India rejects Trudeau’s allegations in the slaying of a Sikh activist as absurd

India’s foreign ministry on Tuesday rejected Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau’s allegations in the slaying of a Sikh activist as “absurd and motivated.”

The ministry’s statement added that Trudeau made similar allegations to Prime Minister Narendra Modi at the recent G20 summit, which it also rejected.

“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,” the statement noted, adding that India was concerned over the inaction of the Canadian government.

The statement was released after Canada expelled a top Indian diplomat Monday 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.

Trudeau said in Parliament that Canadian intelligence agencies have been looking into the allegations after Sikh leader Hardeep Singh Nijjar, a strong supporter of an independent Sikh homeland known as Khalistan, was gunned down on June 18 outside a Sikh cultural center in Surrey, British Columbia.

Canadian Foreign Minister Mélanie Joly said the head of Indian intelligence in Canada has been expelled as a consequence.

“If proven true, this would be a great violation of our sovereignty and of the most basic rule of how countries deal with each other,” Joly said. “As a consequence, we have expelled a top Indian diplomat.”