MEA summons Canada’s Charge d’Affaires, India to lodge protest over Nijjar case

India on Monday summoned Canada's Charge d'Affaires after the Ministry of External Affairs said it “received a diplomatic communication from Canada” over the 2023 killing of Khalistani separatist Hardeep Singh Nijjar. Canada's top diplomat, Stewart Wheeler, reached the ministry's headquarters around 7 pm on Monday.

According to the External Affairs Ministry, the communication from Canada suggested that “the Indian High Commissioner and other diplomats are ‘persons of interest’ in a matter related to an investigation in that country.” India sharply reacted to Canada's latest move and slammed the Trudeau government for indulging in “vote bank politics".

Now, reports claim that Canada's Charge'd Affairs was summoned to the Ministry of External Affairs and New Delhi is expected to lodge a strong protest over Ottawa's actions. The Charge'd Affairs was summoned because Canada currently does not have a high commissioner in Delhi. 

The relations between India and Canada came under severe strain following Justin Trudeau's allegations in September 2023. The Canadian PM had alleged a "potential" involvement of Indian agents in the killing of Khalistani extremist Hardeep Singh Nijjar.

Nijjar was shot dead in Surrey, British Columbia in June last year. India rejected Trudeau's charges as "absurd".

India's response to diplomatic communication from Canada

In a "strong" statement on Monday, the Ministry of External Affairs said, "Since Prime Minister Trudeau made certain allegations in September 2023, the Canadian Government has not shared a shred of evidence with the Government of India, despite many requests from our side.

“This latest step follows interactions that have again witnessed assertions without any facts. This leaves little doubt that on the pretext of an investigation, there is a deliberate strategy of smearing India for political gains.

"The Government of India strongly rejects these preposterous imputations and ascribes them to the political agenda of the Trudeau Government that is centred around vote bank politics," the ministry said in the statement.

India maintained that the Canadian government had not provided any proof to back its claim about Nijjar's killing, despite India demanding it on several occasions.