India warns citizens to ‘exercise utmost caution’ when travelling to Canada

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India on Wednesday warned its citizens to use “extreme caution” when traveling to Canada, as the killing of a Canadian Sikh in June plunged bilateral ties into crisis.

India warned that this was due to a “deteriorating security environment” in Canada. Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau said on Monday there were credible allegations that Indian agents were involved in the murder of Sikh activist Hardeep Singh Nijjar.

The U.S. ambassador to India said on Wednesday the allegations were “troubling” but also described New Delhi as a “dear friend” and warned against passing any judgment on Nijar’s death.

The Indian government has dismissed Canadian accusations that it may have been involved in Nijjar’s killing as absurd. Nijjar, an activist for the creation of an independent Sikh state, has been designated a terrorist by New Delhi.

“In view of the increasing anti-India activities, political condonation of hate crimes and criminal violence in Canada, all Indian nationals considering travel to Canada should exercise extreme caution,” the Indian Ministry of External Affairs said.

“Recently, threats have been particularly targeted at Indian diplomats and segments of the Indian community who oppose anti-India agendas,” the department report continued. “Indian nationals are therefore advised to avoid traveling to areas and potential locations in Canada where such incidents have occurred.”

Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s government has accused Canada of tolerating “anti-India activities” by extremist exiles. Indian officials cited incidents including demonstrations at Canadian diplomatic establishments and an image of a poster circulating online that read “Kill India” and showed photos of two Indian diplomats.

New Delhi’s warning appeared to be in response to Canada’s latest travel advice to India issued on Monday, in which Ottawa called for a “high degree of caution” as it said there was “a threat of terrorist attacks across the country”.

Canada on Monday expelled a senior Indian diplomat in Ottawa, while India expelled a Canadian diplomat from the High Commission in New Delhi.

On Wednesday, U.S. Ambassador to India Eric Garcetti described India as a “dear friend, partner, ally (and) trading partner” but also expressed support for “sovereignty” and “sovereignty” as Canada investigates the Nijjar incident. non-interference” principle. die.

“Obviously, any accusation like this should be disturbing to anyone,” Garcetti said during a panel discussion at the Ananta Aspen Center, an Indian think tank. “But through an aggressive criminal investigation, I hope we can ensure that the perpetrators are brought to justice.” Bring them to justice and give space for this information and investigation before anyone passes judgment.”

Canada’s crisis in relations with the world’s most populous democracy has resonance in a country with one of the world’s largest Indian diaspora populations. According to the Indian High Commission in Ottawa, there are about 700,000 Indian citizens living in Canada, along with 230,000 Indian students and another 1.6 million people of Indian origin.

The dispute also puts the two countries’ allies in a delicate position at a time when India has become an increasingly important trade, technology and military partner for the United States and other Western democracies trying to counter China.

Additional reporting by Jyotsna Singh in New Delhi

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