Speaking on live television Monday afternoon, Trudeau said India had made a “fundamental mistake” by supporting “criminal” actions in Canada and his government should act on the latest findings.
“The evidence uncovered by the RCMP (Royal Canadian Mounted Police, Canada’s national police service) cannot be ignored,” the prime minister said.
“The bottom line is that there is a need to stop the criminal activity that continues to threaten public safety in Canada. That’s why we acted.”
India vehemently denies all the allegations and says Canada has not provided any evidence to support its claims.
Relations between Delhi and Ottawa have been strained since Trudeau said Canada had credible evidence linking Indian agents to Nijar’s murder.
The series led to a deterioration of communicationsIndia is asking Canada to withdraw dozens of its diplomatic staff suspension of visa services.
In an angry statement on Monday, India’s Ministry of External Affairs said Canada’s statements were influenced by Sikh separatist activists.
Later in the day, it was announced that six Canadian diplomats, including Acting High Commissioner Stuart Ross Wheeler, had been asked to leave India by 19 October.
Mr. Wheeler was also summoned by India’s Ministry of External Affairs to explain Canada’s move.
Speaking to reporters after the meeting, Mr. Wheeler said Canada had given India the evidence it demanded and now it needed to investigate the allegations.
“It is in the interests of both our countries and the peoples of our countries to sort this out,” he said.
Delhi has defended its high commissioner Sanjay Kumar Verma, citing his “distinguished career spanning 36 years”.
“The defamation leveled at him by the Canadian government is ridiculous and despicable,” it said.
India’s foreign ministry also said it would “recall” its chief ambassador and other diplomats.
“We do not believe in the commitment of the current Canadian government to ensure their safety. Consequently, the Government of India has decided to recall the High Commissioner and other targeted diplomats and officials.”
Earlier Monday, Canadian police said they took the unusual step of publicly disclosing information about the ongoing investigation “because of the significant threat to public safety in our country.”
RCMP Commissioner Mike Duchem told reporters at a press conference Monday that there were “more than a dozen credible and imminent threats to life” that he said were “particularly” focused on members of the Khalistan movement.
He added that the threats were serious enough to warrant a public intervention by the RCMP.
“We have reached a point where we have found it necessary to confront the Government of India.”
Officials said a dozen Indian agents were involved in the alleged criminal activity, but did not confirm whether they were directly linked to the June 2023 killing of Sikh separatist leader Nijar.
Hardeep Singh Nijar was shot by two masked gunmen outside the Sikh temple he led in Surrey, British Columbia.
He was an active supporter of the Khalistan movement demanding a separate homeland for the Sikhs and publicly campaigned for it.
In the past, India has described him as a terrorist who led a militant separatist group – accusations his supporters have called baseless.
Canadian police called his killing a “targeted attack.”
In September 2023, Trudeau told the Canadian Parliament that allegations of Indian involvement in the murder were based on Canadian intelligence.
He called the act a violation of Canadian sovereignty.
Following India, the frosty ties between the two countries seemed to have thawed a bit processing resumed visas in October 2023.
But last week, Canada’s foreign minister, Melanie Jolie, called the country’s relationship with India “tense” and “very difficult.”
She also said the threat of more killings like Niger’s on Canadian soil remains.
Canada is home to the largest Sikh community outside of India, a religious minority that resides primarily in the state of Punjab.
