(BBC News) Canada’s PM Justin Trudeau says he is not trying to provoke India by linking it to the murder of a Sikh separatist leader.
The escalating row centres on the murder of Hardeep Singh Nijjar, a Canadian citizen shot dead outside a Sikh temple on June 18 in British Columbia.
Trudeau says Canadian intelligence officials are pursuing “credible allegations” of a link between his death and the Indian state.
India expelled a senior Canadian diplomat after Canada’s foreign minister announced an Indian diplomat was being kicked out.
Trudeau’s allegations have been rejected by India, which described them as “absurd” and politically motivated.
It added that Canada had long provided shelter to “Khalistani terrorists and extremists” who threaten India’s security.
The U.S. says it is “concerned” about the allegations and urged India to co-operate with an investigation.
