Canada and India have expelled each other diplomats in a row sparked by the murder of a Sikh separatist campaigner in British Columbia.
The Canadian foreign ministry said it had banished six top Indian diplomats and consular officials after India ordered the expulsion of six high-ranking Canadian diplomats and withdrew its envoy from Canada.
The moves represent a major deterioration of diplomatic relations between the two Commonwealth countries, which have been frayed since Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau said he had evidencelinking Indian agents to the assassination of Hardeep Singh Nijjar in British Columbia in June.
India has long denied Trudeau's accusation and accused the Canadian leader of pursuing a "political agenda."
It comes after the Royal Canadian Mounted Police (RCMP) said Indian diplomats and consular officials based in Canada are leveraging their official positions to engage in clandestine activities.
"The decision to expel these individuals was made with great consideration and only after the RCMP gathered ample, clear and concrete evidence which identified six individuals as persons of interest inthe Nijjar case," the foreign ministry said in a statement.
India said it had asked six Canadian diplomats to leave by Saturday. The ministry also said it had summoned Acting High Commissioner in India Stewart Wheeler, currently Canada's top diplomat in theSouth Asian country.
India said it was expelling the diplomats because it was not confident their safety could be guaranteed.
"We have no faith in the current Canadian Government's commitment to ensure their security. Therefore, the Government of India has decided to withdraw the High Commissioner and other targeteddiplomats and officials," India's foreign ministry said in a statement.
Police have a "significant amount of information about the breadth and depth of criminal activity orchestrated by agents of the government of India in consequential threats to the safety and security ofCanadians and individuals living in Canada," the RCMP said in a statement.
The law enforcement agency said theIndian government is linked to homicides and extortion and used organised crime to target the South Asian community in Canada and interfere in democratic processes.
India has repeatedly said Canada has not shared any evidence to back its claim.
"This latest step follows interactions that have again witnessed assertions without any facts. This leaves little doubt that on the pretext of an investigation, there is a deliberate strategy of smearing Indiafor political gains," India's foreign ministry said earlier on Monday.
