The Indian government has asked Canada to withdraw 41 of its 62 diplomats in the Asian country. The request, made public by the newspaper financial times, requires Canadian personnel to leave their posts no later than October 10. Relations between New Delhi and Ottawa have deteriorated since Prime Minister Justin Trudeau accused Indian intelligence services of being involved in the murder of a Sikh leader in Surrey, British Columbia. The Narendra Modi executive categorically denies these allegations and, according to reports, is threatening to revoke the diplomatic immunity of these 41 people if they remain in the country after October 10.

New Delhi has 21 diplomats on Canadian soil, so it wants Ottawa to have an equivalent number. Last September, the Indian Ministry of Foreign Affairs had already mentioned a concordance with these figures. Prime Minister Trudeau refused Tuesday to confirm the information published by the British newspaper. He said his government “is not seeking escalation” but that the diplomatic crisis must be taken “with the utmost seriousness.” Trudeau did not say whether Canada would take a similar step and reiterated the importance of maintaining diplomatic relations with India. Foreign Minister Mélanie Joly stressed that communications with New Delhi were continuing “in private”. “We believe diplomatic conversations are best when they remain private,” he said.

On September 18, the Canadian Prime Minister denounced during a parliamentary session the probable involvement of the Indian government in the assassination of a Sikh leader on Canadian soil, stressing that it could be an “unacceptable violation of the sovereignty of the country. Trudeau indicated that Canadian security agencies have been studying the links between this crime and the work of New Delhi agents for several weeks.

Hardeep Singh Nijjar was shot dead on June 18 outside a Sikh temple in the city of Surrey. Singh Nijjar, a Canadian passport holder, was a renowned leader of his community and advocated for the independence of Punjab. Canada expelled an Indian diplomat following the allegations. The government of Narendra Modi responded a day later, taking the same action with a Canadian diplomat and issuing a warning to its citizens traveling to Canada, due to “increasing anti-Indian activities and hate crimes and to political connotations in various regions of Canada. » On September 21, New Delhi announced the suspension of processing visa applications submitted by Canadian citizens. Ottawa has stressed that many of the accusations against India are based on information collected by the intelligence services of other Western countries, for example from the so-called Five Eyes group, an alliance between Australia, New Zealand , United Kingdom, United States. States and Canada.

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