The accusations came more than a year after Canada linked India's government to the murder of Sikh leader Hardeep Singh Nijjar in a Vancouver suburb.

As we navigate these challenging times, NAPA reaffirms its commitment to advocating for the rights of Sikhs and promoting a spirit of cooperation, understanding, and mutual respect,” it said.

The murder of a Khalistani separatist in Canada has triggered an extraordinary dispute between the two countries. A different alleged plot to kill another separatist, Gurpatwant Singh Pannun, in the US has added a significant subplot to the controversy.

The decision is the latest flare-up between the countries since the killing of an activist in 2023.

Sikh activist Hardeep Singh Nijjar, whose murder in June 2023 near his home in Vancouver sparked a diplomatic storm between India and Canada, was a long-time campaigner for a separate homeland for people of his faith.

India has expelled six Canadian diplomats and recalled its envoy from Ottawa as a row between the countries deepens over the death of a Sikh separatist leader in British Columbia last year. The decision to expel the diplomats comes after Canada on Monday said the Indian high commissioner Sanjay Verma was a “person of interest” in the assassination of Sikh activist Hardeep Singh Nijjar.

Canada expelled six Indian diplomats, including India’s top official in the country, alleging the diplomats gathered intelligence on Sikh separatists who were then targeted for violence. India responded on Monday by expelling six Canadian officials from India,