India hits back at Justin Trudeau as he comments on US charging Nikhil Gupta

India-Canada Row News: Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau commented on the US Department of Justice charging an Indian, Nikhil Gupta, for 'murder-for-hire'. He said that this is what they have been talking about from the beginning. Trudeau added that "India needs to take this seriously". To this, India retaliated and also issued a statement against him.

MEA Spokesperson Arindam Bagchi said, "In so far, as Canada is concerned, we have said that they have consistently given space to anti-India extremists and that is actually the heart of the issue. Our diplomatic representatives in Canada have borne the brunt of this."

"So, we expect the Government of Canada to live up to its obligations under the Vienna Convention on Diplomatic Relations. We have also seen interference by Canadian diplomats in our internal affairs and that is unacceptable," he added. 

Notably, Justin Trudeau said that the reports coming out of the United States underscore what they have been talking about from the very beginning. Justin Trudeau's statement was given in Ottawa, as reported by Reuters. He added that the Indian government needs to work with Canada to make sure that we're getting to the bottom of this. 

According to information, the US Department of Justice on Wednesday charged Nikhil Gupta for working with an Indian government employee conspiring the assassination of a New York City resident, "who advocated for a Sikh sovereign state in northern India". 

It may be recalled that the tensions between India and Canada had increased after Canadian PM Justin Trudeau had alleged the involvement of Indian agents behind the murder of Hardeep Singh Nijjar. India had rejected the claim, back then, and even sought evidence over their claim. This created a diplomatic row between India and China that even led to India stopping its visa services in Canada. 

India made it clear that Canada did not provide any evidence that supports their claim and that they are ready to cooperate with the probe if evidence is provided.