Trudeau accuses Indian government of murdering activist on Canadian soil

Justin Trudeau, Prime Minister of Canada, accused the Indian government of involvement in the murder of Hardeep Singh Nijjar, a Canadian citizen and leader of the Sikh community.

On Monday, Trudeau revealed that his country's intelligence services have been "actively pursuing credible allegations of a potential link" between Indian authorities and the murder of the Sikh leader that occurred in June, in the town of Surrey, in western Canada.

The Canadian prime minister said that during the G20 summit, he spoke with his Indian counterpart, Narendra Modi, about "deep concerns" that a foreign government would assassinate one of its citizens on Canadian soil.

"Last week, at the G20, I brought them personally and directly to Prime Minister Modi in no uncertain terms. Any involvement of a foreign government in the killing of a Canadian citizen on Canadian soil is an unacceptable violation of our sovereignty. It is contrary to the fundamental rules by which free, open and democratic societies conduct themselves," Trudeau said, noting that his country considers this matter as "extremely serious."

The prime minister also said he is urging Modi to cooperate with the investigation to clarify this situation.

Canada expelled an Indian diplomat

Foreign Affairs Minister Mélanie Joly said she had ordered "a senior Indian diplomat" to be expelled from Canada. However, she did not give the name of the official.

"Today we’re acting by expelling a key diplomat, but we will get to the bottom of this," Joly reported, as reported by CNN.

Murder of Nijjar

Hardeep Singh Nijjar, a prominent Sikh leader in the province of British Columbia who was branded by India as a terrorist threat, was shot dead outside a temple in Surrey.

Nijjar was inside his car when two gunmen shot him.