New Delhi has requested Ottawa to withdraw 41 diplomats by October 10 due to deteriorating diplomatic relations between India and Canada, according to a Financial Times report on Tuesday.
Relationships between the two US allies have deteriorated significantly due to Canadian suspicions that operatives of the Indian government were involved in the murder of Sikh leader and Canadian citizen Hardeep Singh Nijjar in June.
India, which designated Nijjar as a “terrorist”, dismissed the accusations, calling them absurd.
The Financial Times, citing people familiar with the Indian demand, said New Delhi had threatened to revoke the diplomatic immunity of those diplomats who have been asked to leave if they remain beyond October 10.
According to the newspaper, Canada has 62 diplomats in India, and New Delhi has suggested a reduction of 41. However, the Indian and Canadian foreign ministries have not commented.
Indian Foreign Minister Subrahmanyam Jaishankar said earlier there was a “climate of violence” and an “atmosphere of intimidation” against Indian diplomats in Canada, where the presence of Sikh separatist groups has frustrated New Delhi.
