MEA summons Canadian diplomat after Ottawa declares Indian envoy as 'person of interest' in Nijjar murder

The diplomatic rift between India and Canada deepened significantly as the Indian External Affairs Ministry summoned Canadian diplomat Stewart Wheeler on Monday in response to escalating tensions stemming from accusations made by the Canadian government. This latest diplomatic tussle follows the Justin Trudeau government's attempt to link the Indian high commissioner to a probe into the killing of Sikh extremist Hardeep Singh Nijjar.

In a strongly-worded statement issues earlier today, India dismissed these allegations as “preposterous imputations” and a product of the Trudeau government's “political agenda centered around vote bank politics.”

The MEA disclosed that it had received a diplomatic communication from Canada suggesting that the Indian High Commissioner and other diplomats were considered "persons of interest" in an investigation related to Nijjar's murder.

It said India now reserves the right to take further steps in response to these "latest efforts of the Canadian government to concoct allegations against Indian diplomats".

"Since Prime Minister Trudeau made certain allegations in September 2023, the Canadian government has not shared a shred of evidence with the Government of India, despite many requests from our side," the MEA said.

Relations between India and Canada deteriorated significantly after Prime Minister Trudeau's allegations in September of last year, suggesting a "potential" involvement of Indian agents in the killing of Nijjar.

Nijjar was shot dead in Surrey, British Columbia, in June of the same year, and New Delhi dismissed Trudeau's claims as "absurd."

In its statement, the MEA referenced what it termed Prime Minister Trudeau's "naked interference" in Indian internal politics in December 2020, recalling the Canadian leader's remarks during the farmers' protests.

Regarding Canada's recent allegations, the MEA asserted that it "leaves little doubt that on the pretext of an investigation, there is a deliberate strategy of smearing India for political gains."

The statement noted that Prime Minister Trudeau's hostility toward India has been evident for some time. In 2018, his visit to India, "which was aimed at currying favour with a vote bank, rebounded to his discomfort".

"His Cabinet has included individuals who have openly associated with an extremist and separatist agenda regarding India," the MEA said.

"His naked interference in Indian internal politics in December 2020 showed how far he was willing to go in this regard," it said.

"That his Government was dependent on a political party, whose leader openly espouses a separatist ideology vis-à-vis India, only aggravated matters," it said.

"Under criticism for turning a blind eye to foreign interference in Canadian politics, his government has deliberately brought in India in an attempt to mitigate the damage," the MEA said.

It stated that this latest development, which targets Indian diplomats, represents the next phase in that trajectory.

"It is no coincidence that it takes place as Prime Minister Trudeau is to depose before a commission on foreign interference," it said.

"It also serves the anti-India separatist agenda that the Trudeau Government has constantly pandered to for narrow political gains," it said.

"To that end, the Trudeau government has consciously provided space to violent extremists and terrorists to harass, threaten and intimidate Indian diplomats and community leaders in Canada. This has included death threats to them and to Indian leaders," the MEA said.

"All these activities have been justified in the name of freedom of speech. Some individuals who have entered Canada illegally have been fast-tracked for citizenship. "Multiple extradition requests from the Government of India in respect of terrorists and organized crime leaders living in Canada have been disregarded," it added.

The MEA stated that High Commissioner Sanjay Kumar Verma is India’s most senior diplomat, boasting a distinguished career that spans 36 years.

"He has been Ambassador in Japan and Sudan, while also serving in Italy, Turkiye, Vietnam and China. The aspersions cast on him by the Government of Canada are ludicrous and deserve to be treated with contempt," it said.

"The Government of India has taken cognizance of the activities of the Canadian High Commission in India that serve the political agenda of the current regime," it said.