Diplomatic Crisis: Canada Alleges India’s Involvement in Crimes, Expels Top Official

The Royal Canadian Mounted Police (RCMP) Commissioner Michael Duheme made allegations on Monday, claiming that Indian diplomats are associated with criminal activities in Canada including murder, extortion and intimidation targeting members of the South Asian diaspora. Specifically, he mentioned the investigation into the killing of the pro-Khalistan extremist Hardeep Singh Nijjar during a press conference held on Monday.

Canada’s decision to include Indian diplomats and other officials in the investigation of Hardeep Singh Nijjar’s murder in June 2023 led to New Delhi determining them. Canada stated that India chose to withdraw its diplomats after being informed of their expulsion. In response, India expelled six Canadian diplomats.

“Investigations have revealed that Indian diplomats and consular officials based in Canada leveraged their official positions to engage in clandestine activities, such as collecting information for the Government of India, either directly or through their proxies; and other individuals who acted voluntarily or through coercion,” said Michael Duheme in a press conference.

He also added that, “Evidence also shows that a wide variety of entities in Canada and abroad have been used by agents of the Government of India to collect information. Some of these individuals and businesses were coerced and threatened into working for the Government of India. The information collected for the Government of India is then used to target members of the South Asian community.”

On Monday, India withdrew its ambassador, Sanjay Kumar Verma and other diplomats and officials who were identified as “persons of interest” in Canadian inquiries into foreign meddling and the assassination of Hardeep Singh Nijjar, the individual designated as a terrorist by India and who was killed in June 2023.

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Relations between Ottawa and New Delhi have become strained since September 2023, following Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau’s statement that authorities were looking into credible allegations of Indian government officials being connected to the killing of Nijjar. Four individuals from India have been arrested and accused of the crime. On Monday, the MEA released a statement asserting that the investigation by Canadian authorities into the alleged connections was a “deliberate strategy” to tarnish India for political purposes.