Canada withdraws dozens of diplomats from India amid Nijjar assassination conflict

Canadian diplomats have left India amid the diplomatic row between New Dehli and Ottawa that was sparked over the killing of the Sikh leader, Hardeep Singh Nijjar.

According to media reports, the Indian government asked Canada to call back its staff with a threat that their immunity would be waived if they stayed on the soil.

The leader of the Khalistan Tiger Force (KTF), Hardeep Singh Nijjar, was gunned down in June outside a gurdwara in Surrey, Canada which also echoed last month in PM Justin Trudeau's speech in the House of Commons, underlining Indian involvement in the fatality.

According to Canada's foreign minister, Melanie Joly, a number of its diplomats left India. She said India had said that immunity for "all but 21 diplomats" will be "unilaterally removed" by 20 October, adding that the remaining 21 diplomats are still in India, but the withdrawal means Canada will have to limit its services in the country due to a shortage of staff.

There are a total of 62 diplomats stationed in the South Asian nation.

After the assassination, Trudeau told the Indian government "to help uncover the truth of this matter", corroborating his claim with the intelligence his administration had.

New Delhi and Ottawa asked their respective senior diplomats to leave the country as the Indian decision of expulsion reflected its "growing concern at the interference of Canadian diplomats in the internal matters and their involvement in [anti-state] activities", according to the foreign ministry.

Trudeau had said that Indian agents played a role in the June murder of Nijjar, a Canadian citizen, near Vancouver.

The fallout prompted a forceful denial from India, which said any suggestion it played a role in Nijjar's killing was "absurd."

India had also ceased handling visa applications in Canada, blaming "security threats" which they said were "disrupting" the work of their officials and sought a reduction of Canadian diplomatic staff in India.

Trudeau insisted that his government "is not looking to provoke or cause problems" when asked why Canada's allies' reactions to the allegations appeared muted.

Trudeau requested the Indian government's help, saying he merely wanted to ensure the safety of Canadians.

"Specifically, the move will put a pause on in-person operations in Bangalore, Mumbai, and Chandigarh," the minister said, noting that services will still be available out of the High Commission of Canada in Delhi.

She told during a media conference: "India saying it would remove diplomatic immunity for Canadian envoys is a violation of international law which will not be reciprocated."