India urges citizens to ‘remain vigilant’ in Canada in travel advisory as diplomatic crisis worsens

India has told its people in Canada to be careful and watchful because there could be hate crimes that are supported by the government. This warning comes after Canada accused India of possibly being responsible for the killing of a Sikh activist in Canada.

According to an advisory from the Indian Ministry of External Affairs, there have been recent threats specifically aimed at Indian diplomats and members of the Indian community who are against anti-India plans. Due to the increasingly unsafe situation in Canada, Indian students are strongly recommended to be very careful and stay alert.

It said that if you are from India or a student, you should register with the High Commission of India or the Consulates General of India in Toronto and Vancouver. This is so that they can contact you in case of any emergency or bad happening.

Later, a company in Canada that helps people get visas said on its website that India had stopped giving visas to Canadians starting from Thursday. They said they received a notice from the Indian embassy.

BLS International, the company that manages visa applications for India in Canada, said that the Indian mission has temporarily stopped providing visa services for operational reasons. There is no specified time for when the services will resume.

On Thursday, the notice was taken away for a short time and then appeared again, but nobody explained why.

CNN has contacted India’s foreign ministry and BLS International.

The travel warning happened a few days after Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau said that the government had been looking into serious accusations that there might be a connection between people from the Indian government and the murder of Hardeep Singh Nijjar. Hardeep was a Canadian citizen who was shot by masked men in June.

New Delhi strongly rejects the accusations, stating that they are ridiculous and driven by ulterior motives.

But Trudeau’s statement has caused tension between India and Canada, with both countries expelling high-ranking diplomats in response. This could potentially strain the relationship between these important allies of the United States.

Nijjar strongly supported the idea of making a separate Sikh homeland called Khalistan. This place would be in India’s Punjab state.

The Khalistan movement is not allowed in India and the government sees it as a danger to the nation’s security. Several groups linked to the movement are considered “terrorist organizations” according to India’s Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act (UAPA).

Nijjar is on the list of UAPA terrorists by the Home Ministry. In 2020, the Indian National Investigation Agency claimed that he was trying to persuade the Sikh community worldwide to support the creation of ‘Khalistan’. They also accused him of encouraging Sikhs to vote for separation, protest against the Indian government, and engage in violent activities.

The local police say that he was shot and killed by two people with masks while he was in his truck outside a Sikh temple in Surrey, British Columbia, in June.

The Sikh community in Canada, which is one of the biggest communities outside India and has over 770,000 members, felt very surprised and angry about his death.

The Canadian police have not taken anyone into custody for Nijjar’s murder. In August, the police said that they were looking into three people as possible suspects in a crime. They also told the public about a car that might have been used to escape and asked for help in finding more information about it.