Tuesday Briefing: India Accused of Homicide and Extortion

Canada accused the Indian government yesterday of homicide and extortion intended to silence critics of India living in Canada. Canada also expelled Sanjay Kumar Verma, India’s top diplomat, and five others, saying they were part of a vast criminal network.

India reciprocated, expelling six Canadian diplomats, including the embassy’s second-highest-ranking diplomat.

The tit-for-tat actions escalated a bitter dispute that began last year with the assassination of a prominent Sikh cleric, Hardeep Singh Nijjar, in Surrey, British Columbia. The Canadian government accused India of orchestrating the killing. India maintains that the allegations are politically motivated.

Context: Canada is home to the largest Sikh community outside India, a religious minority that lives mostly in the state of Punjab, in northwestern India. India has said that some Sikhs in Canada are actively involved in a secessionist movement that seeks to carve out a Sikh homeland, known as Khalistan.