Canada expels Indian diplomat as it says India killed Sikh activist Nijjar

Canada expelled a top Indian diplomat Monday as it investigates what Prime Minister Justin Trudeau called credible allegations that Indias government may have had links to the assassination in Canada of a Sikh activist Trudeau said in Parliament that Canadian intelligence agencies have been looking into the allegations after Sikh leader Hardeep Singh Nijjar a strong supporter of an independent Sikh homeland known as Khalistan was gunned down on June 18 outside a Sikh cultural centre in Surrey British ColumbiaTrudeau told Parliament that he brought up the slaying with Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi at the G20 last week He said he told Modi that any Indian government involvement would be unacceptable and that he asked for cooperation in the investigation Canadian Foreign Minister Meacutelanie Joly said the head of Indian intelligence in Canada has been expelled as a consequenceIf proven true this would be a great violation of our sovereignty and of the most basic rule of how countries deal with each other Joly said As a consequence we have expelled a top Indian diplomat The Indian Embassy in Ottawa did not immediately answer phone calls from The Associated Press seeking comment The expulsion comes as relations between Canada and India are tense Trade talks have been derailed and Canada just cancelled a trade mission to India that was planned for the fallAt the G20 meeting Modi expressed strong concerns over Canadas handling of the Punjabi independence movement among the overseas during a meeting with Trudeau at the G20 according to a statement released by Indias Ministry of External Affairs The statement described the Sikh movement as promoting secessionism and inciting violence against Indian diplomats It called on Canada to work with India on what New Delhi said is a threat to the Canadian Indian diasporaAlso read Maharashtra 10day Ganesh festival begins with pomp and gaietyCanada has a Sikh population of more than 770000 or about 2 per cent of its total population 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 Hardeep Singh Nijjar Trudeau saidTrudeau said Canada has declared its deep concerns to the Indian government Any involvement of a foreign government in the killing of a Canadian citizen on Canadian soil is an unacceptable violation of our sovereignty Trudeau said his government has been working closely and coordinating with Canadas allies on the case In the strongest possible terms I continue to urge the government of India to cooperate with Canada to get to the bottom of this matter he saidTrudeau said he knows there are some members of the IndoCanadian community who feel angry or frightened and he called for calm Public Safety Minister Dominic LeBlanc said Canadas national security adviser and the head of Canadas spy service have travelled to India to meet their counterparts and to confront the Indian intelligence agencies with the allegationsHe called it an active homicide investigation led by the Royal Canadian Mounted Police Joly said Trudeau also raised the matter with US President Joe Biden and UK Prime Minister Rishi Sunak Joly also said she would raise the issue with her peers in the G7 on Monday evening in New York City ahead of the United Nations General Assembly Opposition Conservative leader Pierre Poilievre said if the allegations are true they represent an outrageous affront to our sovereigntyOpposition New Democrat leader Jagmeet Singh who is himself Sikh called it outrageous and shocking Singh said he grew up hearing stories that challenging Indias record on human rights might prevent you from getting a visa to travel there But to hear the prime minister of Canada corroborate a potential link between a murder of a Canadian citizen on Canadian soil by a foreign government is something I could never have imagined Singh saidThe Khalistan movement is banned in India where officials see it and affiliated groups as a national security threat But the movement still has some support in northern India as well as beyond in countries like Canada and the United Kingdom which are home to a sizable Sikh diaspora Nijjar was organizing an unofficial referendum in India for an independent Sikh state at the time of this death Indian authorities announced a cash reward last year for information leading to Nijjars arrest accusing him of involvement in an alleged attack on a Hindu priest in IndiaBritish Columbia Premier David Eby said hes received a briefing from Canadas spy agency about the assassination of Nijjar and hes deeply disturbed by what he was told He said hes calling on the Canadian government to share all information related to ongoing foreign interference and transnational organized crime threatsThe World Sikh Organization of Canada called Nijjar an outspoken supporter of Khalistan who often led peaceful protests against the violation of human rights actively taking place in India and in support of Khalistan Nijjar had publicly spoken of the threat to his life for months and said that he was targeted by Indian intelligence agencies the statement saidNiijars New Yorkbased lawyer Gurpatwant Singh Pannun has said Niijar was warned by Canadian intelligence officials about being targeted for assassination by mercenaries before he was gunned down Janice Stein a political scientist and international relations expert at the University of Toronto said to kill a Canadian citizen on Canadian soil is astoundingIts tragic for Canada because we have issues of foreign interference with the two largest economies in Asia China and India And we have two very large diaspora from both countries This is not what we want Stein said We have the most diverse community in the world in Canada We have people from everybodys country We accept this and we give license Russia to hunt Canadian Ukrainians You cantThis story 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