India expels six top Canadian diplomats, withdraws envoy

Indian high commissioner 'person of interest' in Nijjar case: Canada

- YESHI SELI @ New Delhi

RELATIONS between India and Canada reached a nadir on Monday as the foreign office announced the expulsion of six Canadian diplomats and the withdrawal its high commissioner and other diplomats after Ottawa claimed they were 'persons of interest' in the murder of Khalistani radical Hardeep Singh Nijjar in British Columbia last year. Though Nijjar, a Canadian national, was not named, the insinuation was crystal clear.

The six expelled diplomats are the acting High Commissioner Stewart Ross Wheeler, Deputy High Commissioner Patrick Hebert and first secretaries Marie Catherine Joly, Ian Ross David Trites, Adam James Chuipka, and Paula Orjuela. All six were given a Saturday deadline to fly out of India.