Canada has expelled six Indian diplomats after federal police said an investigation found that Indian government agents were involved in a “campaign of violence” against dissidents in the North American country.
Speaking to reporters on Monday afternoon, Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau said the Royal Canadian Mounted Police (RCMP) uncovered “clear and compelling evidence” that Indian government agents had engaged in activities that threaten public safety in Canada.
“This includes clandestine information-gathering techniques, coercive behaviour targeting South Asian Canadians, and involvement in over a dozen threatening and violent acts, including murder,” Trudeau said during a news conference.
“The evidence brought to light by the RCMP cannot be ignored. It leads to one conclusion: It is necessary to disrupt the criminal activities that continue to pose a threat to public safety in Canada,” the prime minister added.
In a tit-for-tat move following Canada’s expulsion of the Indian diplomats, India’s foreign ministry said that New Delhi would expel six Canadian diplomats – including the acting high commissioner – giving them until Saturday to leave the country.
The announcements came hours after India said it was withdrawing its top envoy to Ottawa and other diplomats because the Canadian government was investigating them as “persons of interest” in a probe. (Al Jazeera)
