India warns citizens in Canada of hate crimes, anti-India activities

• The warning comes after a recent escalation in tensions between the two nations.
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  Tension results from Canada probing credible claims of Indian government involvement in a Sikh separatist leader’s assassination.

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• India has strongly denied the allegations.

India has released a cautionary notice advising its citizens who are either visiting or residing in Canada to be extremely vigilant.

This advisory follows a recent escalation in tensions between the two nations, which resulted in the expulsion of diplomats from both sides.

The root cause of this heightened tension is Canada’s investigation into “credible allegations” that suggest the involvement of the Indian government in the assassination of a Sikh separatist leader. India vehemently refutes these allegations, deeming them as baseless and absurd.

Experts in international relations observe that the bilateral relationship between India and Canada, which had been strained for several months, has now reached an unprecedented nadir.

The Indian government has consistently responded strongly to the demands of Sikh separatists in Western nations advocating for Khalistan, an independent Sikh homeland.

The peak of the Khalistan movement occurred in India during the 1980s when a violent insurgency centered in the Sikh-majority Punjab state was forcefully suppressed.

Although it holds little sway in India today, it still enjoys support among some members of the Sikh diaspora residing in countries such as Canada, Australia, and the UK.

Canada boasts the largest Sikh population outside of Punjab and has witnessed numerous pro-Khalistan protests and demonstrations. In June, reports were indicating that India had formally expressed concerns to Canada regarding the safety of its diplomats there.

In the statement issued on Wednesday, Delhi noted that there have been recent instances of threats targeting its diplomats and Indian individuals who oppose the anti-India agenda.

The Indian statement was released shortly after local media reports suggested that Canada had issued a comparable advisory for its citizens traveling to India.

However, some observers have noted that Ottawa’s advisory, which urges its citizens to “exercise a high degree of caution” due to the “risk of terrorist attacks throughout” India, has remained largely unchanged for several months.

On Monday, Prime Minister Justin Trudeau disclosed that intelligence agencies were actively investigating whether individuals with ties to the Indian government were implicated in the killing of Hardeep Singh Nijjar, a Canadian citizen.

It is worth noting that India had designated Nijjar as a terrorist in 2020. Nijjar tragically lost his life when two masked assailants shot him outside a Sikh temple in British Columbia on June 18.