CNN –
India has stopped issuing visas to Canadian citizens, escalating the diplomatic row between the two countries after Ottawa accused New Delhi of possibly being behind the killing of a Sikh separatist activist on its territory.
BLS International, which processes India visa applications in Canada, sent a letter to Indian stock exchanges on Thursday saying visa services have been “suspended until further notice.”
“Due to operational reasons, with immediate effect i.e. from September 21, 2023, Indian visa services in Canada have been suspended until further notice,” said the letter sent to the Bombay Stock Exchange, the National Stock Exchange of India and the Metropolitan Stock Exchange was sent.
Earlier, BLS International said on its website that India had stopped issuing visas to Canadian citizens from Thursday, citing a notification from the Indian mission.
The notice was briefly removed on Thursday before reappearing without explanation.
The announcement followed a stern travel advisory from India on Wednesday that urged citizens to remain vigilant in Canada and warned them of “politically condoned hate crimes.”
“In recent times, threats have been particularly targeted at Indian diplomats and sections of the Indian community who oppose the anti-India agenda,” said a statement released by the Indian Ministry of External Affairs on Wednesday. “In view of the deteriorating security situation in Canada, Indian students in particular are advised to exercise extreme caution and remain vigilant.”
It added that Indian nationals and students must register with the Indian High Commission or the Indian Consulates General in Toronto and Vancouver to “better engage with Indian citizens in Canada in the event of an emergency or unforeseen incident.”
CNN has reached out to the Indian Ministry of External Affairs and BLS International.
The travel warning comes days after Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau claimed that authorities were investigating “credible allegations” of a possible link between “agents of the Indian government” and the murder of Hardeep Singh Nijjar, a Canadian Sikh citizen shot dead by masked men in June.
New Delhi has vehemently rejected the allegations, calling them “absurd and motivated”.
But Trudeau’s statement has thrown relations between the two countries into a tailspin, with both India and Canada expelling senior diplomats in return, raising the prospect of an uncomfortable rift between key partners of the United States.
Nijjar was a strong supporter of the creation of a separate Sikh homeland called Khalistan, which would include parts of the Indian state of Punjab.
The Khalistan movement is banned in India and is viewed by the government as a national security threat. A number of groups linked to the movement are listed as “terrorist organizations” under India’s Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act (UAPA).
Nijjar’s name appears on the Home Ministry’s list of UAPA terrorists and in 2020, India’s National Investigation Agency accused him of “attempting to radicalize the Sikh community across the world in favor of the creation of ‘Khalistan’,” adding adding that he “They are trying to influence the Sikhs to vote for secession, agitate against the government of India and carry out violent activities.”
According to local police, he was shot in his truck in June by two masked assassins outside a Sikh temple in Surrey, British Columbia.
His death both shocked and outraged Canada’s Sikh community, one of the largest outside India and home to more than 770,000 members of the religious minority.
Canadian police have not arrested anyone in connection with Nijjar’s murder. But in an August update, police released a statement saying they were investigating three suspects, released a description of a possible getaway vehicle and asked the public for help.