The Indian Ministry of External Affairs stated that the decision to expel a Canadian diplomat was a retaliatory move in response to a similar action taken by the Ottawa government the previous day.
The Indian Ministry of External Affairs announced: "The Canadian diplomat has been asked to leave India within five days. This decision reflects the growing concern of the Indian government regarding interference from Canadian diplomats in our internal affairs."
Earlier, on September 18, Canada expelled an Indian diplomat, whom Canadian Foreign Minister Mélanie Joly described as "the head of India's intelligence agency in Canada."
The expulsion of each other's diplomats by Canada and India has escalated tensions due to the killing of a Sikh activist in Canada.
Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau speaks on September 18. Photo: AP
In a speech to the Canadian Parliament on September 18, Prime Minister Justin Trudeau said that Ottawa's security agencies are investigating "credible allegations of a link between India and the murder of Canadian citizen Hardeep Singh Nijjar."
According to Trudeau, "any involvement of a foreign government in the killing of Canadian citizens on Canadian soil is an unacceptable violation of our sovereignty. In the strongest possible terms, I continue to call on the Indian authorities to work with Canada to resolve this issue."
India has rejected Canada's "unreasonable" suspicions regarding the death of Hardeep Singh Nijjar.
According to the Associated Press, Gurpatwant Singh Pannun, a lawyer and spokesperson for Sikhs For Justice, said Nijjar had been warned by Canadian intelligence officials that he was a target for assassination by "mercenaries" before he was shot.
Hardeep Singh Nijjar, a Sikh separatist considered a wanted terrorist by India, was shot dead near Vancouver in June. Nijjar was reportedly organizing an unofficial referendum in India to establish an independent Sikh state at the time of his death.
Canada has one of the largest overseas Indian communities, numbering approximately 1.4 million out of Canada's total population of 40 million. In the 2021 Canadian census, over 770,000 people were Sikh, representing about 2% of the total population.
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