Prime Minister Justin Trudeau said the decision to go public with allegations that Indian government agents played a role in “widespread violence” in Canada was intended to disrupt those activities.

“The RCMP’s decision to move forward with this announcement was entirely rooted in public safety and the goal of disrupting the chain of activities that resulted in drive-by shootings, home invasions, violent extortion and even murders in Canada and across Canada. » Trudeau told the inquiry into foreign interference on Wednesday.

The RCMP said Monday it had obtained evidence linking Indian government agents to homicides and other acts of violence in Canada, including coercion and extortion.

The national police said they also have evidence that Indian diplomats and consular officials based in Canada have exploited their official positions to engage in clandestine activities, such as gathering information for the Indian government, either directly or through their agents.

In response, the federal government announced it was expelling six Indian diplomats. India denied the allegations and quickly retaliated by ordering six Canadian diplomats to leave the country.

Trudeau told the commission on foreign interference that it would have been better to question the diplomats, but they refused to lift diplomatic immunity.

“It’s not surprising… In many cases, Canada would not waive diplomatic immunity either. But so we had to ask them to leave the country,” he said.

WATCH | RCMP accuse Indian officials of violent crimes and extortion:

RCMP accuse Indian officials of violent crimes, extortion

The RCMP announced it has evidence linking Indian government agents in Canada to threats, extortion and violent crimes, including the murder of Sikh activist Hardeep Singh Nijjar. This revelation is expected to further deteriorate relations between India and Canada after the mutual expulsion of diplomats.

Trudeau said the Mounties would likely have preferred to keep the charges out of public view because cases are currently before the courts. He said the threat to public safety was so high that the allegations had to be brought forward.

“If the RCMP had been right, they wouldn’t have revealed any of this. It’s just that they met the threshold before naturally coming forward in court, as part of our legal process,” said the Prime Minister to the commission.

“But the threat to public safety and the need to intervene preemptively, even before the legal cases are fully adjudicated, motivated the RCMP’s decision to make this matter public.”

Despite the diplomatic expulsions, sources told CBC News that India’s clandestine operations support network largely remains in place in Canada, although they believe it is likely some members of that network will now leave voluntarily – and discreetly – rather than risking arrest.

The RCMP’s claims have increased tensions in an already tense bilateral relationship, which deteriorated last year when Trudeau announced that Canada had evidence linking Indian agents to the killing of Canadian Sikh separatist leader Hardeep Singh Nijjar. New Delhi has denied the allegation.

The Commission on Foreign Interference is currently studying the capacity of institutions to detect and repel attempts by hostile states to interfere in Canadian affairs.

This is the second time that Trudeau has testified before the inquiry. He had already appeared in April during the initial phase, which focused on allegations of foreign interference in the last two general elections.

The inquiry plans five days of policy consultation sessions starting next Monday to help develop recommendations, with a final report expected by the end of the year.