Canada Prime Minister Justin Trudeau on Tuesday claimed that his country was not trying to provoke India by suggesting its agents were linked to the murder of Khalistani extremist Hardeep Singh Nijjar, but Ottawa wanted New Delhi to address the issue properly.
"The government of India needs to take this matter with the utmost seriousness. We are doing that, we are not looking to provoke or escalate," he told reporters. The Indian government has already dismissed the Canadian government's accusations as absurd.
Trudeau said on Monday that "credible allegations" linked Indian agents to the June slaying of Nijjar, who was accused by India of carrying out terrorist attacks in India.
New Delhi insisted it had nothing to do with the killing, adding that Prime Minister Narendra Modi had “completely rejected” the accusation when earlier raised privately by Trudeau.
Earlier on Tuesday, India expelled a senior Canadian diplomat in a tit-for-tat action after Ottawa's expulsion of an Indian official over the case, marking fresh tensions to the already frayed bilateral ties.
Canadian high commissioner to India Cameron MacKay was summoned and he was informed about the decision to expel the senior diplomat with the ministry of external affairs (MEA) saying the move reflects New Delhi's growing concern at the "interference of Canadian diplomats in our internal matters and their involvement in anti-India activities".
In a strongly-worded statement, the MEA also trashed comments by Trudeau and foreign minister Melanie Joly, asserting that "such unsubstantiated allegations seek to shift the focus from Khalistani terrorists and extremists, who have been provided shelter in Canada and continue to threaten India's sovereignty and territorial integrity".
Though New Delhi did not divulge the name of the Canadian diplomat who has been asked to leave India within five days, people familiar with the matter said it is Canadian intelligence agency's station chief in New Delhi Olivier Sylvestere.
The Indian action to expel the Canadian diplomat came hours after Joly announced that a "top Indian diplomat" was expelled from Canada. Nijjar, a Canadian Khalistani terrorist, was shot dead by two gunmen in Surrey on June 18.
Joly's office said the diplomat, who has been ordered to leave Canada, is Pavan Kumar Rai, the head of the Research and Analysis Wing (RAW), according to Canadian broadcaster CBC news.
Canada's public announcement of expulsion of the Indian intelligence operative is seen as "rare" as such issues are generally handled in a discreet manner.
The chain reactions followed after Trudeau said in the House of Commons that Canada was looking at "credible allegations potentially linking" Indian agents to Nijjar's killing.
Nijjar, 45, was one of India's most-wanted terrorists who carried a cash reward of ₹10 lakh on his head.
