New Delhi, Sep 20 (EFE).- India asked its citizens in Canada to exercise \u201cutmost caution\u201d on Wednesday, ramping up an ongoing diplomatic standoff between the two countries over allegations that the Indian government plotted the killing of a Sikh separatist leader in Vancouver.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cIn view of growing anti-India activities and politically-condoned hate crimes and criminal violence in Canada, all Indian nationals there and those contemplating travel are urged to exercise utmost caution,\u201d the Indian external affairs ministry said in an advisory.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cGiven the deteriorating security environment in Canada, Indian students are advised to exercise extreme caution and remain vigilant.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The advisory specifically noted that Indian diplomats and segments of the Indian community in Canada who oppose the anti-India agenda have been particularly targeted by threats.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The advisory is the latest in the growing diplomatic discord between the two countries over alleged Sikh separatist activities targeting India in Canada.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
On Monday, Prime Minister Justin Trudeau told the Canadian parliament that his government was investigating \u201ccredible allegations\u201d that could link the Indian government to the killing of Sikh leader Hardeep Singh Nijjar in British Columbia in June.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
India dismissed the claims as “absurd” and \u201cmotivated,\u201d accusing the Canadian government of attempting to \u201cshift the focus from terrorists and extremists\u201d who seek an independent Sikh homeland, known as Khalistan.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The Indian government contends that the Sikh separatist movement has gained a foothold in Canada, home to over 770,000 Sikhs, comprising approximately 2 percent of the total population.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Both countries expelled two senior diplomats from their respective nations, further straining their fragile relations.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Hardeep Singh Nijjar, a 45-year-old Canadian citizen of Indian origin, was fatally shot by unidentified assailants in the parking lot of a Sikh temple in the Metro Vancouver suburb of Surrey on June 18.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Nijjar was an advocate for an independent Sikh state known as Khalistan in northern India and had been designated as a “terrorist” by India in July 2020.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Sikhs, who constitute the majority in India’s Punjab but comprise only about 1.7 percent of the country’s total population, have been demanding an independent homeland for decades.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
A violent insurgency claimed tens of thousands of lives in Punjab and neighboring regions until the government quelled it through a military crackdown that resulted in the deaths of several top Sikh leaders.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
While the Khalistani movement has largely waned, the Indian government has warned that Sikh separatist leaders are regrouping with support from the overseas Sikh diaspora. EFE<\/p>\n\n\n\n
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