• Source:JND
Add as a preferred

Canada on Monday issued an updated travel advisory for its citizens in India and asked them to "stay vigilant and exercise caution" in the context of recent developments as there are calls for protests and some "negative sentiment" towards Canada on social media. This comes after New Delhi issued a similar advisory for Indian nationals and students living in Canada and halted visa services late last week.

"In the context of recent developments in Canada and in India, there are calls for protests and some negative sentiment towards Canada on social media. Please remain vigilant and exercise caution," the Canadian government said in their update.

The tensions between India and Canada flared after Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau's allegations of "potential" involvement of Indian agents in the killing of Khalistani extremist Hardeep Singh Nijjar, 45, on his country's soil on June 18 in British Columbia. India had designated Nijjar as a terrorist in 2020.

India angrily rejected the allegations as "absurd" and "motivated" and expelled a senior Canadian diplomat in a tit-for-tat move to Ottawa's expulsion of an Indian official over the case. India last week asked Canada to crack down on terrorists and anti-India elements operating from its soil and suspended visa services.

India has also asked Canada to downsize its diplomatic staff in the country, arguing that there should be parity in strength and rank equivalence in the mutual diplomatic presence. The size of Canadian diplomatic staff in India is larger than what New Delhi has in Canada.

Also, there are reports that to further harden its stance on the issue and be on top of the power game India might cancel registrations of several Overseas Citizenships of India. The Indian government has identified 19 absconding Khalistani terrorists staying in countries like the US, UK, Canada, UAE, Pakistan, and other countries. Additionally, the government has also asked the agencies to identify Khalistani terrorists settled in countries like the US, UK, Canada, and Australia and cancel their Overseas Citizenship of India (OCI) so that they don't come to India.