Canada expels Indian diplomat amid investigation into activist's murder

Canada dismissed a top Indian diplomat Monday as it investigates serious allegations that India's government may have been involved in a Sikh activist's assassination in Canada.

Sikh leader Hardeep Singh Nijjar, a staunch advocate of Khalistan, was shot and killed outside a Sikh cultural center in Surrey, British Columbia, on June 18. Trudeau told Parliament that Canadian intelligence agencies are investigating the accusations.

Justin Trudeau informed Parliament he discussed the killing with Narendra Modi at the G-20 last week. He explained to Modi that Indian government involvement was unacceptable and requested inquiry cooperation.

Joly added, “If proven true this would be a great violation of our sovereignty and of the most basic rule of how countries deal with each other. So we expelled a prominent Indian official.

“For weeks, Canadian security agencies have been actively pursuing credible allegations of a potential link between Indian agents and the killing of a Canadian citizen, Hardeep Singh Nijjar,” Trudeau stated.

Canada has expressed significant concerns to India, Trudeau said. "Any foreign government killing a Canadian citizen on Canadian soil is an unacceptable violation of our sovereignty."

Trudeau said his government had carefully coordinated with Canada's allies on the subject.

Indian officials consider Khalistan and related groups a national security threat and ban them. In northern India and other Sikh diaspora countries like Canada and the UK, the movement still enjoys some support.

According to the World Sikh Organization of Canada, Nijjar “often led peaceful protests against the violation of human rights actively taking place in India and in support of Khalistan.”