Both Canada and India have announced they will expel each other’s diplomats.
Canada says it will expel six Indian diplomats. The group includes India’s ambassador to Canada.
The background to the deportations is criminal activity on Canadian soil linked to the Indian government. An anonymous government source tells various news agencies about the matter.
Canadian police describe India’s actions as a “campaign of violence” and say they have gathered a wealth of information about the campaign.
Police investigations have revealed that Indian diplomats and employees of Indian consulates have used their official positions to engage in clandestine activities. The Indian government has used diplomats to gather information and used the information against members of the South Asian community.
India has announced that it will expel six Canadian diplomats after the revelations.
Police are due to say more about the case at a news conference today.
Relations between Canada and India have been strained since last year, when Canada’s Prime Minister Justin Trudeau accused India of last year’s assassination of a Canadian-based Sikh separatist leader.
Separatist leader Hardeep Singh Nijjar spoke for a separate state for the Sikhs to be located in the Punjab region. The independence movement is banned in India. Nijjar was shot in Canada in June 2023.
India has denied the allegations.
Sources: Reuters, AP, AFP