India summons Canadian diplomat after Ottawa's move against envoy

Stewart Wheeler, Canada's Deputy High Commissioner to India, was summoned by New Delhi after Canada named Indian High Commissioner Sanjay Kumar Verma as a 'person of interest' in its investigation into Hardeep Nijjar's killing.

In Short

• Canada names Indian envoy as 'person of interest' in Nijjar murder probe
• India accuses Justin Trudeau of 'votebank politics'
• Canadian diplomat Stewart Wheeler summoned by External Affairs Ministry

The government summoned a Canadian diplomat hours after it, in a hard-hitting statement, rejected Ottawa’s charge against the Indian High Commissioner and other diplomats as 'persons of interest' in the investigation into Khalistani terrorist Hardeep Singh Nijjar’s murder.

Stewart Wheeler, Canada's Deputy High Commissioner to India, was summoned by the Ministry of External Affairs to offer explanation over Canada's move.

On Monday, Canada named Indian High Commissioner Sanjay Kumar Verma as a 'person of interest' in its investigation into Nijjar's killing.

This was followed by a strongly-worded response by India, where it accused Prime Minister Justine Trudeau of doing "votebank politics" and not doing enough to tackle separatist elements on Canadian soil.

In a scathing statement, the Ministry of External Affairs said the Canadian government did not share a shred of evidence of India's involvement in Nijjar's killing despite repeated requests.

"We have received a diplomatic communication from Canada yesterday suggesting 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 strongly rejects these preposterous imputations and ascribes them to the political agenda of the Trudeau Government that is centred around vote bank politics.

"Since Prime Minister Trudeau made certain allegations in September 2023, the Canadian government has not shared a shred of evidence with the Government of India, despite many requests from our side. This latest step follows interactions that have again witnessed assertions without any facts. This leaves little doubt that on the pretext of an investigation, there is a deliberate strategy of smearing India for political gains," the statement read.

Ties between India and Canada dived in September last year when Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau alleged Indian government agents' involvement in the killing of Khalistani terrorist Hardeep Singh Nijjar on Canadian soil. New Delhi rejected those charges as "motivated and absurd".