The diplomatic row between New Delhi and Ottawa worsened further on Tuesday over a Sikh leader’s assassination as India — in a tit-for-tat move — expelled a Canadian diplomat, triggering an international response on the matter.
The ties between the two nations fell to a new low after Prime Minister Justin Trudeau accused the Narendra Modi government of a role in the murder of Hardeep Singh Nijjar’s murder in British Columbia in June.
Nijjar, who was shot dead outside a Sikh temple in June, had been designated a "terrorist" by India in July 2020, following his support for a Sikh homeland in the form of an independent state of Khalistan.
The Canadian high commissioner, or ambassador, in New Delhi had been summoned and told of the expulsion decision, India's foreign ministry said in a statement.
"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," the ministry added.
"The concerned diplomat has been asked to leave India within the next five days."
#WATCH | Canadian High Commissioner to India, Cameron MacKay leaves from the MEA headquarters at South Block, New Delhi. pic.twitter.com/zFAaTFfeAP
— ANI (@ANI) September 19, 2023
