Ind pulls top diplomats from Canada

PM Narendra Modi with Canadian PM Justin Trudeau on the sidelines of the G7 summit this year. File Pic/PTI

India on Monday announced withdrawing its high commissioner and other "targeted diplomats and officials" from Canada after strongly dismissing Ottawa's allegations linking the envoy to an investigation into the killing of Sikh extremist Hardeep Singh Nijjar, in a major escalation of tensions amid the already frosty ties between the two nations.

India's decision came shortly after the Canadian Charge d'Affaires, Stewart Wheelers, was summoned to the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) and was told bluntly that the baseless "targeting" of Indian High Commissioner Sanjay Verma and other diplomats and officials was "completely unacceptable". New Delhi described the charges against Verma as "concocted" and "preposterous imputations" and ascribes the allegations to the "political agenda of the Trudeau government that is centred around vote bank politics".

The MEA said India received a "diplomatic communication from Canada yesterday suggesting that the Indian High Commissioner and other diplomats are ‘persons of interest' in a matter related to an investigation in that country". The Canadian Charge d'Affaires (CDA) was summoned by MEA's Secretary (East) Jaideep Mazumdar and it was underlined to him that in an atmosphere of extremism and violence, the Trudeau government's actions "endangered" the safety of Indian diplomats and other officials.

Canada claims proof of India's role

After India decided to withdraw the Indian High Commissioner to Canada, Sanjay Kumar Verma, and other diplomats, the Canadian Charge d'Affaires, Stewart Wheeler, claimed that Canada had provided proof of ties between agents of the government and the murder of an Indian citizen.

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