India suspends visa services for Canadians 'till further notice': Report
India reportedly decided to suspend visa services for Canadian nationals on Thursday amid a massive ongoing diplomatic row. This came after Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau on Monday alleged India's role in killing pro-Khalistan terrorist Hardeep Singh Nijjar in June. Separately, Canada said it was adjusting staff presence in India temporarily to ensure the safety of its diplomats after receiving threats on social media.
Details on India visa service suspension
While India made no formal announcement of the visa service suspension, a visa application center in Canada named BLS International posted a message on its official website regarding the matter. "Important notice from the Indian Mission: Due to operational reasons, with effect from September 21, 2023 (Thursday), Indian visa services have been suspended till further notice," Hindustan Times quoted the message as saying.
Move follows India's advisory to citizens in Canada
Notably, India's alleged suspension of visa services comes only a day after the country issued an advisory asking its citizens in Canada and those traveling there to exercise "utmost caution." It referred to the alleged anti-India activities and "politically-condoned hate crimes" in Canada. Per the website of the Indian High Commission in Ottawa, there are 700,000 non-resident Indians and 230,000 Indian students in Canada.
India's response to Canada's claims over Nijjar's death
Meanwhile, reacting to the Canadian prime minister's allegations against the Indian government over Nijjar's death, the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) earlier called them "motivated" and "absurd." Moreover, India has sought evidence from the Canadian government regarding these allegations and even reportedly briefed key allies on the baselessness of Trudeau's claims and Ottawa's tolerance of anti-India elements.
Another Khalistani gangster reportedly killed in Canada
In a separate development, Khalistani terrorist Sukhdool Singh, also known as Sukha Duneke, was allegedly killed on Wednesday night in an inter-gang rivalry in Canada. It is learned that he was a member of the Davinder Bambiha gang and fled to Canada in 2017 from India using fake documents. Duneke also has several criminal cases registered against him, said reports.
