Canada Accuses India of Sikh Leader Recent Murder

Canada has accused India of being involved in the killing of a Sikh activist on Canadian soil, sparking a diplomatic row between the two countries.

Hardeep Singh Nijjar, a Canadian citizen and a prominent supporter of the Khalistan movement, which seeks an independent homeland for Sikhs in India's Punjab region, was shot dead by two masked men outside a Sikh temple in Surrey, British Columbia, on June 18, 2023.

Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau said on Monday that there was "credible evidence" that India was behind the assassination, and that he had raised the issue "in no uncertain terms" with his Indian counterpart, Narendra Modi, when they met briefly at the G20 summit in New Delhi last week.

"Any involvement of a foreign government in the killing of a Canadian citizen on Canadian soil is an unacceptable violation of our sovereignty," Trudeau told an emergency session of parliament. "Canada is a rule of law country, the protection of our citizens and defence of our sovereignty are fundamental."

Trudeau said the alleged killing "is contrary to the fundamental rules by which free, open, and democratic societies conduct themselves".

Canada's Foreign Minister Mélanie Joly announced that Canada was expelling the chief of India's intelligence agency in Canada as a response to the allegations. "Today we're acting by expelling a key diplomat, but we will get to the bottom of this," she said.

India's Foreign Ministry rejected the allegations as "absurd" and said it was expelling an unnamed Canadian senior diplomat in retaliation. It also accused Canada of harbouring Sikh separatists who pose a threat to India's security and unity.

The Khalistan movement has been a source of tension between India and Canada for decades. In 1985, a bomb planted by Sikh militants on an Air India flight from Canada killed 329 people, mostly Canadians. In 2018, Modi accused Trudeau of being soft on Sikh extremists during his visit to India.

Sikhs make up about 2% of India's population and face discrimination and violence from the Hindu majority. They also make up about 1.5% of Canada's population and have a significant political influence in the country.