The official visa processor for India in Canada said on Thursday that it had been instructed to stop processing applications before removing the statement in the midst of a diplomatic dispute brought on by Ottawa’s claim that New Delhi was complicit in the killing of a Sikh separatist.
BLS quickly took the notification off from its website when it was widely covered by Indian media. The foreign ministry of India did not respond right away.
An employee of the BLS, which has its headquarters in New Delhi, declined to be quoted and directed AFP to Indian authorities.
“Important notice from Indian Mission: Due to operational reasons, with effect from 21 September 2023, Indian visa services have been suspended till further notice,” BLS International had posted on their website Thursday.
The claims that Indian spies were involved in the assassination of Hardeep Singh Nijjar in June near Vancouver have been treated with “utmost seriousness” by India, according to Justin Trudeau, the prime minister of Canada.
The repercussions led to tit-for-tat diplomatic expulsions and a vehement denial from India, which referred to any allegations that it was involved in Nijjar’s murder as “absurd.”
The visa cancellation comes a day after the Indian foreign ministry expressed concern for the safety of its citizens in Canada due to “politically-condoned hate crimes and criminal violence”.
“Threats have particularly targeted Indian diplomats and sections of the Indian community who oppose the anti-India agenda,” a ministry statement said Wednesday.
“Indian nationals are therefore advised to avoid travelling to regions and potential venues in Canada that have seen such incidents.”
The advisory did not name specific cities or locations for Indians to avoid.
Two masked assassins shot and killed Nijjar outside the Sikh temple he oversaw in Surrey, a suburb of Vancouver.
Nijjar was a proponent of Khalistan, a Sikh state, and was wanted by Indian authorities for alleged involvement in terrorism and murderous plots. According to the World Sikh Organization of Canada, a nonprofit group that claims to represent the interests of Canadian Sikhs, he had refuted the accusations.
The Indian government accuses Ottawa of doing nothing to stop the actions of extreme Sikh nationalists who support carving out a separate Sikh state from northern India.
