India-Canada tension: 10 key points to understand latest diplomatic row

India and Canada have reignited the long-standing diplomatic tensions by initiating the expulsion of diplomats by the respective countries amid fresh accusations by Canada that Indian government agents are involved in various activities on Canadian soil.

The latest row erupted when the Ministry of External Affairs said it received a communication from Canada, suggesting the Indian High Commissioner and other diplomats are ‘persons of interest’ in an investigation. India "strongly" rejected the "preposterous" imputations, saying they were being levelled keeping in mind the political agenda of the Trudeau government.

India-Canada diplomatic relations suffered a blow last year when Canada alleged Indian agents were involved in the killing of Khalistan sympathiser Hardeep Singh Nijjar. The government of India has denied these allegations.

Here are 10 key developments in the India-Canada diplomatic conflict so far:

1) MEA says 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. "This latest step follows interactions that have again witnessed assertions without any facts. This leaves little doubt that on the pretext of an investigation, there is a deliberate strategy of smearing India for political gains."

2) India has accused Trudeau of hostility. "In 2018, his visit to India, which was aimed at currying favour with a vote bank, rebounded to his discomfort. This latest development targeting Indian diplomats is now the next step in that direction. It also serves the anti-India separatist agenda that the Trudeau Government has constantly pandered to for narrow political gains," says the MEA.

3) MEA says 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."

4) Canada first announced that six Indian diplomats and consular officials had received a notice of expulsion from Canada in relation to a campaign against Canadian citizens by agents linked to India. Later in the day, India expelled 6 Canadian diplomats. They have been asked to leave India by or before 11:59 PM on Saturday, October 19, 2024.

5) Royal Canadian Mounted Police says it has discovered the involvement of agents of India in "serious criminal activity" in Canada. The RCMP says deputy commissioner of federal policing, Mark Flynn, made attempts to meet with his Indian law enforcement counterparts to present evidence regarding "India's involvement in serious criminal activity in Canada", which were unsuccessful.

6) The RCMP said its probe revealed that Indian diplomats and consular officials based in Canada leveraged their official positions to engage in clandestine activities, such as collecting information for India, either directly or through their proxies; and other individuals who acted voluntarily or through coercion.

7) Canadian PM Justin Trudeau said Canada is a country rooted in the rule of law. "That is why, when our law enforcement and intelligence services began pursuing credible allegations that agents of the Government of India were directly involved in the killing of a Canadian citizen, Hardeep Singh Nijjar, on Canadian soil – we responded. Today, we are taking additional steps to protect Canadians."

8) Trudeau says the RCMP has "clear and compelling evidence" that agents of the government of India have engaged in, and continue to engage in, activities that pose a significant threat to public safety. "This includes clandestine information gathering techniques, coercive behaviour targeting South Asian Canadians, and involvement in over a dozen threatening and violent acts, including murder. This is unacceptable."

9) The U.S. Department of State says an Indian Enquiry Committee is actively investigating the individual who was identified last year in the Department of Justice’s indictment as "an Indian government employee", who directed a foiled plot to assassinate a U.S. citizen in New York City. "India will determine follow-up steps, as necessary."

10) Mélanie Joly, Canadian Minister of Foreign Affairs, says the decision to expel these individuals was made only after the RCMP gathered ample, clear and concrete evidence. "We continue to ask that the Indian government support the ongoing investigation in the Nijjar case, as it remains in both our countries’ interest to get to the bottom of this.”