Hours after Canadian Trade Minister Mary Ng indefinitely postponed a trade mission to India, New Delhi has asked Ottawa to take action against assailants of an Indian Sikh student, 17, who was beaten up in the British Columbia province in alleged hate crime.
The latest diplomatic tensions comes in the backdrop of worsening bilateral ties between the two nations over the activities of pro-Khalistan groups in Canada. Pausing trade talks scheduled for October, Shanti Cosentino, a spokesperson for minister Ng, said, "At this time, we are postponing the upcoming trade mission to India."
This comes hours after officials from New Delhi reportedly said the trade talks with Canada will resume after the two countries resolve political issues.
The latest developments comes five days after Prime Minister Narendra Modi snubbed Canadian counterpart Justin Trudeau at the New Delhi G20 summit by allowing only a short meeting on the sidelines instead of a formal bilateral meeting, according to Reuters.
"The Prime Minister highlighted that India-Canada relations are anchored in shared democratic values, respect for rule of law and strong people-to-people ties," stated the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) . "He conveyed our strong concerns about continuing anti-India activities of extremist elements in Canada. They are promoting secessionism and inciting violence against Indian diplomats, damaging diplomatic premises, and threatening the Indian community in Canada and their places of worship.”
"The nexus of such forces with organized crime, drug syndicates and human trafficking should be a concern for Canada as well. It is essential for the two countries to cooperate in dealing with such threats," it added.
Regarding the assault on the Sikh teen assaulted in British Columbia's Kelwona district on Monday, the Indian Consulate General in Vancouver urged Canada to investigate the alleged hate crime. The high school student who is an Indian citizen was allegedly "kicked, punched and pepper-sprayed," said reports.
The Royal Canadian Mounted Police stated, "On September 11th, 2023, just before 4:00pm, Kelowna RCMP were dispatched to a pepper spray incident at the intersection of Rutland Rd S and Robson Rd E. Officers determined a 17-year old Sikh student was either bear or pepper sprayed by another teenaged male after exiting a public transit bus on his way home."
– with inputs from agencies