India Warns Nationals to Exercise Caution as Relationship with Canada Worsens

TEMPO.CO, Jakarta - India urged its nationals in Canada, and those planning to visit, to exercise "utmost caution" as ties deteriorated after each nation expelled one of the other's diplomats in an escalating row over the murder of a Sikh separatist leader.

"In view of growing anti-India activities and politically condoned hate crimes and criminal violence in Canada, all Indian nationals there, and those contemplating travel, are urged to exercise utmost caution," India's foreign ministry said.

Tension has steadily risen since Canada PM Justin Trudeau said on Monday, September 18, that Canada is investigating "credible allegations" about the potential involvement of Indian government agents in the murder of Hardeep Singh Nijjar in British Columbia last June.

Indian PM Narendra Modi's government has categorically rejected Canada's suspicions that Indian agents had links to the murder. "Given the deteriorating security environment in Canada, Indian students in particular are advised to exercise extreme caution and remain vigilant," the ministry added in a statement.

Since 2018, India has been the largest source nation for international students in Canada. That figure rose 47% last year to nearly 320,000, making up about 40% of total overseas students, according to the Canadian Bureau of International Education.

India's main opposition Congress party endorsed the government's rejection of Canada's accusations, urging a stand against threats to Indian sovereignty."Trudeau's defense of declared terrorist Hardeep Singh Nijjar is absolutely shameful and shows how much the present Canadian regime is in bed with Khalistani sympathizers," Abhishek Manu Singhvi, a senior Congress lawmaker, posted on social media platform X, formerly known as Twitter.

Although there is hardly any support for the insurgency left in India, small groups of Sikhs in Australia, Britain, Canada, and the US support the separatist demand and occasionally stage protests outside Indian embassies. India, wary of the separatist revival, urged Canada to act against anti-Indian elements.

Canada has the largest population of Sikhs outside the Indian state of Punjab, with about 770,000 people reporting Sikhism as their religion in the 2021 census.

Canadian officials have so far declined to say why they believe India could be linked to Nijjar's murder. “We do not go around doing these things,” A.S. Dulat, a former head of India’s international espionage operations, told the Press Trust of India as quoted by Economic Times. “We do not go around assassinating people — let me make this very clear.”

Canada and India have previously been trying to boost bilateral trade, which in 2022 amounted to just C$10.2 billion out of Canada's total of C$1.52 trillion. Both sides have announced they are freezing the talks.

REUTERS

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