The relationship between India and Canada is deteriorating because of the Sikh separatist murder. Everything started with Hardeep Singh Nijjar being killed by two masked gunmen at the Gurdwara car park located in the city of Surrey. Initially, the murder didn’t get any international attention until Justin Trudeau, the Canadian Prime Minister, made an explosive announcement in the parliament. In his speech, there was a credible allegation against the Indian Government. He imposed that the Indian Government has a direct connection to this murder. He said, “Any involvement of a foreign government in the killing of a Canadian citizen on Canadian soil is an unacceptable violation of our sovereignty.”
As an outcome, Canada expelled a top Indian Diplomat who was reportedly involved in the intelligence. India also bounced back and stated that this is an ‘Absurd’ accusation that can be politically driven as well and has expelled a top Canadian diplomat in return. This incident has taken a toll on various factors including halting businesses between both of the counties. Later on, India also suspended visa services for Canadian citizens.
The row has continued further, and now the masses have gathered causing several Sikh and Hindu frictions. The head of Sikhs for Justice, Gurpatwant Singh Pannun said, “Indo-Canadian Hindus, you have repudiated your allegiance to Canada and the Canadian constitution,” in a video reported to be filmed on the 12th of September. “Your destination is India. Leave Canada. Go to India,” Pannun added. He is a dual Canadian-US citizen and a very close friend of Mr. Nijjar.
This also has caught the attention of a Liberal member of the Canadian Parliament, Chandra Arya, he Hasid, “I have heard from many Hindu-Canadians who are fearful after this targeted attack.” According to Mr. Arya, the comment does have a political motivation, which is to “divide the Hindu and Sikh communities in Canada”. A tech professional, Ranbir Grewal, who identifies himself as a Sikh, has mentioned that he is part of a social group that is a mix of Hindu and Sikh Canadians.
He said, “Those are relatively offensive statements, and they get a reaction, people are talking about it.” He also spoke against the Indian Government on its recent travel advisory for Canada. According to this, people need to follow “Utmost Caution” when they visit North America, as there can be potential violence against Indian people. “I’ve been going about meeting people the same way, my day-to-day life hasn’t changed much,” he added.
Radhika Sharma, a Vancouver-based Indian Hindu student, stated that this is a political issue and Trudeau’s accusations might have been a fault of the Canadian Government which has failed to provide any evidence publically to support his statement. She also mentioned some of her Sikh friends are also upset about this unfortunate incident. She said, “We don’t know if it’s true or not, but if it is then it should have supportive evidence.” She also added, “This is just creating a tussle and a war between two great countries.”
