Canada's Trudeau accuses India of role in assassination of Canadian Sikh leader

Canada expelled a senior Indian diplomat after going public with explosive 'credible allegations' that Indian agents helped kill a Canadian citizen

Justin Trudeau and Narendra Modi
Canada's Justin Trudeau and India's Narendra Modi at G20 summit
(Image credit: Press Information Bureau (PIB) / Anadolu Agency via Getty Images)

Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau told Parliament on Monday that "Canadian security agencies have been actively pursuing credible allegations of a potential link between agents of the government of India and the killing of a Canadian citizen, Hardeep Singh Nijjar," the leader of a Sikh temple in British Columbia. "Any involvement of a foreign government in the killing of a Canadian citizen on Canadian soil is an unacceptable violation of our sovereignty," he said.

After Trudeau's announcement, Foreign Minister Mélanie Joly said Canada had expelled an Indian diplomat, Pavan Kumar Rai, whom she identified as the head of Indian intelligence collection in the country. India's Ministry of External Affairs called the Canadian accusations "absurd and motivated," noting that Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi "completely rejected" similar allegations when Trudeau raised them with him on the sidelines of the Group of 20 summit on Sept. 10.

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Peter Weber, The Week US

Peter has worked as a news and culture writer and editor at The Week since the site's launch in 2008. He covers politics, world affairs, religion and cultural currents. His journalism career began as a copy editor at a financial newswire and has included editorial positions at The New York Times Magazine, Facts on File, and Oregon State University.