India furious as diplomats declared ‘persons of interest’ in Canada probe

New Delhi says it rejects the ‘preposterous imputations’, alleging the claims are part of Canadian PM Trudeau’s ‘political agenda’.

New Delhi is furious over Canada declaring India’s ambassador to Ottawa and other Indian diplomats as “persons of interest” in a matter related to an investigation, calling the move “preposterous” and part of Prime Minister Justin Trudeau’s “vote bank politics”.

India-Canada relations have been tense since September 2023 when Trudeau said Canada had credible evidence to link Indian agents to the assassination of Sikh separatist leader Hardeep Singh Nijjar on Canadian soil that year.

Nijjar supported a Sikh homeland in the form of an independent Khalistani state and was designated by India as a “terrorist” in July 2020.

But New Delhi has repeatedly denied the allegation that its agents killed him, challenging Canada to share evidence to back its claim.

In a statement on Monday, the Indian Ministry of External Affairs said it “strongly rejects these preposterous imputations and ascribes them to the political agenda of the Trudeau Government” and said Canada has not provided any proof “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 statement added.

“India now reserves the right to take further steps in response to these latest efforts of the Canadian Government to concoct allegations against Indian diplomats,” said the statement.

New Delhi also alleged the Trudeau government “has consciously provided space to violent extremists and terrorists to harass, threaten and