Nijjar Row Escalates: Trudeau Accuses India Of Attacking Canada's Integrity After Indian High Commissioner Is Recalled

In a row of fresh allegations, Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau accused Indian diplomats of backing a pattern of criminal harassment and violence against Canadians, addressing a press conference in Ottawa.

He further said that Canadian officials and agencies have tried to work with India’s government. Still, its response has been "to deny, to obfuscate, to attack me personally and the integrity of the government of Canada".

Hours earlier, on the morning of Canada’s Thanksgiving public holiday, the Royal Mounted Canadian Police (RCMP) held an extraordinary briefing to share the fresh allegations implicating Indian government agents with the public.

"It is obvious that the government of India made a fundamental error in thinking that they could engage in supporting criminal activity against Canadians here on Canadian soil, whether it be murders or extortion or other violent acts," the Canadian PM said.

"That is why we have taken such significant measures, why the RCMP chose to come out today and disrupt the pattern of Indian diplomats collecting through questionable and illegal means information on Canadian citizens, that were then fed to criminal organisations, that would then take violent actions, from extortion to murder, against Canadians," Trudeau said.

Amidst India expelling six Canadian diplomats and announcing the withdrawal of its high commissioner and other targeted officials from Canada, the ties between the two nations reached a new low over the killing of Khalistani terrorist Hardeep Singh Nijjar on Canadian soil last year.

Previously, Trudeau has said there were "credible allegations" linking Indian intelligence services to the killing. Melanie Joly, Minister of Foreign Affairs of Canada, even said that the "sitting diplomats" were involved in violent acts that increased after Justin Trudeau alleged India’s possible involvement in the June 2023 murder of Nijjar.

In response to this, the Ministry of External Affairs said in a statement, “We have no faith in the current Canadian Government’s commitment to ensure their security,” accusing Trudeau’s government of baselessly targeting its officials and endangering their safety.

Earlier, on 14 October, the MEA announced that it is withdrawing the Indian high commissioner and other diplomats after they were labeled as ‘persons of interest’ by Ottawa in its probe into the killing of pro-Khalistani terrorist Hardeep Singh Nijjar.

Following this Canada's Charge d’Affaires was summoned by the Ministry of External Affairs and was told that the baseless "targeting" of Indian High Commissioner Sanjay Verma and other diplomats and officials was “completely unacceptable

Following this, India has asked six Canadian diplomats including Charge d'Affaires Wheelers and Deputy High Commissioner Patrick Hebert to leave India by or before 11:59 pm on 19 October.