New Delhi, Oct. 3, (dpa/GNA) – The Indian government has asked Canada to withdraw 41 diplomats by October 10, according to a report published on Monday.
There was initially no reaction from the foreign ministries in New Delhi and Ottawa to the Financial Times report, which refers to inside information.
Relations between the two countries are currently at a low point after Canada’s Prime Minister Justin Trudeau accused the Indian government of the targeted killing of a Canadian citizen – accusations which India rejected as “absurd” and politically motivated.
The Canadian citizen killed was Hardeep Singh Nijjar, a well-known advocate of an independent state for people of the Sikh religious community on India’s territory. He was shot dead in Canada in June.
Indian authorities had been searching for the man for a long time, having accused him of terrorism.
Canada has significantly more diplomats in India than vice versa. There are currently 62 Canadian diplomats in India, according to the Financial Times. The country is home to the largest Indian diaspora and many people from India want to study in Canada.
GNA