Diplomatic tensions between Canada and India have escalated this week, reaching a new boiling point as both countries engaged in a tit-for-tat expulsion of diplomats on Monday. The move marks a significant escalation in a long-standing controversy that has cast a shadow over bilateral relations for months. At the heart of the dispute lies the murder of Hardeep Singh Nijjar, a Canadian Sikh leader who was gunned down outside a Gurdwara in Surrey, Canada in June 2022. Nijjar was designated a Khalistani terrorist by India’s National Investigation Agency (NIA) in 2020, a label that has fueled the ongoing tension.
Last year, Prime Minister Justin Trudeau made headlines when he claimed to have “credible allegations” linking India to Nijjar’s killing. These accusations, deemed “absurd” and “motivated” by New Delhi, sparked a wave of controversy and led to repeated flare-ups in the months that followed. Canadian authorities have consistently linked the case to “agents” of the Narendra Modi-led government, further inflaming tensions. Meanwhile, India has accused Ottawa of harboring extremist and anti-India elements within its borders.
The international community has also been drawn into the dispute, with the United States urging India to cooperate with the Canadian investigation. This week, the controversy took a new turn when the Royal Canadian Mounted Police (RCMP) Commissioner, Mike Duheme, claimed that they had information on certain “criminal activity carried out by agents of the Government of India.” Duheme further stated that, “Over the past few years and more recently, law enforcement agencies in Canada have successfully investigated and charged a significant number of individuals for their direct involvement in homicides, extortions and other criminal acts of violence. In addition, there have been well over a dozen credible imminent threats to life which have led to the conduct of duty to warn, by law enforcement with members of the South Asian community and specifically, members of the pro-Khalistan movement.”
The escalating diplomatic row raises serious concerns about the future of Canada-India relations. The Nijjar case has become a symbol of the deep mistrust that has emerged between the two countries, and the recent expulsions suggest that the situation is far from being resolved. As the investigation continues, the international community is closely watching to see how this complex and sensitive situation will unfold.