The reasons for the diplomatic impasse between the two countries

OTTAWA - Canada has expelled six Indian diplomats and consular officials in relation to an investigation of the murder of a Sikh separatist leader in British Columbia in 2023, the Foreign Ministry said on Oct 14.

- REUTERS

India earlier said it had ordered the expulsion of six top Canadian diplomats, including Acting High Commissioner Stewart Wheeler. It added that it had withdrawn its envoy from Canada, contradicting Canada's statement that it had expelled the envoy.

Relations between the two countries have been fraught since 2023, when Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau said he had evidence linking Indian agents to the assassination of a Sikh separatist leader in his country.

The Royal Canadian Mounted Police said they had significant information on broad criminal activity orchestrated by agents of the government of India and used to target members of the South Asian community in Canada.

June 18, 2023: Mr Hardeep Singh Nijjar, 45, is shot dead outside a Sikh temple in Surrey, a Vancouver suburb with a large Sikh population. He was a Canadian citizen campaigning for the creation of an independent Sikh homeland carved out of India.