India-Canada diplomatic war intensifies over killing probe

India and Canada's diplomatic war has intensified after Ottawa named top Indian diplomats in the country as "persons of interest" in an investigation.

India withdrew its envoy to Canada on Monday along with other officials and diplomats named in the probe, the Foreign Ministry announced after issuing a strongly worded statement.

"The Government of India strongly rejects these preposterous imputations," New Delhi said, alleging the claims are part of Trudeau’s "political agenda" and that Canada had failed to provide evidence to support its claims.

India defended its High Commissioner Sanjay Kumar Verma, calling him the country's "senior-most serving diplomat with a distinguished career spanning 36 years."

"The aspersions cast on him by the Government of Canada are ludicrous and deserve to be treated with contempt,” the Indian foreign ministry added.

New Delhi added that it had received the news via diplomatic communication from Canada and has summoned the Canadian Charge d’Affaires in India.

The Hill has reached out to Canada's Foreign Ministry for comment.

This comes more than a year after Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau's allegations that Indian agents were behind the killing of a Sikh Separatist leader in the country.

In a speech to Canada's House of Commons last year, Trudeau said that any foreign government involvement in the killing of a Canadian citizen on Canadian soil is "an unacceptable violation of our sovereignty."

The prime minister doubled down on his claims after initial criticism from India, saying Canada had “credible reasons to believe that agents of the government of India were involved in the killing of a Canadian on Canadian soil.”

In response, diplomatic relations between the two countries came to a standstill with India asking Canada to withdraw a dozen diplomatic staff and suspending visa services.

In June last year, masked gunmen killed Hardeep Singh Nijjar outside a Sikh temple in Vancouver. The 45-year-old separatist leader had previously been designated as a terrorist by India. 

India has long held the opinion that Canada has turned a blind eye toward extremist elements, especially Khalistani secessionists who demand a separate homeland for Sikhs in the Punjab region.