Bilateral relations between India and Canada hit a new low following the G20 Summit in Delhi on September 9-10. Canada’s Prime Minister Justin Trudeau had a terse exchange with Prime Minister Narendra Modi during their meeting on the sidelines of the G20 Summit.
Days later, the Trudeau government said that Indian government played a role in the killing of Khalistani separatist leader Hardeep Singh Nijjar in Canada in June, fuelling a significant rift between the two countries. The developments mark a dramatic escalation of tensions between the two countries.
How the stand-off began: The killing of Hardeep Singh Nijjar
Hardeep Singh Nijjar, a vocal advocate for the creation of Khalistan – a separate homeland for Sikh community, was shot dead by two masked gunmen outside a Sikh temple in Vancouver on June 19. He was 45.
He was the chief of Khalistan Tiger Force (KTF), which is labelled as a “terrorist organisation” by the Ministry of Home Affairs under the Unlawful Activities Prevention Act (UAPA). He was also associated with Sikhs For Justice, a separatist organisation that is banned in India.
In India, Nijjar was wanted in India for several cases, including a 2007 cinema bombing in Punjab that killed six people and injured 40, and the 2009 assassination of Sikh politician Rulda Singh. The National Investigation Agency (NIA) had announced a cash reward of Rs 10 lakh for any information about him on information leading to his arrest in connection with Hindu priest attack case in Jalandhar in 2021.
Nijjar’s death investigation ongoing
At the time of his death, Canadian investigators said they had not yet established a motive for his murder or identify any suspects, however, they categorised the killing as a “targetted incident”. An investigation by the Royal Canadian Mounted Police is ongoing, reported BBC.
Justin Trudeau raises Nijjar’s killings in House of Commons
On Monday (September 18), in his speech in the House of Commons, Canada’s PM Justin Trudeau said, “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.”
He added that he had raised the issue with PM Modi at the G20 Summit, adding that he also raised the issue with US President Joe Biden and UK Prime Minister Rishi Sunak. “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.
Canada expels Indian diplomat
After Trudeau’s remarks in Parliament, Canadian Foreign Minister Melanie Joly said at a press conference that she had ordered the expulsion of “a senior Indian diplomat”.
India rejects Trudeau’s allegations
India outrightly rejected the claims calling it “absurd” and “motivated”. “We have seen and reject the statement of the Canadian Prime Minister in their Parliament, as also the statement by their Foreign Minister… Allegations of Government of India’s involvement in any act of violence in Canada are absurd and motivated. Similar allegations were made by the Canadian Prime Minister to our Prime Minister, and were completely rejected,” the MEA said.
India expels Canadian diplomat
In a tit-for-tat move, India responded by expelling Olivier Sylvestere, who is the Canadian intelligence agency station chief in India, and asked him to leave India within five days.
India issues travel advisory
In further escalation of the diplomatic standoff between the two countries, Delhi on Wednesday issued a strongly-worded advisory to Indian nationals in Canada, warning against “anti-India activities” and “politically-condoned hate crimes” and urged all Indian citizens to “exercise caution”.
“Given the deteriorating security environment in Canada, Indian students in particular are advised to exercise extreme caution and remain vigilant,” it said.
BLS International stops visa services
Meanhwhile, India on Thursday, suspended visa services for Canadian nationals indefinitely. So far, no formal announcement of the suspension of visa services has been made, however, BLS International, which runs the visa application centres in Canada, posted a message on its Canadian website in this regard.
“Important notice from the Indian Mission: Due to operational reasons, with effect from 21st September 2023 [Thursday], Indian visa services have been suspended till further notice,” it said.
It cited “operational reasons” for halting the visa applications. A Reuters report stated that BLS International has withdrawn the notice about suspension of visa services, however, the ticker was still being reflected on their website at the time of publishing this report.