India warns Canada of “serious consequences” after installing audio-video surveillance of diplomats

India blamed Canada connivance and intimidation of its consular staff after Ottawa installed audio and visual surveillance of officials in the background aggravation of the diplomatic conflict between the two countries.

India’s Ministry of External Affairs said it had summoned the Canadian High Commission and strongly protested Ottawa’s allegations against the home minister. Amit Shahprime minister Narendra ModiOber-Lieut

“Such irresponsible actions will have serious consequences for bilateral ties,” spokesman Randhir Jaiswal said at a news conference in New Delhi on Saturday.

India-Canada relations hit after Ottawa accused India’s high commissioner and other senior diplomats about direct involvement in the murder with Hardeep Singh Nijar.

Mr. Nijar, 45, a Canadian Sikh who was wanted in India, was shot dead by masked gunmen in Surrey near Vancouver last June. He was the face of the Khalistan movement, which seeks to create an independent Sikh homeland in western India.

New Delhi has long accused Mr. Nijar, an Indian-born Canadian citizen, of involvement in terrorism, a charge he has denied.

Canada’s Deputy Foreign Minister David Morrison reiterated that Mr. Shah approved a wave of violence against Sikh separatists by country in North America.

Mr Morrison confirmed on Tuesday that he was the source The Washington Post story, which first described Mr. Shah as the “senior official in India” who “authorized intelligence-gathering missions and attacks on Sikh separatists” in Canada. The article did not name the source of the report when it was published last month.

Mr Jaiswal said the Canadian government had “deliberately leaked baseless insinuations to the international media to discredit India and influence other countries”.

He said the Ministry of External Affairs has issued a strong note of protest to strongly condemn the baseless allegations against Mr. Shah.

The Department of Foreign Affairs said some consular officials in Ottawa said they were recently informed by the Canadian government that “they were and continue to be under audio and video surveillance.”

“Their communication was also intercepted. We have filed an official protest with the Canadian government, as we consider these actions to be a gross violation of the relevant diplomatic and consular conventions,” he said.

Last year, Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau made the allegations against Indian officials public, sparking a diplomatic row between the two countries.

Bilateral relations hit a low point last month when Canada expelled six Indian diplomats, accusing them of involvement in the murder. New Delhi, reciprocally expelled six Canadian diplomats.