India’s visa processing center in Canada suspended its services on Thursday due to a dispute between the two countries after the Canadian prime minister said New Delhi may be involved in the murder of a citizen of the country.

Ties between Ottawa and New Delhi, strategic security and trade partners, have fallen to their lowest level in years since Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau said there were “credible allegations” that India was involved in the assassination of a separatist leader. territory.

Hardeep Singh Ninjjar, a 45-year-old Canadian citizen wanted by India for years, was shot dead in June outside his temple in Surrey, near Vancouver.

Trudeau’s dramatic denunciation on Monday led to mutual diplomatic retaliation, with the expulsion of a diplomat from each country. India rejected the accusation and called it absurd.

“Important notice from Indian Mission: Due to operational reasons, effective September 21, Indian visa services are suspended until further notice,” Canada’s BLS Visa Application Center said, without providing further details . BLS is the agency that processes visa applications for the country.

India’s foreign ministry had no immediate comment.

The day before, the ministry updated its recommendations for traveling to Canada and urged its citizens, especially students, to be cautious about “the growth of anti-Indian activities and politically condoned hate crimes.” In addition, they should avoid traveling to areas of the North American country where “threats have been directed particularly against Indian diplomats and sectors of the Indian community that oppose the anti-Indian agenda”, added the Ministry.

When he was assassinated, Nijjar was organizing an unofficial referendum among the Sikh diaspora on independence from India. The activist denied New Delhi’s accusations of terrorism.

The movement for an independent Sikh homeland, known as Khalistan, began as an insurgency in the state of Punjab in the 1970s, which was crushed by government repression, leaving thousands dead. The movement has since lost much of its political power, but continues to enjoy support in Sikh-majority Punjab and among the large Sikh diaspora abroad.