Canada expelled six top Indian diplomats and consular officials in relation to an investigation into the murder of a Sikh separatist leader in British Columbia, its foreign ministry said on Monday, APA reports citing Reuters.
Earlier in the day, India said it had ordered the expulsion of six high-ranking Canadian diplomats and withdrawn its envoy from Canada.
The expulsions represent a major deterioration of diplomatic relations between the two Commonwealth countries, which have been frayed since Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau said he had evidence linking Indian agents to the assassination of the Sikh separatist leader on his territory.
"The decision to expel these individuals was made with great consideration and only after the RCMP gathered ample, clear and concrete evidence which identified six individuals as persons of interest in the Nijjar case," the foreign ministry said in a statement.
India said it had asked six Canadian diplomats to leave by Saturday. The ministry also said it had summoned Acting High Commissioner in India Stewart Wheeler, currently Canada's top diplomat in the South Asian country.
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