- By Meryl Sebastian
- BBC News, Cochin
September 21, 2023, 09:19 BST
Updated 20 minutes ago
Image source: Getty Images
image description,
Canada said it was investigating “credible allegations” linking India to the killing of the separatist leader
India has stopped issuing visas to Canadian citizens as the dispute over the killing of a Sikh separatist on Canadian soil escalates.
India said the temporary move was due to “security threats” disrupting work at its missions in Canada.
Tensions rose this week after Prime Minister Justin Trudeau said India could be behind the June 18 killing.
But Mr Trudeau said on Thursday he did not want to provoke India with the claim.
India has angrily rejected the claim, calling it “absurd”.
Speaking to reporters in New York on the sidelines of the UN General Assembly, Mr Trudeau said: “There is no doubt that India is a country of growing importance and a country with which we must continue to work together.”
He said Canada was not trying to provoke India or cause problems with the allegation, but was clear about the importance of the rule of law and protecting Canadians.
Relations between the countries – important trade and security partners and allies of the US – have been strained for months. Analysts say they are now at an all-time low.
The Indian government quickly made it clear that the suspension of visa services also “applies to Canadians in a third country.”
“There have been threats against our high commission [embassy] and consulates in Canada,” said a Foreign Ministry spokesperson in Delhi. “This disrupted their normal functioning.” Accordingly [they] are temporarily unable to process visa applications.”
He said, “India seeks parity of rank and diplomatic strength between the diplomatic missions of the two countries. This is sought due to Canada’s diplomatic interference in our internal affairs.”
Hours earlier, Canada announced it would reduce its staff in India, saying some diplomats had received threats on social media.
“Given the current environment in which tensions have increased, we are taking measures to ensure the safety of our diplomats,” it said in a statement.
Canada’s visa services remain open in India.
The two countries have close historical ties – and there is a lot at stake.
According to the 2021 census, there are 1.4 million people of Indian origin in Canada – more than half of whom are Sikhs – making up 3.7% of the country’s population. India also sends the most international students to Canada – in 2022 they made up 40% of all foreign students with 320,000.
Image source: Getty Images
image description,
Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau (left) had a difficult meeting with Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi in Delhi this month
The dispute erupted into public view on Monday after Canada linked India to the killing of separatist leader Hardeep Singh Nijjar, a Canadian citizen who was shot dead in his vehicle by two masked gunmen outside a Sikh temple in British Columbia.
Prime Minister Justin Trudeau said Canadian intelligence agencies were investigating whether “agents of the Indian government” were involved in the killing of Nijjar – whom India described as a terrorist in 2020.
India reacted strongly, saying Canada was trying to “divert focus” from Khalistani terrorists and extremists who had found refuge there. The Indian government has often responded sharply to demands from Sikh separatists in Western countries for Khalistan or a separate Sikh homeland.
On Thursday, Mr. Trudeau was pressed by journalists about what evidence there was to suggest India was linked to the murder.
He shared no further details but said that “the decision to share these allegations was not made lightly.”
“It was carried out with the utmost seriousness,” Trudeau said, calling on Indian officials to cooperate in the murder investigation.
An Indian Foreign Ministry spokesman said Canada had not provided India with any specific information about Nijjar’s murder.
“We have communicated this to the Canadian side and made it clear to them that we are ready to consider any specific information provided to us,” Arindam Bagchi said on Thursday. “But so far we have not received any such concrete information.”
The Khalistan movement reached its peak in India in the 1980s with a violent uprising in the Sikh-majority state of Punjab.
It has been violently suppressed and has little resonance in India today, but remains popular among some members of the Sikh diaspora in countries such as Canada, Australia and the United Kingdom.
BBC News India is now on YouTube. Click here to log in and view our documentation, explanations and features.