India rejects Canada's suspicions on role in Sikh leader's murder
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[September 19, 2023]
By YP Rajesh and Sakshi Dayal
NEW DELHI (Reuters) -Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau said
authorities were "actively pursuing credible allegations" linking New
Delhi's agents to the murder of a Sikh separatist leader, a concern
India dismissed as "absurd".
The spat deals a fresh blow to diplomatic ties that have been fraying
for years, with New Delhi unhappy over Sikh separatist activity in
Canada. It now threatens trade ties too, with talks on a proposed trade
deal frozen last week.
Each nation also expelled a diplomat in tat-for-tat moves, with Canada
throwing out India's top intelligence agent there while New Delhi
responded by giving a Canadian diplomat five days to leave.
Any involvement of a foreign government in the killing of a Canadian
citizen was "an unacceptable violation of our sovereignty", Trudeau told
the House of Commons in an emergency statement on Monday.
He was referring to Hardeep Singh Nijjar, 45, shot dead outside a Sikh
temple on June 18 in Surrey, a Vancouver suburb with a large Sikh
population, three years after India had designated him as a "terrorist".
Nijjar supported a Sikh homeland in the form of an independent,
so-called state of Khalistan in India's northern state of Punjab, the
birthplace of the Sikh religion, which borders Pakistan.
On Tuesday, India's foreign ministry said it had given the Canadian
diplomat five days to leave the country, without disclosing his name or
rank.
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"The decision reflects the government of India's growing concern at the
interference of Canadian diplomats in our internal matters and their
involvement in anti-India activities," it said in a statement.
The ministry had summoned Cameron MacKay, Canada's high commissioner, or
ambassador, in New Delhi to notify him of the move, it added.
Earlier, New Delhi urged Ottawa to take action against anti-Indian
elements in Canada.
"Allegations of the government of India's involvement in any act of
violence in Canada are absurd and motivated," it said, adding that
similar accusations made by Trudeau to Prime Minister Narendra Modi had
been "completely rejected".
It said the "unsubstantiated allegations" sought to shift focus away
from "Khalistani terrorists and extremists who have been provided
shelter in Canada".
'PROMPT AND EFFECTIVE ACTION'
The ministry added, "We urge the government of Canada to take prompt and
effective legal action against all anti-India elements operating from
their soil," the ministry said.
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![](../images/091923PIX/news_s4.jpg)
A mural features the image of late Sikh leader Hardeep Singh Nijjar,
who was slain on the grounds of the Guru Nanak Sikh Gurdwara temple
in June 2023, in Surrey, British Columbia, Canada September 18,
2023. REUTERS/Chris Helgren
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Trudeau said he had raised the matter directly with Modi on the
sidelines of G20 summit in New Delhi on Sept. 9 and 10, and had
urged his government to co-operate with Canada to resolve it.
Modi, in turn, conveyed strong concern to Trudeau over recent
demonstrations in Canada by Sikhs calling for an independent state.
Canada has the largest population of Sikhs outside the Indian state
of Punjab, with about 770,000 people reporting Sikhism as their
religion in the 2021 census.
Khalistan is an independent Sikh state whose creation has been
sought for decades. A Sikh insurgency killed tens of thousands of
people in India in the 1980s and early 1990s before it was
suppressed by tough security action.
However, New Delhi has been wary of any revival, with a particular
focus on small groups of Sikhs in Australia, Britain, Canada and the
United States, who support the separatist demand and occasionally
stage protests outside its embassies.
The United States and Australia expressed "deep concern" over
Canada’s accusations, while Britain said it was in close touch with
its Canadian partners about the "serious allegations".
India has been particularly sensitive to Sikh protesters in Canada
with some Indian analysts saying Ottawa does not stop them as Sikhs
are a politically influential group there.
In June, India criticized Canada for permitting a float in a parade
depicting the 1984 assassination of Prime Minister Indira Gandhi by
her bodyguards, perceived to be glorification of violence by Sikh
separatists.
Ottawa paused talks this month on a proposed trade treaty with
India, just three months after both said they aimed to seal an
initial deal this year.
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Modi did not hold a two-way meeting with Trudeau at the G20 summit,
despite similar meetings with other world leaders. Days earlier,
metro stations in the Indian capital were vandalized with pro-Khalistan
graffiti.
(Reporting by YP Rajesh and Sakshi Dayal; Editing by Clarence
Fernandez)
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