India’s Foreign Affairs Minister publicly accused Canada of welcoming criminals from his country, and criticized Canada’s handling of Sikh separatists.

This, according to Minister Subrahmanyam Jaishankar, is part of what makes Canada “our biggest problem right now.”

His comments follow the RCMP laying charges in connection with the murder of Hardeep Singh Nijjar, a prominent Sikh leader in Surrey, British Columbia, who was also linked with the Khalistan movement. 

Nijjar’s murder has significantly strained Indo-Canadian relations, with accusations of political motivations on both sides.

 “Somebody may have been arrested; the police may have done some investigation. But the fact is (a) number of gangland people, (b) number of people with organized crime links from Punjab, have been made welcome in Canada,” Minister Jaishankar said. 

“These are wanted criminals from India; you have given them visas … and yet you allow them to live there,” he added.

Driven by liberal international student policies, the number of Indian immigrants in Canada quadrupled between 2013 and 2023, while the number of Indian students increased by nearly 6,000% between 2000 and 2021.

Nijjar, who was shot dead last June outside his temple in Surrey, B.C., had long advocated for a Sikh country called Khalistan to be carved out of India.

Following his murder, Prime Minister Justin Trudeau accused New Delhi last September of playing a role in the killing, but failed to pressure Canada’s allies, including the United States, to accuse India of killing Nijjar.

In response to Trudeau’s accusation, India forced Canada to remove two-thirds of its diplomats from the country, threatening to strip them of diplomatic immunity.

New Delhi also temporarily suspended visas for Canadian visitors.