KEY POINTS
- Canada has expelled a top Indian diplomat, saying there is evidence India is behind the murder of a Canadian.
- A spokesperson for Foreign Minister Penny Wong says Australia is 'deeply concerned' by the allegations.
- Prime Minister Anthony Albanese has previously dismissed questions about the Indian government.
A spokesperson for Foreign Minister Penny Wong says Australia is "deeply concerned" by allegations the Indian government may have been behind the murder of a Sikh activist in Canada, and revealed it has raised those concerns at "senior levels".
But Prime Minister Anthony Albanese has told a reporter, who asked him whether he regretted labelling Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi “the boss”, to “chill out a bit”.
Canada took the extraordinary step of expelling a top Indian diplomat on Tuesday, with Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau saying there is credible evidence that Indian authorities are linked to the brazen shooting of Canadian citizen Hardeep Singh Nijjar in June.
Nijjar - a prominent advocate for a separate Sikh state within India named Khalistan - was gunned down outside a temple in British Columbia, in what Canadian authorities described at the time as a "targeted incident".
Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau. Canada has expelled a top Indian diplomat over the shooting. Source: AP / Masanori Genko
"In no uncertain terms, any involvement of a foreign government in the killing of a Canadian citizen on Canadian soil is an unacceptable violation of our sovereignty," Trudeau said.
In a statement, India's Foreign Ministry dismissed the allegation as "absurd", and demanded Ottawa take "prompt and effective legal action against all anti-India elements operating on their soil".
"Such unsubstantiated allegations seek to shift the focus from Khalistani terrorists and extremists, who have been provided shelter in Canada and continue to threaten India’s sovereignty and territorial integrity," it said.
"That Canadian political figures have openly expressed sympathy for such elements remains a matter of deep concern."
Australia 'deeply concerned' by allegations
Australian and Canadian authorities share intelligence via the Five Eyes agreement, though the Australian government declined to reveal whether it was aware of Ottawa's suspicions when Prime Minister Anthony Albanese travelled for the G20.
The state-sanctioned murder of a Canadian citizen by Indian authorities would pose a serious diplomatic headache for Canberra, which is rapidly deepening trade ties with India.
In a statement to SBS News, a spokesperson for Foreign Minister Penny Wong said Australia was "deeply concerned" by the allegations and noted investigations were ongoing.
Anthony Albanese introduced Narendra Modi as "the boss" at an event in Sydney this year. Source: AAP, AP / Mark Baker
"We are closely engaged with partners on developments. We have conveyed our concerns at senior levels to India.
"We understand these reports will be particularly concerning to some Australian communities. The Indian diaspora are valued and important contributors to our vibrant and resilient multicultural society, where all Australians can peacefully and safely express their views."
Albanese tells reporter to 'chill out' after Modi question
Albanese has repeatedly dismissed questions about democratic backsliding under Modi, including allegations his right-wing BJP is cracking down on the free press and
Despite concerns over human rights in India, Albanese introduced Modi as "the boss" - a reference to Bruce Springsteen - in front of a packed crowd in Sydney in May. The comment was then used by the youth wing of Modi's Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) in a social media advertising video, which also included vision of Modi shaking hands with Russian President Vladimir Putin and hugging Saudi Prince Mohammed bin Salman.
On Tuesday, Albanese did not reveal whether he had joined Trudeau in raising the allegation with Modi at the G20, saying: "I don't talk about Five Eyes intelligence at a press conference".
The prime minister also dismissed a reporter who asked whether he regretted labelling Modi "the boss".
"Seriously? You should chill out a bit," he said.
"We [were] at a venue where Bruce Springsteen played the last time I was there, and I made the point that the reception he got from the community, which was a very broad-based community, where they're from, the Indian diaspora welcomed him.
"I welcomed Prime Minister Modi to Australia, as I welcome other guests to Australia as well."
Opposition foreign affairs spokesman Simon Birmingham said: "These allegations are deeply concerning. Australia is a tolerant multicultural nation with a strong rule of law. We count both Canada and India as valued partners and hope they can work through these issues.
"Australia has a consistent position in calling for peaceful and non-violent means of resolving political differences. The Coalition has requested a briefing from the Government on any relevant intelligence or analysis."
SBS News has contacted the Indian High Commission for comment.
Who was Hardeep Singh Nijjar?
Nijjar was a major global leader of the Khalistan movement, seeking a separate state for India's Sikh population, which makes up roughly 2 per cent of India's population.
New Delhi issued an arrest warrant for Nijjar in 2017, labelling him a "terrorist" and accusing him of plotting murder, and being involved in a 2007 bombing that killed six people.
In June, Nijjar was shot dead by two unknown assailants as he sat in a van outside a community centre in British Columbia.
The killing led to a series of protests outside Indian consulates across Canada, and a petition demanding an investigation into the death.
Sectarian tensions over the Khalistan independence movement have also boiled over across the globe.
In January, s and people waving the Indian tricolour boiled broke out in central Melbourne, as the former attempted to hold a non-binding referendum on an independent Khalistan.
And the week Modi visited Australia in May, SBS News reported that Blacktown City Council in Sydney had cancelled a separate Khalistan referendum, saying it could not "practicably mitigate" threats to staff or property.
Correction: An earlier version of this article attributed comments to Foreign Minister Penny Wong, rather than a spokesperson. This has been corrected.
