India lodges strong protest over Canada's allegations against Amit Shah
Canada had alleged that Union home minister Amit Shah was behind the “plots to target Sikh separatists on Canadian soil”.
India on Saturday said it summoned the Canadian high commission representative and lodged a strong protest over Ottawa's allegations against Union home minister Amit Shah.
“We had summoned the representative of the Canadian High Commission yesterday, a diplomatic note was handed over in reference to the proceedings of the Standing Committee on Public Safety and National Security in Ottawa on October 29, 2024,” MEA spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal said.
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“It was conveyed in the note that the government of India protests in the strongest terms to the absurd and baseless references made to the Union Home Minister of India before the committee by deputy minister David Morrison,” Jaiswal added.
“Such irresponsible actions will have serious consequences for bilateral ties,” the MEA spokesperson added.
According to a Reuters report, Canada had alleged that Union home minister Amit Shah was behind the “plots to target Sikh separatists on Canadian soil”.
Canadian Deputy Foreign Affairs Minister David Morrison said to a parliamentary panel that he told the Washington Post that “Shah was behind the plots."
On Wednesday, the US reacted to Canada's allegations against Shah, terming them “concerning”.
“The allegations made by the government of Canada are concerning, and we will continue to consult with the Canadian government about those allegations,” State Department spokesperson Matthew Miller said.
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India-Canada diplomatic tensions
The diplomatic relations between India and Canada have already deteriorated after Canadian prime minister Justin Trudeau alleged the role of Indian government agents in the killing of Khalistani terrorist Hardeep Singh Nijjar in June last year.
Last month, India recalled its high commissioner Sanjay Verma after the diplomat was named as ‘person of interest’ by Canada in its probe into Nijjar's killing.
New Delhi withdrew its high commissioner and expelled six Canadian diplomats from its soil.