Canada expels 6 Indian diplomats in tit-for-tat move

OTTAWA: 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.

“Keeping 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 countries’ interest to get to the bottom of this,” Minister of Foreign Affairs Mélanie 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 RCMP’s 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.

"Regrettably, as India did not agree and given the ongoing public safety concerns for Canadians, Canada served notices of expulsion to these individuals. Subsequent to those notices, India announced it would withdraw its officials," it said.

"Canada and India have over 75 years of diplomatic relations. Our countries share important historic, business and people-to-people ties. Canada took this decision as its main interest remains the safety and security of all Canadians, defending our sovereignty and upholding the rule of law. Canada will continue to work diligently to do everything it can to keep Canadians safe now, and into the future. Dialogue with India continues through our High Commission in Delhi," 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.

Since the killing of Nijjar, a dozen people of Indian descent have been warned there was credible evidence that they could be targets of Indian agents, the official said.

Duheme said the RCMP has charged "a significant number" of people with direct involvement in homicides, extortions and other criminal acts of violence over the past few years and is aware of more than a dozen threats to members of the South Asian community and the pro-Khalistan movement, the Toronto Star newspaper reported.

In a statement issued on Monday, the RCMP said a multidisciplinary team "learned a significant amount of information about the breadth and depth of criminal activity orchestrated by agents of the Government of India, and consequential threats to the safety and security of Canadians and individuals living in Canada".

"Despite law enforcement action, the harm has continued, posing a serious threat to our public safety," it added.

The relations between India and Canada came under severe strain following Prime Minister Justin Trudeau's allegations in September last year of a "potential" involvement of Indian agents in the killing of Nijjar.

New Delhi had rejected Trudeau's charges as "absurd".