Threat to Indian diplomats in Canada has ‘increased’, says MEA

As the ongoing tensions between India and Canada continue to be on the rise amid a diplomatic showdown, the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) on Thursday said that threat to Indian diplomats in Ottawa has increased.
Addressing a media briefing in Delhi, MEA spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal said that New Delhi had asked for security for the Indian diplomats for consular camp, however, it was not provided by the Canadian government. “Over the last year or even more, the kind of things that we have seen attacking Indian diplomats, threatening, intimidating, harassing Indian diplomats,” he added.
The MEA spokesperson further said, “Yes, threats to Indian diplomats in Canada has increased. They have been put under surveillance, which is unacceptable. We had also taken up the matter very strongly with the Canadian side on it.”
Jaiswal’s remarks come in the backdrop of the ongoing tussle over the attack at temple in Brampton, which was also sternly “condemned” the MEA. The spokesperson told reporters that New Delhi has called upon the Justin Trudeau-led government to hold rule of law and to bring justice to the people who purported the violence.
Just last week, India had accused Canada of indulging in “harassment and intimidation” of the Indian consular staff there, saying that they had been put under audio and video surveillance. Jaiswal had said that New Delhi “formally protested” to the Canadian government.
The MEA spokesperson said that communications of the consular staff in Ottawa were being “intercepted”, adding that India deems such surveillance to be “in flagrant violation of relevant diplomatic and consular conventions”.
The relationship between the two countries have been deeply strained since Trudeau alleged the involvement of Indian government officials in the killing of Khalistani extremist Hardeep Singh Nijjar. The allegations were dismissed as “absurd” by New Delhi.
Nijjar, designated as a terrorist by India, was shot dead by unknown gunmen outside a Sikh temple in British Columbia last year.
With the diplomatic showdown reaching its peak last month, India withdrew its high commissioner to Canada — Sanjay Kumar Verma — and other “targeted” officials from Canada, and expelled six Canadian diplomats. Then in a tit-for-tat move, Ottawa expelled six diplomats as well.
“Our diplomatic and consular personnel are already functioning in an environment of extremism and violence. This action of the Canadian government aggravates the situation, and is incompatible with established diplomatic norms and practices,” Jaiswal had said.
India said that the Canadian government’s actions endangered the safety of the Indian diplomats, adding that New Delhi has no faith in the Trudeau administration’s commitment to ensure their safety.
As both the countries expelled diplomats and engaged in a head-on tussle, Canadian Foreign Minister Melanie Joly said that the remaining Indian diplomats were also “clearly on notice” after Ottawa named the Indian High Commissioner Sanjay Kumar Verma as a person of interest in Nijjar’s killing.
India has continued to maintain its stance, dismissing the allegations levelled against the government and its diplomats by Canada. New Delhi has said that it would not provide any information to Ottawa until it shares evidence backing the accusations it has made.