India also urges Canada to take prompt and effective legal action against anti-India elements in the country
Rejecting Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau's allegations about involvement in the death of a pro-Khalistan Sikh leader in the country earlier this year, India has expelled a senior Canadian diplomat citing “anti-India activities”.
 
The move comes a day after Canada's expulsion of an Indian diplomat amid a probe into what it alleged was India’s possible link in the death of Hardeep Singh Nijjar.
 
On Monday, Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau had said that intelligence agencies have been looking into the allegations after Nijjar was gunned down in the parking lot of Surrey Gurdwara Sahib in Brampton in June this year. The allegation, and the subsequent expulsion of the Indian diplomat, resulted in a sharp escalation in tensions between the two countries.
 
Following Canada's action, India's Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) summoned Canadian High Commissioner Cameron MacKay and communicated the decision to expel a senior Canadian diplomat.
 
In a statement, the MEA said, "The High Commissioner of Canada to India was summoned today and informed about the decision of the Government of India to expel a senior Canadian diplomat based in India. The concerned diplomat has been asked to leave India within the next five days.
 
The decision reflects Government of India’s growing concern at the interference of Canadian diplomats in our internal matters and their involvement in anti-India activities."
 
In an earlier statement, the MEA had rejected the allegations made by Canadian Prime Minister Trudeau, terming them as "absurd and motivated".
 
"We have seen and reject the statement of the Canadian Prime Minister in their Parliament, as also the statement by their Foreign Minister. Allegations of Government of India's involvement in any act of violence in Canada are absurd and motivated," the MEA stated. 
 
Similar allegations were made by the Canadian Prime Minister to Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi, and were completely rejected, the MEA said, adding that India was “a democratic polity with a strong commitment to rule of law”.
 
According to the MEA, such “unsubstantiated allegations seek to shift the focus from Khalistani terrorists and extremists, who have been provided shelter in Canada and continue to threaten India’s sovereignty and territorial integrity. The inaction of the Canadian Government on this matter has been a long-standing and continuing concern”.
 
"That Canadian political figures have openly expressed sympathy for such elements remains a matter of deep concern. The space given in Canada to a range of illegal activities including murders, human trafficking and organised crime is not new. We reject any attempts to connect Government of India to such developments," the MEA emphasized.
 
The MEA urged the Government of Canada to take prompt and effective legal action against all anti-India elements operating from their soil.