September 19, 2023: India on Tuesday expelled a senior Canadian diplomat in a reciprocal move. This came after Canadian Foreign Minister Melanie Joly on Monday informed that an Indian diplomat in Canada has been expelled over allegations of the country’s involvement in the killing of a Khalistani leader Hardeep Singh Nijjar.

Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau said India played a major role in killing the Khalistani terrorist.

Hardeep Singh Nijjar who was the chief of the banned Khalistan Tiger Force (KTF) and one of India's most-wanted terrorists was shot dead on June 18 by two unidentified gunmen outside a gurdwara in Surrey in the western Canadian province of British Columbia.

Nijjar was originally a resident of Bharsinghpur village in Punjab and he was declared “absconder” by the National Investigation Agency (NIA).

Meanwhile, India rejected the allegations as “absurd and motivated”. As per a statement, India is a diplomatic polity with a strong commitment to the rule of law.

However, the expelled Canadian diplomat has been asked to leave India within the next five days.