India scales up row with Canada over Sikh's death

A spat triggered by Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau's accusations linking New Delhi to a Sikh leader's killing in June was sharply escalated on Thursday, as India suspended new visas for Canadians and asked Ottawa to reduce its diplomatic presence in the country.

A blanket suspension of new visas by India for a Western country is unheard of and marks the lowest point in India-Canada relations.

India was willing to look into specific information in connection with the accusations, its foreign ministry said, adding that Canada has not shared anything so far.

The unprecedented tensions flared up on Monday after Trudeau said Ottawa was investigating "credible allegations" about the potential involvement of Indian government agents in the June murder of Hardeep Singh Nijjar in British Columbia.

Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi's government denied any links to the alleged murder.

On Thursday, a Canadian official familiar with the matter told The Associated Press that the allegation is based on surveillance of Indian diplomats in Canada, including intelligence provided by a major ally.

The two countries, whose relations have been fraying in recent years over the issue of Sikh separatists, have since announced tit-for-tat expulsions of senior diplomats and issued tit-for-tat travel advisories.

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.

Five Eyes alliance

Canada has discussed the issue with key allies such as the Five Eyes intelligence sharing alliance, which includes the United States, the United Kingdom, Australia and New Zealand, with Washington, London and Canberra expressing concern.

Anonymous official sources said India's foreign minister, Subrahmanyam Jaishankar, will further clarify India's position during his visit to New York on Saturday to attend the United Nations General Assembly, and then possibly make a visit to Washington, Indian media said.

The crisis has also triggered concerns over potential ripple effects in a range of areas between India and Canada.

Canada is India's 17th largest foreign investor, while Canadian investors have invested billions of dollars in Indian financial markets.

Since 2018, India has been the largest source country for international students in Canada.

Canada is the fourth-largest source of foreign tourists with 350,000 visitors in 2019, a number which fell following the COVID-19 pandemic.

Agencies and Xinhua contributed to this story.