Photo courtesy of Prime Minister’s Office (GODL-India)
Indian-Canadian diplomatic relations have been thrown into disarray after an activist was killed.
by Elizabeth Murray ’26
Global Editor
Canadian and Indian diplomatic relations are at an impasse. On Oct. 14, 2024, the Canadian government expelled six Indian diplomats, including the high commissioner, according to the Associated Press. This came after an investigation into the June 2023 killing of a Sikh activist that led to the uncovering of evidence of other possible crimes committed by agents of the Indian government. The Indian government has denied the accusations and has expelled six Canadian diplomats, including the high commissioner.
Context
In June 2023, Hardeep Singh Nijjar was assassinated. He was the leader of a Sikh temple in Surrey, British Columbia, according to the New York Times. Nijjar had previously called for an independent Sikh state to be created in northern India. He was born in India and immigrated to Canada in the 1990s, obtaining citizenship in 2015. In 2020, the Indian government declared him a terrorist, and accused him of “plotting a violent attack in India and of leading a terrorist group,” according to the New York Times. Politicians and journalists in the Punjab region contend that neither him or his movement was well known by locals.
The Indian government maintains that Canada’s lax policy towards Sikh nationalists has created a national security risk. Sikhs make up less than 2% of India’s population. Around 23 million Sikhs live in Punjab, and there are about 3 million people in the Sikh diaspora. In the 1970s and ’80s, a Sikh nationalist movement led to an armed insurgency that lasted about a decade. The Indian government cracked down with force. In 1984, then Prime Minister Indira Gandhi ordered a raid on the Golden Temple, the holiest site in Sikhism. Hundreds were killed, and Gandhi was later assassinated by two Sikh bodyguards. After Gandhi’s assassination, there was a wave of violence against Sikhs in India where thousands were killed. The Sikh separatist movement has little support these days in Punjab.
Canada’s decision
Canada’s Minister of Foreign Affairs Mélanie Joly said their decision “was made with great consideration and only after [Canadian police] gathered ample, clear and concrete evidence which identified six individuals as persons of interest in the Nijjar case,” according to CNN. Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau said in a statement that the Indian government made “a fundamental error in thinking that they could engage in supporting criminal activity against Canadians here on Canadian soil, whether it be murders or extortion or other violent acts, is absolutely unacceptable for any country, any democracy, that upholds the rule of law.”
The Royal Canadian Municipal Police has publicly revealed the investigation “due to the significant threat to public safety.” CNN reported that the RCMP has accounted for “well over a dozen credible and imminent threats” towards South Asians and supporters of the Sikh separatist movement in Canada. Furthermore, the investigation uncovered that several Indian diplomats and consular officials were involved in operations to obtain information for the Indian government. This information was reportedly used to target South Asian community members.
The Response Abroad
In the United States, on Oct. 17, prosecutors charged a man identified as an Indian intelligence official with attempting an assassination from abroad, according to the New York Times. The attack was intended to target Gurpatwant Singh Pannunan, a lawyer, outspoken critic of the Indian government and supporter of the Sikh separatist movement, who is based in New York.
The United States and Canada have shared information with each other during their respective investigations. The United States has also urged India to cooperate with the Canadian investigation, according to Deutsche World News. The United Kingdom has also expressed its support for the Canadian government and its actions.
This all comes at a time when the United States and the United Kingdom are looking to strengthen their relationship with India. As India’s political strength has been growing, it is emerging as a potential rival to China for both economic, political and military purposes.
Reaction in India
As stated previously, the Indian government has denied the allegations levied against it, and says the Canadian government has not provided evidence to support them, according to the BBC. A statement made on Wednesday, Oct. 16 by a spokesperson for India’s Foreign Ministry, Randhir Jaiswal, labeled Prime Minister Trudeau’s behavior as “cavalier,” and said he was to blame for a breakdown in Canadian-Indian relations.
What happens now?
This is an unprecedented breakdown of international relations, and what happens next will determine each party’s actions going forward, according to the BBC.
Questions are being raised about the impact on trade and immigration between Canada and India. Trade between the two countries is worth billions, and there are close to 1.7 million people of Indian descent in Canada. As of now, economic retaliation such as tariffs have not been imposed by either country.
India temporarily suspended the issue of visas to Canadian citizens, but this quickly resumed. Still, there is some worry that the issuing of visas to Canadians will be withheld again, potentially impacting business relations but mostly the Indian diaspora in Canada.
India has said it “reserves the right to take further steps,” and Canadian Foreign Minister Joly has said that all options, including sanctions, are still being weighed.
Madeleine Diesl '28 contributed fact-checking.