India and Canada Expel Six Diplomats Each Amid Row Over Sikh Leader Hardeep Singh Nijjar's Killing

Oct 14, 2024, 06:02 PM

India and Canada have expelled each other's top diplomats and five other senior officials amid a deepening diplomatic row over the killing of Sikh separatist leader Hardeep Singh Nijjar in Canada. India has withdrawn its High Commissioner Sanjay Kumar Verma and other targeted diplomats after the Canadian government named them as "persons of interest" in the investigation into Nijjar's murder. In response, India expelled six Canadian diplomats, including Acting High Commissioner Stewart Ross Wheeler and Deputy High Commissioner Patrick Hebert, asking them to leave the country by October 19. Canada's Ministry of External Affairs had earlier expelled six Indian diplomats, accusing them of involvement in a campaign of violence against Canadian Sikhs, including the assassination of Nijjar. India's Ministry of External Affairs summoned the Canadian Charge d’Affaires and termed the "baseless targeting" of its diplomats as "completely unacceptable." The expulsions have led to a total breakdown of diplomatic relations between the two countries, with ties reaching an all-time low.