Close X
Sunday, November 10, 2024
ADVT 
National

India expels Canadian diplomat after Canada links Indian agents to Sikh leader death

Darpan News Desk The Canadian Press, 19 Sep, 2023 09:47 AM
  • India expels Canadian diplomat after Canada links Indian agents to Sikh leader death

India struck back at Canada early Tuesday after Prime Minister Justin Trudeau linked agents of India's government to the shooting death of a Sikh leader near Vancouver.

A statement from India's Ministry of External Affairs says an unnamed senior Canadian diplomat has been asked to leave India within the next five days.

"The decision reflects Government of India’s growing concern at the interference of Canadian diplomats in our internal matters," said the statement.

Foreign Affairs Minister Melanie Joly said earlier on Monday that Canada was expelling India's Pavan Kumar Rai, whom her department lists in its public registry as a diplomatic agent who heads up an Indian intelligence agency based in Ottawa.

Trudeau told the House of Commons on Monday that there is credibility to the allegations that Indian government agents played a role in the death of Hardeep Singh Nijjar.

"Over the past number of weeks, Canadian security agencies have been actively pursuing credible allegations of a potential link between agents of the government of India and the killing of a Canadian citizen," he said.

"Any involvement of a foreign government in the killing of a Canadian citizen on Canadian soil is an unacceptable violation of our sovereignty. It is contrary to the fundamental rules by which free, open and democratic societies conduct themselves."

Nijjar was killed in the parking lot of his gurdwara in Surrey, B.C. on June 18.

While Sikh community leaders in Canada have insisted the government of India was involved, police previously said they had not made any link to foreign interference.

The Indian government rejected allegations of involvement in Nijjar's death, calling them ``absurd and motivated.''

"Such unsubstantiated allegations seek to shift the focus from Khalistani terrorists and extremists, who have been provided shelter in Canada and continue to threaten India's sovereignty and territorial integrity," India's Ministry of External Affairs said in a statement.

India had issued an arrest warrant against Nijjar for his advocacy for a separate Sikh state in India's Punjab region, which activists call Khalistan. India has long maintained that these activists undermine national security, though Canada insists its citizens have freedom of speech if they don't incite violence.

Police in B.C. said in a statement late Monday that they were aware of Trudeau's comments but were not in a position to discuss specifics about their investigation.

 

MORE National ARTICLES

Man in mass stabbing at B.C. library gets life sentence with no parole for 15 years

Man in mass stabbing at B.C. library gets life sentence with no parole for 15 years
Yannick Bandaogo, 30, pleaded guilty on May 29 to one count of second-degree murder and six counts of attempted murder over the March 2021 attack in and around the public library in Lynn Valley. Bandaogo apologized to each of his victims in a July hearing, as he described his "story of self-destruction," involving heavy drug use before the attack.

Man in mass stabbing at B.C. library gets life sentence with no parole for 15 years

B.C. Premier Eby writes to Bank of Canada governor, urging him to halt rate hikes

B.C. Premier Eby writes to Bank of Canada governor, urging him to halt rate hikes
British Columbia Premier David Eby is calling on the Bank of Canada to halt further interest rate hikes. In a letter Thursday to Bank of Canada governor Tiff Macklem, Eby urged him to consider the "human impact" of rate hikes. The Bank of Canada is set to make an interest rate decision next Wednesday.

B.C. Premier Eby writes to Bank of Canada governor, urging him to halt rate hikes

Doctors urge parents to ensure kids vaccines up to date as they head back to school

Doctors urge parents to ensure kids vaccines up to date as they head back to school
Public health agencies across the country have been running vaccine catch-up programs, but it's still important for parents to check and ensure their kids are protected against vaccine-preventable illnesses, said Dr. Theresa Tam, Canada's chief public health officer. 

Doctors urge parents to ensure kids vaccines up to date as they head back to school

Rain across B.C. Interior aids wildfire fight in Okanagan, Shuswap and Fraser Canyon

Rain across B.C. Interior aids wildfire fight in Okanagan, Shuswap and Fraser Canyon
The Columbia Shuswap Regional District says while cooler weather brought winds that may increase fire behaviour at the Bush Creek East blaze near Chase, the rain is "creating conditions for firefighters to increase their attack" on the fire now measuring 431 square kilometres.

Rain across B.C. Interior aids wildfire fight in Okanagan, Shuswap and Fraser Canyon

Thief caught sleeping in the driver's seat of a stolen vehicle

Thief caught sleeping in the driver's seat of a stolen vehicle
On August 26th at approximately 5:00am patrol officers responded to a call about a suspicious car parked on Churchill Street. When officers attended, they could see a male sleeping in the driver’s seat. Given the male did not match the description of the registered owner, officers contacted the registered owner who confirmed his car had been stolen overnight.

Thief caught sleeping in the driver's seat of a stolen vehicle

British Columbians unsure about self-driving cars

British Columbians unsure about self-driving cars
A new study from U-B-C suggests British Columbians have mixed feelings about self-driving cars. Researchers engaged more than 11-hundred participants from across the province, asking them to watch eight videos showing interactions between pedestrians and vehicles at crosswalks.

British Columbians unsure about self-driving cars