India made 'horrific mistake' in violating Canada's sovereignty, Trudeau says

Oct. 17 (UPI) -- India made a "horrific mistake" by attempting to violate Canada's sovereignty, Prime Minister Justine Trudeau said, as Ottawa continues to lob stringent accusations that New Delhi agents pose a threat to the lives of Southeast Asians on Canadian soil.

Trudeau made the staunch criticism of India on Wednesday during the second day of a two-day public inquiry into foreign interference, two days after Canada and India expelled one another's diplomats as Ottawa has become more vocal about alleged threats posed by India to the Canadian public.

According to a statement from the Royal Canadian Mounted Police on Monday, investigations have uncovered "serious criminal activity" being committed by agents of India within the country.

The federal police agency said that over the past few years it has charged "a significant number" of people linked to the Indian government for direct involvement in homicides, extortions and other criminal acts.

There have also been more than a dozen credible and imminent threats to life targeting members of the South Asian community, specifically members of the separatist Khalistan movement, which seeks to create a separate homeland for Sikhs in India's Punjab region.

Trudeau has previously accused India of being behind the June 18, 2023, assassination of Khalistan supporter Hardeep Singh Nijjar on Canadian soil.

"We are not looking to provoke or create a fight with India," the Canadian leader said Wednesday during the hearing. "The Indian government made a horrific mistake in thinking that they could interfere as aggressively as they did in the safety and sovereignty of Canada and we need to respond in order to ensure Canadians are safe."

India has staunchly rejected the accusations. Following Trudeau's testimony on Wednesday, New Delhi's foreign ministry spokesman, Shri Randhir Jaiswal, released a statement saying it only confirmed that Ottawa has no evidence to support its claims.

"Canada has presented us no evidence whatsoever in support of the serious allegations that it has chosen to level against India and India diplomats," Jaiswal said. "The responsibility for the damage that this cavalier behavior has caused to India-Canada relations lies with Prime Minister Trudeau alone."