Canada warns India to take Sikh activist murder allegation seriously

Prime Minister Justin Trudeau has demanded that India treat with "utmost seriousness" Canada's allegations of New Delhi's possible involvement in the slaying of a Sikh exile, a concern echoed by Washington.

Canada's assertion led to reciprocal expulsions of an Indian intelligence official from Canada and a senior Canadian diplomat from New Delhi.

"India needs to take this matter with the utmost seriousness. We are doing that, we are not looking to provoke or escalate," Trudeau told reporters on Tuesday.

Canada said on Monday that there were "credible allegations" that agents linked to New Delhi were responsible for the murder June 18 of Hardeep Singh Nijjar, a Canadian citizen, in front of a Sikh cultural centre in a Vancouver suburb.

The government of Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi said the leader had "completely rejected" Canada's assertions in the unsolved slaying.

"Allegations of Government of India's involvement in any act of violence in Canada are absurd," the foreign ministry said in a statement.

Washington, however, joined Ottawa in calling for India to reveal what it knows about the slaying.

"We are deeply concerned about the allegations referenced by Prime Minister Trudeau," National Security Council spokeswoman Adrienne Watson said in a statement.

"We remain in regular contact with our Canadian partners. It is critical that Canada’s investigation proceed and the perpetrators be brought to justice."

Sikh nationalism

Relations between Canada and India have been strained in recent months since the assassination of the Sikh leader and demonstrations that followed in Canada.

The Indian government accuses Ottawa of turning a blind eye to the activities of radical Sikh nationalists who advocate the creation of an independent Sikh state to be carved out of northern India.

Trudeau said the case is "extremely serious" and "has far reaching consequences... for Canada."

Trudeau said his government did not rush to judgment in the case and had worked closely with its intelligence agencies.

'No surprise to Sikhs'

A representative of the World Sikh Organization of Canada, Mukhbir Singh, said his countrymen may have been "shocked" by Trudeau's assertion "but it was no surprise to the Sikh community."

"For decades, India has targeted Sikhs in Canada with espionage, disinformation and now murder," he alleged.