Canadian PM Justin Trudeau had accused Indian government agents of being involved in the murder of Hardeep Singh Nijjar. Nijjar, a strong supporter of an independent Sikh homeland known as Khalistan, was gunned down on June 18 outside a Sikh cultural centre in Surrey, British Columbia. Canada also expelled a top Indian diplomat as it investigated what Trudeau called credible allegations that India’s government may have had links to the assassination in Canada of a Sikh activist.