The escalating row between the two countries centers on the murder of Hardeep Singh Nijjar, a Canadian citizen shot dead outside a Sikh temple on June 18 in British Columbia.
On the evening of June 18, Canadian police found Hardeep Singh Nijjar with multiple gun shot wounds in his pick-up truck, which was in the car park of the Guru Nanak Sikh Gurdwara temple in Surrey, British Columbia, Canada. Nijjar succumbed to his injuries at the scene and local police later said that he had been shot by two masked men. Nijjar was the temple's president and a prominent Sikh leader who publicly campaigned for Khalistan - the creation of an independent Sikh homeland in the Punjab region of India. For several months, his killing remained unsolved.
Relations between India and Canada began to deteriorate after Canadian PM Justin Trudeau said there were "credible allegations" that the Indian state may be linked to Nijjar's murder. Nijjar had publicly campaigned for Khalistan - the creation of an independent Sikh homeland in the Punjab region of India. Trudeau said Canadian intelligence were pursuing "credible allegations" of a link between his death and the Indian state.
India firmly rejected Trudeau's allegations, calling them "absurd" and politically motivated. adding that Canada had long provided shelter to "Khalistani terrorists and extremists" who threaten India's security. Canada expelled top Indian diplomat, Pavan Kumar Rai, over the row, followed by India expelling a senior Canadian diplomat.
Nijjar's son, Balraj Nijjar, said he was surprised by Trudeau's remarks because the family felt "like nothing has been done" in the three months since the shooting. The World Sikh Organisation of Canada condemned the killing and called on India to cooperate with the Canadian government over the investigation.
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