India has decided to expel six Canadian diplomats, including Acting High Commissioner Stewart Ross Wheeler, according to an announcement by the Indian Foreign Ministry on Monday. These diplomats have been told to leave the country by October 19, noon. Among those being expelled are Deputy High Commissioner Patrick Hebert and four first secretaries from the Canadian Embassy in India.
This diplomatic crisis comes after a serious accusation from Canada, claiming that Indian High Commissioner to Ottawa, Sanjay Kumar Verma, was involved in a plot to assassinate Hardeep Singh Nijjar, a Sikh separatist leader. India quickly dismissed these allegations and recalled Verma and several other diplomats from Canada due to growing concerns for their safety.
Meanwhile, things escalated when the Royal Canadian Mounted Police (RCMP) came forward with even more shocking claims. According to the RCMP, they have gathered evidence linking the Indian government to some very troubling activities. They accused India of not only illegally collecting intelligence in Canada but also of organizing assassinations and violent acts through their diplomats.
The RCMP outlined four major points:
- Violent extremism affecting both India and Canada.
- Evidence connecting Indian agents to homicides and violent actions in Canada.
- The use of organized crime to create a sense of danger, specifically targeting Canada’s South Asian community.
- Interference in Canada’s democratic processes.
Even more disturbing, the RCMP accused Indian diplomats in Canada of being involved in “clandestine activities” – meaning secret operations – to gather information for the Indian government. In some cases, this information was allegedly collected through coercion, or force. The RCMP claims this data was used to target members of the South Asian community living in Canada. They’ve presented their evidence to Indian authorities, hoping to resolve the situation to ensure the safety of Canadian citizens and the South Asian community.
The backdrop to all of this is the assassination of Hardeep Singh Nijjar. In June 2023, Nijjar was shot and killed by two masked gunmen in the parking lot of a Sikh temple in Surrey, British Columbia. He was a vocal advocate for the creation of Khalistan, a proposed independent Sikh state in northern India. After the murder, Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau made a stunning revelation in September, saying that his government was looking into “credible allegations” that Indian officials were linked to Nijjar’s killing. India immediately denied these claims.
Meanwhile, an ISI agent Rahat Rao, a Pakistani-born businessman in Canada, was brutally attacked and set on fire at his currency exchange office in Surrey, British Columbia.
This wasn’t the first sign of tension between the two countries. After Nijjar’s death, Canada expelled a senior Indian diplomat, allegedly linked to Indian intelligence. In retaliation, India expelled a senior Canadian diplomat as well. Indian Foreign Minister Subrahmanyam Jaishankar had already warned in January that Canada’s policies regarding the Khalistan Liberation Force were harming the relationship between the two nations.
The situation continues to evolve, as both countries face a deepening rift. With serious accusations of espionage, assassinations, and political interference, this diplomatic crisis could have long-lasting consequences for India-Canada relations, and for the South Asian diaspora in Canada.
