New Delhi: Amid an escalating diplomatic row, India has advised its citizens in Canada and those intending to travel there to exercise utmost caution.
The foreign ministry released a statement Wednesday, warning Indian nationals about the “growing anti-national activities and politically-condoned hate crimes and criminal violence in Canada”.
The advisory comes two days after Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau told Parliament he had credible information linking New Delhi to the murder of Sikh separatist Hardeep Singh Nijjar, 45, in a Vancouver suburb in June.
As a “consequence”, Canada expelled a top Indian intelligence officer from the country. Within hours, India called Trudeau’s charge “absurd and motivated”, and threw out a senior Canadian diplomat from New Delhi.
The Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) statement advised Indian students in particular to exercise extreme caution and remain vigilant, given “the deteriorating security environment in Canada”.
The advisory said that recent threats have particularly targeted Indian diplomats and sections of the Indian community “who oppose the anti-India agenda”.
“Indian nationals are therefore advised to avoid travelling to regions and potential venues in Canada that have seen such incidents,” the communique read.
The advisory told Indian students in particular to exercise extreme caution and remain vigilant given “the deteriorating security environment in Canada”.
It asked Indian nationals and students to register with embassies so that they can help “in the event of any emergency or untoward incident”.
Advisory for Indian Nationals and Indian Students in Canada:https://t.co/zboZDH83iw pic.twitter.com/7YjzKbZBIK
— Arindam Bagchi (@MEAIndia) September 20, 2023
The already-strained relations between the two countries took a downward turn Monday when Trudeau claimed in Parliament that Canadian authorities had been investigating “credible allegations” of a potential link between “agents of the government of India” and the killing of Nijjar by masked gunmen in June.
He said the next day that Canada wasn’t trying to “provoke” India or “escalate” the situation, but was “simply laying out the facts”.
New Delhi has rejected Trudeau’s charge and said it was concerned “at the interference of Canadian diplomats in our internal matters and their involvement in anti-India activities”.
India has long demanded that Canada take action against local proponents of the Khalistan movement, which is banned in India. Canada has a Sikh population of more than 770,000, which is about 2 per cent of the total population.
Also read: ‘Concerning’: British Sikh MPs on Canada allegations against India