Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau expelled a top Indian diplomat on Monday after making the startling allegation in Parliament that the Indian government was involved in the killing of a Canadian Sikh activist on Canadian soil. India retaliated on Tuesday by kicking a senior Canadian diplomat out of the country.
In June, Hardeep Singh Nijjar, a vocal advocate for an independent Sikh homeland who was designated by India as a terrorist, was shot dead inside his car in a parking lot. Trudeau announced that Canadian authorities are “actively pursuing credible allegations” linking agents of the Indian government with the murder. The expelled Indian diplomat is Pavan Kumar Rai, head of India’s foreign intelligence agency operations in Canada.
Trudeau said he expressed his deep concerns directly to Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi “in no uncertain terms” at last week’s G-20 summit.
The Indian government, however, has vehemently denied the allegation and dismissed it as “absurd and motivated.” It has since retaliated by expelling a Canadian envoy, citing “growing concern at the interference of Canadian diplomats in our internal matters and their involvement in anti-India activities.”
New Delhi had long been unhappy with Trudeau’s handling of the burgeoning Sikh separatist movement in Canada, viewing Canada’s tolerance for Sikh separatism as an encroachment on India’s internal affairs.
India’s Foreign Ministry claims that Trudeau’s “unsubstantiated” murder allegation tries to divert attention from “Khalistani terrorists and extremists, who have been provided shelter in Canada and continue to threaten India’s sovereignty and territorial integrity.”
The roots of the Sikh separatist movement, also known as the Khalistan movement, can be traced back to the early 20th century and, more prominently, to the 1980s. Sikhs have a distinct religious and cultural identity, and many Sikhs have felt marginalized in India, leading to calls for greater autonomy and even independence.
A major turning point was the 1984 Operation Blue Star, a military operation ordered by the Indian government to remove Sikh militants who had taken shelter in the Golden Temple in Amritsar. The operation led to significant casualties, including the death of Sikh leader Jarnail Singh Bhindranwale, and it deeply angered many Sikhs.
In addition, after former Indian Prime Minister Indira Gandhi was assassinated by her Sikh bodyguards in 1984, widespread anti-Sikh riots erupted in many parts of India. Thousands of Sikhs were killed, and their properties were destroyed. The failure to bring many of the perpetrators to justice exacerbated the Sikh community’s grievances against the Indian government.
Questions linger about the veracity of Trudeau’s murder allegation and the impact on Canada–India relations. On Friday, Canada also suspended a trade mission with India, despite its recent efforts to work with India to deepen economic ties and counter China.
“We have been clear we will not tolerate any form of foreign interference,” Canadian Foreign Minister Melanie Joly said about the killing, adding that “one of the fundamental rules behind the world’s stability and security is the protection of each country’s sovereignty.”
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