India pulls envoy from Canada over new allegation

India said it was going to recall its ambassador from Canada after Ottawa said he and other top Indian diplomats were "persons of interest" in an investigation into the 2023 killing of Sikh activist Hardeep Singh Nijjar.

The Indian Foreign Ministry said it is going to pull its ambassador out of Canada on Monday amid growing tensions between the countries.

India said it received a diplomatic communication suggesting India's envoy to Ottawa and other diplomats were a "person of interest" in an investigation into the killing of Sikh activist Hardeep Singh Nijjar on Canadian soil last year.

India said it rejected "these preposterous imputations" and has asked the Canadian government many times to provide evidence into its claims that Indian government agents were involved in the killing of Nijjar in June 2023.

The foreign ministry said there was no evidence into claims this time either, accusing it of creating a pretext for deliberately "smearing India for political gains."

"India now reserves the right to take further steps in response to these latest efforts of the Canadian Government to concoct allegations against Indian diplomats," it said.

Who was Sikh activist Nijjar?

Nijjar was a prominent member of a movement to create a sovereign Sikh state — known as Khalistan — in northern India. He was 45 years old when he was killed last year. 

Nijjar had arrived decades ago as a refugee and had since gained Canadian citizenship. Nijjar was a wanted man in India, which has for years seen Sikh separatists abroad as a security threat.

Indian and Canadian diplomatic spat widens

India and Canada have long shared warm ties. Canada is home to the world's largest Sikh population outside India and the countries have been key strategic partners on issues like trade and security. 

But relations have been strained ever since Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau accused Indian government agents of being involved in the fatal killing of Nijjar.

India forcefully rejected Trudeau's accusations and suspended all visa services in Canada following the accusations. They resumed two months later.

Last October, dozens of Canadian diplomats left India after New Delhi threatened to revoke their diplomatic immunity.

Canadian police have charged multiple Indian nationals in Nijjar's murder. 

US prosecutors in a separate case have accused an Indian government agent of directing an unsuccessful plot to assassinate Gurpatwant Singh Pannun, an American citizen who advocated for Khalistan.

rm/lo/csb (Reuters, AFP)