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 18 June in British Columbia
Trudeau says Canadian intelligence 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 US says it is "concerned" about the allegations and urged India to co-operate with an investigation
Alexandra Fouché
Live reporter
We're pausing our coverage of the row between Canada and India over the murder of Hardeep Singh Nijjar.
Our writers today were Ece Göksedef, Ali Abbas Ahmadi, Aoife Walsh, Nadine Yousif, Meryl Sebastian and Cherylann Mollan. The page was edited by Andrew Humphrey, Jasmine Taylor-Coleman and Alexandra Fouché.
You can find our latest news story about today's developments here.
Canada's Prime Minister Justin Trudeau has insisted he is not trying to provoke India after he accused the Indian government of being involved in Hardeep Singh Nijjar's murder.
Here's the latest:
Image source, .The Khalistan movement calls for an independent homeland for Sikhs in India - a policy strongly opposed by all mainstream political parties in the country.
The movement was at its peak in the 1980s in the Indian state of Punjab, when the area experienced a series violent attacks and deaths.
The long-running tensions were the cause of two of the most controversial incidents in modern Indian history - the storming of the Golden Temple and the assassination of Indira Gandhi.
The movement lost steam after Indian armed forces ran special operations against it.
Politics in modern Punjab have shifted away from the movement and calls for independence are not a majority position, according to Prof Shruti Kapila from the University of Cambridge.
But supporters in the Sikh diaspora have continued to advocate for a separate state, with calls for independence intensifying in recent years.
James Landale
Diplomatic correspondent
UK Foreign Secretary James Cleverly has said Britain will “listen very, very carefully to the serious concerns that have been raised by Canada” about the killing of a Sikh separatist leader in British Columbia.
He told the BBC he had spoken to the Canadian foreign minister, Mélanie Joly, about the allegations on Monday.
He refused to say if Britain would suspend trade talks with India, but said the UK would wait until the Canadian investigation was complete before deciding what further action to take.
“Both Canada and India are close friends of the UK, they're Commonwealth partners, we take very seriously the things that Canada are saying," he said.
"Obviously, with something as sensitive as this, we want to make sure that Canada is able to conduct a full and transparent investigation. I think it's very important we don't speculate. I'm not going to comment until we have more details.”
At a news conference this afternoon, Mukhbir Singh of the Canada-based World Sikh Organisation (WSO) said Justin Trudeau's allegations "may have shocked many Canadians, but it was not a surprise to the Sikh community".
"For decades, India has targeted Sikhs in Canada with espionage, disinformation and now murder," Singh said.
The WSO has been vocal about their support for Hardeep Singh Nijjar, who openly advocated for the creation of Khalistan - a separate homeland for Sikhs.
Singh said Nijjar had spoken for months about threats to his safety, and that Canadian intelligence was aware of this.
Singh added India's actions should be condemned by the international community.
He outlined several questions for the Canadian government to answer, including identifying and prosecuting those who were involved in Nijjar's death.
The WSO has also asked Canada for immediate protection of those Sikhs deemed to be at risk in the country.
Michael Kugelman - director of the South Asia Institute at the Wilson Center, a think tank based in Washington - says there are a number of reasons why the Canadian government did not feel the need to be discreet about the row with India.
"It’s already so upset with Delhi, and it simply was not feeling sufficiently concerned about the risks of going public.
"The second factor, I think, is that Canada takes this very seriously."
Kugelman says Justin Trudeau's remarks on the attack of a Canadian citizen on Canadian soil "conveys a sense of just how major an issue this is" and he decided to go public.
Kugelman adds the impact "should not be overstated".
"For India, this is a government that’s trying to build up broader ties with the West for reasons of trade, but also for strategic reasons. And for Canada, certainly India is perceived as being a key strategic partner, a big part of the Indo-Pacific vision that Canada shares."
At a news conference a few minutes ago, Canada's Conservative opposition leader Pierre Poilievre called on Prime Minister Justin Trudeau to release more information on what he knows about India's alleged involvement with Hardeep Singh Nijjar's death.
"The prime minister needs to come clean with all the facts," Poilievre says. "We need to know all the evidence possible so that Canadians can make judgements on that."
Asked whether Canada needed to change its relationship with India, Poilievre reiterated he needed to know more before making a judgement.
"He [Trudeau] didn't tell me any more in private than he told Canadians in public."
Yogita Limaye
Mumbai correspondent
Less than 10 days ago, at the G20 summit held in Delhi, India, the extent to which ties between India and Canada were strained was evident.
While Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi and his Canadian counterpart Justin Trudeau shook hands and smiled at each other, the encounter was brief in comparison with Modi’s photo ops with other leaders. Trudeau also skipped the Indian president’s dinner for G20 leaders.
Five years ago when Trudeau came to India with his family, it was a very different picture, full of warmth and camaraderie.
The relationship began to sour when Trudeau expressed concerns over anti-government farmer protests in India in 2020, seen by some as aimed at appeasing the Sikh diaspora, many of whose families were a part of the demonstrations.
And over the past couple of years, the friction has deepened as numerous protests and events have been held in Canada demanding the establishment of "Khalistan", a separate Sikh homeland in India’s Punjab state.
India accuses Canada of providing shelter to "Khalistani" separatists and says Prime Minister Trudeau’s latest allegation is an attempt to shift focus from Canada’s inaction over Delhi’s long-standing concerns.
Image source, Getty ImagesTrudeau and his family were photographed with Modi during a week-long official trip to India in 2018
The killing of Hardeep Singh Nijjar's sparked protests outside the Indian consulate in Vancouver in June this year.
His funeral a day later was held in Surrey, British Columbia, and was attended by thousands of people - many of whom waved Khalistan flags.
Image source, Canadian Press/ShutterstockProtesters outside the Indian consulate in Vancouver on 24 June 2023
Image source, Canadian Press/ShutterstockProtesters stand on the Indian flag in Vancouver
Image source, Canadian Press/ShutterstockNijjar's day-long funeral service was held on 25 June in Surrey, British Columbia
Image source, Canadian Press/ShutterstockThousands of mourners attended Nijjar's funeral
Image source, Canadian Press/ShutterstockKhalistan flags were prominently displayed at Nijjar's funeral service in June
A spokesperson from the Royal Canadian Mounted Police's homicide team says that their inquiry into the killing of Hardeep Singh Nijjar is a "priority investigation".
In an statement to the BBC, the Integrated Homicide Investigative Team (IHIT) spokesperson says that they will "continue to work closely with our local, provincial and national police agencies and partners in order to advance this investigation".
They added they could not discuss anything more specific at the moment, and urged anyone with information to contact the IHIT.
Image source, ReutersTrudeau and Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi shaking hands at the G20 summit earlier this month
In case you're just joining us or would like a refresh, here is what has been happening today.
US officials have urged India to co-operate with an investigation into allegations the Indian government was involved in the killing of a Sikh separatist leader.
The US has been in close contact with Canada over the accusation, a senior state department official said.
"We're quite concerned about the allegations. We think it's important there is a full and open investigation and we would urge the Indian government to co-operate with that investigation," the official added.
More now from Trudeau.
He says the Indian government needs to "take this matter with the utmost seriousness".
"We are doing that, we are not looking to provoke or escalate," he told reporters.
We're now getting some more comments from Canada's Prime Minister Justin Trudeau.
Trudeau says the murder of Sikh separatist leader Hardeep Singh Nijjar in Canada is "extremely serious".
We'll bring you more from Trudeau as we get it.
Sachin Gogoi
BBC Monitoring
Indian media love to hate the Canadian prime minister.
During a recent visit to Delhi in India for the G20 Summit, media coverage of Prime Minister Justin Trudeau was harsh - to put it mildly.
Media criticised and lampooned Trudeau for a host of reasons - from his tense meeting with Indian counterpart Narendra Modi to a technical snag in his aircraft that forced him to extend his stay in the Indian capital by 36 hours.
There seems to be a general agreement in India’s news media that Trudeau has been responsible for a downslide in India-Canada ties because of his alleged support for the Sikh separatists.
India and Canada’s expulsions of each other’s diplomats following Trudeau’s allegation of India’s “potential” involvement in the killing of a prominent Sikh separatist figure has only resulted in more criticism.
A report by leading Hindi news channel Aaj Tak said Trudeau’s allegation was not surprising “given he is in power with support from Khalistan supporters”.
Similarly, a report on the website of the prominent Hindustan Times daily said, external Trudeau’s comments would “ further damage bilateral relations which are already at an all-time low”.
Zoya Mateen
Reporting from Delhi
Security has been stepped up outside the Canadian high commission in Delhi.
Earlier today, the Indian government expelled a senior Canadian diplomat and gave him five days to leave the country after Canada expelled Indian diplomat Pavan Kumar Rai over the case.
Since then, authorities have deployed several police officers and Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF) outside the commission building, which is located in the heart of the capital city.
All has been quiet so far – and there have been no reports of protests breaking out in and around the complex, but authorities do not want to take chances and have tightened security to prevent any incidents.
Read more about the reaction in India here.
Ashitha Nagesh
BBC News Community Affairs Correspondent
A little bit more now about the death of Sikh separatist activist Avtar Singh Khanda, who died on 15 June in Birmingham, West Midlands, following a sudden illness.
In the UK, some groups are repeating calls for an investigation into his death.
He was said to be the head of the Khalistan Liberation Force, which the Indian government has proscribed as a terrorist organisation.
Some British-Sikh supporters of the Khalistan movement are saying that, in light of the allegations from the Canadian government around the killing of Hardeep Singh Nijjar, UK authorities should look into Khanda's death as well.
As I mentioned earlier, West Midlands Police at the time said there were no suspicious circumstances in Khanda's death, and confirmed to me again today they would not be opening an investigation.
The campaign for a separate Sikh state, known as Khalistan, is a highly contentious issue within the Sikh community in the UK.
Image source, Sikh PAThe ashes of Avtar Singh Khanda, who died in June, arriving in Punjab earlier this month
Like Canada and the UK, Australia has a sizeable Sikh population and has now reacted to Trudeau's allegations of there being "credible intelligence" of a possible link between the killing of Hardeep Singh Nijjar and the Indian state.
A spokesperson for Australia's Foreign Minister, Penny Wong, says that Australia is "deeply concerned" by the allegations "and notes the ongoing investigations into this matter".
"We are closely engaged with partners on developments. We have conveyed our concerns at senior levels to India," the spokesperson says.
Aleem Maqbool
Religion editor
In Britain, Sikh organisations have expressed outrage that even after a UN working group called for the immediate release of Jagtar Johal, a pro-Khalistan and Sikh rights activist from Dumbarton, the UK government has failed to ask that he be set free.
Johal has been held in an Indian prison for more than six years without trial, accused of extremist activities, but says he has been tortured and forced to sign a confession. Human rights group Reprieve says it has evidence that his arrest came (while he was in India to get married) after a tip-off from British intelligence agencies.
Last month, the British government announced new funding to respond to “pro-Khalistan extremism”. Even prominent British Sikhs opposed to the Khalistan movement, who may have faced intimidation because of their stance, say there is little evidence that the activism among Sikhs in the UK strays into what constitutes “extremism”.
They have warned that the Indian government’s focus on suppressing Khalistan support has been counterproductive, and is leading young Sikhs in an otherwise peaceful community, to explore a movement that had been on the decline.
Britain will continue trade negotiations with India despite "serious allegations" that the Indian government may be linked to Hardeep Singh Nijjar's murder, No 10 said.
The UK government is in "close touch" with its Canadian partners about the allegations, the prime minister's official spokesman said.
"It's right that the Canadian authorities are looking into them, but I'm not going to get ahead of that work that needs to take place now," he added.
The spokesman said that work on trade negotiations would "continue as before", adding that the government was "not looking to conflate" trade negotiations with "other issues".