New Delhi: The India-Canada diplomatic row worsened further on Tuesday as Justin Trudeau ramped up his government’s campaign over the alleged Indian government agents’ involvement in the killing of Khalistani terrorist Hardeep Singh Nijjar.

India has expelled six Canadian diplomats besides recalling its high commissioner and other targeted diplomats from Canada in response to a similar move by Ottawa over its claims of Indian government's involvement in the killing of designated terrorist Hardeep Singh Nijjar.

In the wake of the two countries expelling each other’s diplomats, Trudeau said Canada has shared all their information about its claims against Indian officials with its Five Eyes allies including the US. The Canadian prime minister also discussed the issue with his UK counterpart Keir Starmer, claiming a ”targeted campaign against Canadian citizens by agents linked to the Government of India.”

During the phone call, Starmer and Trudeau discussed “the need to ensure the safety and security of their citizens and the importance of upholding and respecting the rule of law and agreed to stay in close contact, the Canadian PM’s office said in a statement.

In a hurriedly convened press conference on Tuesday after India expelled six Canadian diplomats and recalled its high commissioner and other “targeted diplomats” from Canada, Trudeau, “From the beginning, we’ve worked closely with our Five Eyes partners, particularly with the United States, where they have gone through a similar pattern of behaviour from India in regards to an attempted extrajudicial killing.”

Responding to the recent chain of events, India’s Ministry of External Affairs said India holds the right to take further steps in response to the Trudeau government’s support for extremism, violence and separatism against India.

After the press conference, Trudeau also issued a long statement on his government’s investigation into the Nijjar killing in June 2023.

He claimed the Royal Canadian Mounted Police, probing the case, met with Indian officials over the weekend and shared the evidence “which concluded six agents of the Government of India are persons of interest in criminal activities”.

He added that his foreign minister issued deportation notices to these six individuals after “repeated requests to the Government of India, they have decided not to co-operate”.

“I believe that India has made a monumental mistake by choosing to use their diplomats and organised crime to attack Canadians, to make them feel unsafe here at (their) home, and even more, to create acts of violence and even murder. It’s unacceptable,” he alleged.

What Caused The Row Between India And Canada?

Khalistani elements based in Canada carrying out anti-India are at the centre of this diplomatic row and the killing of Hardeep Singh Nijjar, one such person and a designated terrorist by India, led to the fall in ties between the two countries.

In September last year, Trudeau accused Indian agents of “potential” involvement in Nijjar’s killing in Surrey, British Columbia, in June 2023. New Delhi has repeatedly dismissed Trudeau’s allegations as “absurd.”

Nijjar, who immigrated to Canada in 1997 and became a citizen in 2015, had been an advocate for the creation of Khalistan, a separate Sikh state in India. He was wanted by Indian authorities on charges of terrorism and conspiracy to commit murder.

This report is auto-generated from a syndicated feed