Canada announced on Monday that it had expelled six Indian diplomats, including the Indian High Representative in Ottawa, prompting New Delhi to recall them, according to a government source. India, for its part, announced that it was expelling six high-ranking Canadian diplomats.
The announcements came just as the Canadian police announced that they had "evidence" of the Indian government's involvement in cases of "intimidation, harassment, extortion and coercion" on Canadian territory.
The head of the Royal Canadian Mounted Police (RCMP), Commissioner Mike Duheme said police had "learned a significant amount of information about ... criminal activity orchestrated by agents of the government of India and consequential threats to the safety and security of Canadians and individuals living in Canada."
Speaking during a news conference at RCMP headquarters on Monday, Duheme said his officers, working with other law enforcement agencies, had obtained evidence linking Indian government agents to homicides and other violent acts in Canada, including coercion and extortion.
He added that there had been "well over a dozen" credible and imminent threats to members of the South Asian community, specifically members of the pro-Khalistan movement.
India was asked to waive diplomatic and consular immunities and to cooperate in the investigation, but did not do so, according to a statement by Canada's Global Affairs department.
For its part, India announced on Monday that it was expelling six high-ranking Canadian diplomats, shortly after recalling its high representative posted in Ottawa, accusing Canada of investigating him and other diplomats after the murder of a Sikh separatist leader in Canada in 2023.
In a statement, New Delhi rejected the Canadian allegations, accusing Prime Minister Justin Trudeau of having a "political agenda" centred around "vote bank politics," a term referring to voting blocs from specific communities.
"We have no faith in the current Canadian Government's commitment to ensure their security. Therefore, the Government of India has decided to withdraw the High Commissioner and other targeted diplomats and officials," the Indian government said.
The Indian authorities "have decided to expel" six diplomats, including the Canadian chargé d'affaires, his deputy and four first secretaries, the government in Delhi said in its statement. They were asked to leave India by midnight on Saturday, according to the statement.
