India’s Foreign Ministry announced on Monday that it would withdraw its ambassador from Canada amid growing tensions between the two countries.

India said it received a diplomatic communication suggesting that the Indian envoy to Ottawa and other diplomats were a “person of interest” in an investigation into the murder of Sikh activist Hardeep Singh Nijjar on Canadian soil last year last.

India said it rejected “these absurd imputations” and repeatedly called on the Canadian government to provide evidence for its claims that Indian government agents were involved in Nijjar’s June 2023 killing.

The Foreign Office said there was no evidence of the allegations this time either, accusing him of creating a pretext to “deliberately defame India for political purposes”.

“India now reserves the right to take further action in response to these latest efforts by the Canadian government to concoct allegations against Indian diplomats,” the statement said.

Who was the Sikh activist Nijjar?

Nijjar was a prominent member of a movement to create a sovereign Sikh state – known as Khalistan – in northern India. He was 45 when he was killed last year.

Nijjar had arrived decades ago as a refugee and had since obtained Canadian citizenship. Nijjar was a wanted man in India, which has for years viewed Sikh separatists abroad as a security threat.

Diplomatic dispute between India and Canada widens

India and Canada have enjoyed warm ties for a long time. Canada is home to the largest Sikh population in the world outside of India and the two countries have been key strategic partners on issues such as trade and security.

But relations have been strained since Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau accused Indian government agents of involvement in Nijjar’s fatal shooting.

India strongly rejected Trudeau’s accusations and suspended all visa services to Canada following the accusations. They resumed two months later.

Last October, dozens of Canadian diplomats left India after New Delhi threatened to revoke their diplomatic immunity.

Canadian police have charged several Indian nationals with Nijjar’s murder.

U.S. prosecutors, in another case, charged an Indian government agent with leading an unsuccessful plot to assassinate Gurpatwant Singh Pannun, a U.S. citizen who defended Khalistan.

rm/lo/csb (Reuters, AFP)