Canada expelled the top diplomat from India in the country as well as five others, saying they were part of a campaign of violence and intimidation against Indian dissidents—including the assassination last year of Sikh activist Hardeep Singh Nijjar—at the behest of the Indian government. New Delhi denied the allegations and reciprocated, expelling six Canadian diplomats. (New York Times)
Our Take
Although Canada did not publicly reveal the details of its case against the Indian government and its diplomats, the fact that it was willing to go public with such serious allegations suggests that Ottawa has strong evidence to support its claims. In addition to the accusation made last year about India’s involvement in the Nijjar assassination, Canada now alleges that Indian diplomats have been collecting information about Canadians and passing it on to organized criminal networks functioning as enforcers, and that violence and intimidation by the Indian government has actually increased since last year.
To be clear, there is an assumption and expectation that diplomatic delegations everywhere include some personnel involved in espionage—including for keeping tabs on expat dissidents—even among partners and allies. What Canada is alleging here, though, crosses a very serious line into transnational repression.