India asks Canada to withdraw 41 diplomats

India has asked Canada to withdraw 41 diplomats amid rising bilateral tensions following the killing of a Sikh leader, the Financial Times reported on October 3, citing sources. The deadline is October 10. Canada has 62 diplomats in India.

India has warned that it will revoke diplomatic immunity in cases of violation. Previously, New Delhi announced that it wanted to "balance" the number and titles of Indian diplomats in Canada and vice versa.

Image of the Canadian High Commission (Embassy) building in India. (Photo: PTI)

Canada has more diplomats in New Delhi, as it has a large consular department to provide services to relatives of some 1.3 million Canadians of Indian origin.

Currently, the Canadian Ministry of Foreign Affairs and the Indian Government have not commented on this information.

Earlier, Indian Ministry of External Affairs spokesperson Arindam Bagchi said on September 21 that the country had suspended visa services for Canadian citizens. This move will limit Canadians from applying for visas to India. On the other hand, India has also advised its citizens to “exercise extreme caution” when traveling to Canada and expelled several senior diplomats of this country.

Canada-India relations have been strained recently, after Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau said the country had credible intelligence to accuse "Indian government agents" of involvement in the murder of Sikh leader Hardeep Singh Nijjar near Vancouver in June.

In response, New Delhi criticized Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau's allegations as "baseless" and "absurd."

According to CNBC , Mr. Hardeep Singh Nijjar was murdered on June 18 by two masked gunmen in the parking lot of Guru Nanak Sikh Gurdwara, a Sikh temple in Surrey, British Columbia (Canada).

In 2020, New Delhi designated Mr Nijjar a terrorist, accusing him of plotting multiple murders over several years. Nijjar, however, denies this. He has settled in suburban Vancouver, Canada, where he runs a plumbing business.

Kong Anh (Source: Reuters)

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