OTTAWA – Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau accused the Indiagovernment of the fatal shooting of Canadian Sikh leader Hardeep SinghNijjar and expelled New Delhi’s intelligence chief in Ottawa in retaliation.
Mr Trudeau apprised the House of Commons about the Indian government’s rolein the state-sponsored killing of a Khalistani leader. He called theinvolvement of a foreign government in the killing of a Canadian citizen onCanadian soil an unacceptable violation of sovereignty, saying theprotection of Canadian citizens in defence of our sovereignty isfundamental.
With the startling revelation of Mr Trudeau, the Canadian government kickedout New Delhi’s intelligence chief in Ottawa in an intense move thatfurther tensed the ties between the two sides.
PM Trudeau directed the Canadian law enforcement and security agencies toensure the safety of all citizens and hinted at taking steps to holdperpetrators of this murder to account.
Canadian Foreign Minister Melanie Jolie confirmed the swift action,confirming that the government expelled a senior Indian diplomat fromCanada, who is said to be the head of India’s foreign intelligence agency.
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Hardeep Singh Nijjar, a most wanted man in the South Asian nation, wasassassinated in June this year near Vancouver, a home to the Sikh community.
The deceased raised his voice for a separate independent Sikh state whileNew Delhi slammed Nijjar of carrying out attacks in India.
