A timeline of recent Canada-India tensions, as both countries expel diplomats

Monday’s announced expulsion of six Indian diplomats from Canada comes after months of tensions between the two countries, which came to a head after the assassination of B.C. Sikh leader Hardeep Singh Nijjar, allegedly at the behest of the Indian government.

Here is a timeline related to the killing, which triggered the ongoing diplomatic rift between Canada and India.

2023

June 18 — Hardeep Singh Nijjar is shot dead outside the Guru Nanak Sikh temple in Surrey, B.C.

July 3 — Foreign Affairs Minister Mélanie Joly says she is concerned about the safety of India’s diplomats following the distribution of what she called “unacceptable” posters, as some looming protests call for people to “kill India.”

Sept. 1 — Canada pauses trade negotiations with India

Sept. 10 — Prime Minister Justin Trudeau and Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi have a tense exchange on the sidelines of the G20 summit in New Delhi

Sept. 15 — Canada postpones a planned October trade mission to India

Sept. 18 — Trudeau tells the House of Commons there is credible intelligence about a potential link between India’s government and the killing of Nijjar

Sept. 18 — Canada expels a top Indian diplomat and a senior Canadian diplomat is expelled from India in return

Sept. 21 — India suspends visa services for Canadians

Oct. 19 — Canada recalls 41 diplomats from India after the Indian government revokes their diplomatic immunity

Oct. 25 — India resumes some visa services for Canadians

Nov. 29 — An indictment is unsealed in New York alleging a murder-for-hire plot by an Indian national. The indictment alleges an Indian government employee directed the attempted assassination in the United States, and spoke about others, including Nijjar’s killing in Canada

2024

May 3 — Karan Brar, Kamalpreet Singh and Karanpreet Singh are arrested and charged with first-degree murder and conspiracy to commit murder in Nijjar’s death

Oct. 14 — Trudeau announces Canada has expelled six Indian diplomats, including high commissioner Sanjay Kumar Verma, due to what he called accusations of widespread murder, extortion and coercion across Canada. India announces that it is also sending six Canadian diplomats home.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published Oct. 14, 2024.

Dylan Robertson and Darryl Greer, The Canadian Press