khalistan groups in Canada have angered the Modi government, prompting him to summon the Canadian High Commissioner in New Delhi in March.
Canada has a Sikh population of over 770,000, or about 2% of the total population.
Public Safety Minister Dominic LeBlanc said Canada’s national security adviser and the head of Canada’s spy service have traveled to India to meet with their counterparts and to confront Indian intelligence agencies with the allegations.
He said it was an active homicide investigation led by the Royal Canadian Mounted Police.
Joly said Trudeau also raised the issue with US President Joe Biden and UK Prime Minister Rishi Sunak.
“We are deeply concerned about the allegations that Prime Minister Trudeau has mentioned,” said White House National Security Council spokeswoman Adrienne Watson. It is imperative that the Canadian investigation proceeds and that the perpetrators are brought to justice. “
Joly also said that she would raise the issue with her counterparts at the G7 on Monday night in New York City ahead of the United Nations General Assembly.
The leader of the New Democrats in Canada, Jagmeet Singh, who is himself a Sikh, said it was shocking and appalling. Singh said he grew up hearing stories that challenging India’s human rights record could prevent you from getting a visa to travel there.
“But to hear the Prime Minister of Canada confirm a possible connection between the murder of a Canadian citizen on Canadian soil by a foreign government is something I could never have imagined,” Singh said. .
The Premier of British Columbia, David Eby, said that he received a briefing from the Canadian spy agency about Nijjar’s “deception” and that he is “deeply disturbed” by what he was told.
The World Sikh Organization of Canada called Nijjar an outspoken supporter of Khalistan who “frequently led peaceful protests against the human rights violations actively taking place in India and the support Khalistan. “
“Nijjar had spoken publicly about the threat to his life for months and said he had been targeted by Indian intelligence agencies,” the statement said.
Nijjar’s New York-based lawyer, Gurpatwant Singh Pannun, said Nijjar was warned by Canadian intelligence officials about targeting assassinations by “mercenaries” before he was shot.
Janice Stein, a political scientist and international relations expert at the University of Toronto, said it is extraordinary to kill a Canadian citizen on Canadian soil.
“It’s difficult for Canada because we have issues with foreign interference in the two largest economies in Asia, China and India. And we have two large diasporas from both countries. This is not what we want,” Stein said.
Indian authorities have targeted Sikh separatism since the 1980s, when an armed rebellion for an independent Sikh state began in the state of Punjab.
In 1984, Indian forces stormed the Golden Temple in the state city of Amritsar to flush out Sikh separatists, who had taken refuge there. The controversial campaign killed around 400, according to official figures, although Sikh groups believe the toll is higher.
The prime minister who ordered the attack, Indira Gandhi, was later killed by two of her bodyguards, who were Sikhs. Her death sparked a series of anti-Sikh riots, in which Hindu mobs went from house to house across northern India, pulling Sikhs from their homes, dragging many to death and burning them. others live.
Modi government has done more in pursuit of Sikh separatists. When farmers camped out on the outskirts of New Delhi to protest the 2021 agricultural laws, the Modi government first tried to discredit Sikh participants by dismissing their concerns by calling them “Khalistanis.” Police also arrested a 22-year-old climate activist for supporting the farmers and accused her of being in contact with Sikh independence supporters.
Earlier this year, supporters of the Khalistan movement vandalized the Indian consulates in London and San Francisco.
In April, Indian police arrested a leader who had become popular for speeches calling for an independent Sikh homeland after a month-long manhunt.
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Gillies reported from Toronto. Associated Press correspondent Aamer Madhani contributed to this report from New York.
