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India has reacted angrily after being told by Canada that its ambassador and other diplomats were named as “persons of interest” in an investigation in the country.<\/p>\n
The foreign ministry in Delhi said it received the news in a diplomatic communication from Canada on Sunday, and reserved the right to respond. “The Government of India strongly rejects these preposterous imputations,” it said. <\/p>\n
The statement refers to allegations<\/a> last year by Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau that the Indian government may have been behind the killing of a Sikh separatist on Canadian soil. Delhi has repeatedly rejected the allegation.<\/p>\n The row led to a deterioration in ties<\/a>, with India asking Canada to withdraw dozens of its diplomatic staff and suspending visa services<\/a>.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n On Monday, India’s foreign ministry said Canada’s allegations were part of Trudeau’s “political agenda” and warned of action, without specifying what it would be. <\/p>\n “India now reserves the right to take further steps in response to these latest efforts of the Canadian Government to concoct allegations against Indian diplomats,” it said.<\/p>\n Delhi also defended its High Commissioner Sanjay Kumar Verma, referring to his “distinguished career spanning 36 years”. <\/p>\n “The aspersions cast on him by the Government of Canada are ludicrous and deserve to be treated with contempt,” it said. <\/p>\n There was no immediate Canadian response to Delhi’s statement. <\/p>\n Hardeep Singh Nijjar was shot and killed in June 2023 by two masked gunmen outside a Sikh temple he led in Surrey, British Columbia. <\/p>\n He had been a vocal supporter of the Khalistan movement, which demands a separate Sikh homeland, and publicly campaigned for it.<\/p>\n India has in the past described him as a terrorist who led a militant separatist group – accusations his supporters called unfounded.<\/p>\n Canadian police called his killing a “targeted attack”.<\/p>\n In September 2023, Trudeau had told Canada’s parliament that allegations of Indian involvement in the killing were based on Canadian intelligence. <\/p>\n He called the act a violation of Canada’s sovereignty.<\/p>\n India has vehemently denied all allegations and maintained that Canada has provided no evidence to support its claims.<\/p>\n Frosty ties between the two countries seemed to have thawed slightly after India resumed processing<\/a> visas in October 2023.<\/p>\n But last week, Canadian Foreign Minister M\u00e9lanie Joly called the country’s relations with India “tense” and “very difficult”. <\/p>\n She also said there remained a threat of more killings like Nijjar’s on Canadian soil.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n