India requests that Canada remove its 41 ambassadors – FT

(Reuters) – According to the Financial Times, India has informed Canada that it must return 41 ambassadors by October 10.

Ties between India and Canada have deteriorated significantly as a result of Canadian suspicions that Indian government operatives were involved in the June assassination in Canada of Hardeep Singh Nijjar, a Sikh separatist leader and Canadian citizen whom India had deemed a “terrorist.”

The accusation has been refuted by India as ludicrous.

According to the Financial Times, citing persons familiar with the Indian demand, India has threatened to strip the diplomatic immunity of diplomats who have been warned to leave and stay beyond Oct. 10.

India has requested a reduction of 41 of Canada’s 62 diplomats there, according to the publication.

Requests for feedback from the foreign ministries of Canada and India were not immediately fulfilled.

The existence of Sikh separatist organizations in Canada has irked New Delhi, and Indian Foreign Minister Subrahmanyam Jaishankar had claimed that there was a “climate of violence” and a “atmosphere of intimidation” against Indian officials there.