India demands for the Canadian envoy to be summoned in protest of what it terms the unchecked continuation of such “disturbing actions”.
After separatist slogans endorsing a Sikh country were uttered during an event that Prime Minister Justin Trudeau addressed, India summoned the Canadian Deputy High Commissioner and conveyed “deep concern and strong protest”.
The foreign affairs ministry of India announced on Monday that it has expressed “strong protest and deep concern” over such acts “being allowed to continue unchecked at the event.”
At an event in Toronto, ANI news agency—which Reuters owns a minority investment in—heard slogans endorsing the creation of a breakaway state.
“We will always be there to protect your rights and your freedoms, and we will always defend your community against hatred and discrimination,” Trudeau was quoted as saying by ANI.
After Trudeau declared that Canada was “actively pursuing credible allegations” that Indian agents were perhaps connected to the June 2023 murder of a Canadian citizen, bilateral diplomatic relations worsened last year.
Denial and Designation
Hardeep Singh Nijjar, 45, was shot dead outside a Sikh temple on June 18 in Surrey, a Vancouver suburb with a large Sikh population.
Nijjar supported a Sikh homeland in the form of an independent Khalistani state and was designated by India as a “terrorist” in July 2020.
New Delhi has denied any formal government role in Nijjar’s murder.
Canada has the highest population of Sikhs outside their home state of Punjab in India, and the country has been the scene of many demonstrations that have irked India.
The Canadian foreign ministry did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
SOURCE: TRTWORLD
