Toronto, Oct 15: Canada on Monday said it has expelled six Indian diplomats “in relation to a targeted campaign against Canadian citizens by agents linked to the Government of India”.The development came around the same time when India announced the expulsion of six members of the Canadian high commission in Delhi.
āKeeping Canadians safe is the fundamental job of the Canadian government. The decision to expel these individuals was made with great consideration and only after the RCMP gathered ample, clear and concrete evidence which identified six individuals as persons of interest in the Nijjar case. We continue to ask that the Indian government support the ongoing investigation in the Nijjar case, as it remains in both our countriesā interest to get to the bottom of this,ā Minister of Foreign Affairs MĆ©lanie Joly said in a press release.
Khalistani separatist Hardeep Singh Nijjar was gunned down in Surrey, British Columbia, in June last year.
In May 2024, the RCMPās Integrated Homicide Investigative Team and the Federal Policing Programme Pacific Region announced the arrests of four individuals for their alleged involvement in the killing of Nijjar.
In the press release, Global Affairs Canada announced that six Indian diplomats and consular officials “had received a notice of expulsion from Canada in relation to a targeted campaign against Canadian citizens by agents linked to the Government of India”.
The Royal Canadian Mounted Police (RCMP) gathered information that established linkages between the investigation and agents of the Government of India. In order to further the investigation and allow the RCMP to interview relevant individuals, India was asked to waive diplomatic and consular immunities and to cooperate in the investigation, the statement said.
Addressing a press conference earlier, RCMP Commissioner Mike Duheme warned of widespread violence, homicides and a public security threat linked to “agents” of the Indian government.
Hours earlier, India announced withdrawing its high commissioner and other “targeted diplomats and officials” from Canada after strongly dismissing Ottawa’s allegations linking the envoy to an investigation into the killing of Nijjar.
Quoting a government official, who was not authorised to discuss the matter on national security grounds, The Globe and Mail daily reported that the Canadian government presented the evidence to India last week and the Indian government staunchly denied the allegations.