Security stepped up outside Canadian High Commission in Delhi: Police

PTI, Sep 19, 2023, 8:15 PM IST

Representative image (Source: iStock)

New Delhi: Amid a diplomatic dust-up between India and Canada, officials said security was increased outside the High Commission of Canada on Tuesday in central Delhi as a ”precautionary measure”.

Canada and India have expelled a senior diplomat each after a row erupted over the killing of a Khalistani terrorist in June in Canada, with Prime Minister Justin Trudeau alleging the involvement of ”agents of the Indian government” and New Delhi outrightly rejecting the charge as ”absurd” and ”motivated.”

A senior police officer said, ”The personnel of Delhi Police, along with the paramilitary, have been deployed as a precautionary measure outside the High Commission.”

Canadian High Commissioner to India Cameron MacKay was summoned and informed about the decision to expel the senior official, with the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) saying the move reflects New Delhi’s growing concern at the ”interference of Canadian diplomats in our internal matters and their involvement in anti-India activities.”

Hardeep Singh Nijjar, 45, the chief of the banned Khalistan Tiger Force (KTF) and one of India’s most-wanted terrorists who carried a cash reward of Rs 10 lakh on his head, was shot dead by two unidentified gunmen outside a gurdwara in Surrey in the western Canadian province of British Columbia on June 18.