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Canada-India diplomatic row over Sikh activist’s assassination grows as top diplomats are expelled
Toronto — Canada and India have expelled each other’s senior diplomats in a growing diplomatic standoff sparked by the murder of a prominent Canadian Sikh activist last year. The tit-for-tat expulsions come amid serious allegations by Canada that Indian government agents were involved in the murder and extortion of Canadian citizens on Canadian soil — accusations that India has firmly denied.
On Monday, Canada announced the expulsion of India’s top diplomat in the country, along with five other officials. In response, India reciprocated by expelling six Canadian diplomats, including the High Commissioner of Canada in Delhi, Stewart Ross Wheeler, according to a statement from India’s Ministry of External Affairs of India.
What are Canada and India feuding over?
India and Canada have been embroiled in an intense dispute since the June, 2023 assassination of prominent Sikh activist Hardeep Singh Nijjar by masked gunmen outside a Sikh temple in Vancouver.
Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau told his country’s parliament last year that officials had “credible” evidence of an Indian government connection to the murder.
Nijjar, 45, had been designated a terrorist by India’s government over his support for the Sikh homeland movement, which calls for an independent nation for the religious group that makes up less than 2% of India’s population.
His murder sparked widespread protests by the Sikh community in Canada and in India, many of whom also blamed India’s government for the assassination.
NARINDER NANU/AFP/Getty
Canada is home to the most prominent Sikh diaspora outside India’s Punjab state. Nijjar, a member of the so-called pro-Khalistan movement, had organized an informal referendum in Canada to call for an independent Sikh nation within the borders of Punjab before he was killed.
The entire Khalistan statehood movement has been designated a terrorist organization by India, and Nijjar’s name appeared on the Indian Home Affairs terror watch-list prior to his killing.
What Canada has said
Canada’s government said it had taken the extraordinary measure of expelling the senior Indian diplomats this week to protect Canadian citizens and reassure those who may feel their safety had been compromised.
“Keeping Canadians safe is the fundamental job of the Canadian government. The decision to expel these individuals was made with great consideration and only after the RCMP (Royal Canadian Mounted Police) gathered ample, clear and concrete evidence which identified six individuals as persons of interest in the Nijjar case,” Canadian Foreign Minister Melanie Joly said in a statement Monday.
Blair Gable/REUTERS
The RCMP said its investigation had revealed individuals connected with the government of India were involved in serious criminal activities, including homicide and extortion.
In addition to the assassination of Nijjar, the Canadian police said they’d responded to more than a dozen credible and immediate threats to life, leading them to warn members of the South Asian community, including individuals involved in the pro-Khalistan movement about the threats.
“We continue to ask that the Indian government support the ongoing investigation in the Nijjar case, as it remains in both our countries’ interest to get to the bottom of this,” said Joly.
What India has said
India has rejected Canada’s allegations from the beginning of the row more than a year ago.
“The Government of India strongly rejects these preposterous imputations and ascribes them to the political agenda of the Trudeau Government that is centered around vote bank politics,” India’s External Affairs Ministry said in a statement Monday.
India’s government claimed Canada had “not shared a shred of evidence” since September 2023, when Trudeau made the initial allegations of Indian agents being involved in Nijjar’s murder.
The government in New Delhi has dismissed Canada’s investigation into the Sikh leader’s killing as “a deliberate strategy of smearing India for political gains.”
This week, India expelled Wheeler, along with his deputy and four first secretaries.
“The Trudeau Government has consciously provided space to violent extremists and terrorists to harass, threaten and intimidate Indian diplomats and community leaders in Canada,” India’s foreign ministry said in its statement.
On Monday, the Indian ministry summoned the Canadian Charge d’Affaires in the country and told him the “baseless targeting” of Indian diplomats in Canada was “completely unacceptable.”
CBS News’ Arshad Zargar reported from New Delhi.
CBS News
Missouri police officers accused of taking nude photos from women’s phones during traffic stops: “Complete betrayal”
Two Missouri police officers were indicted separately this week and accused of similar crimes – pulling over women and searching their phones to find nude photos, federal prosecutors said.
The indictments of former Missouri State Highway Patrol officer David McKnight on Tuesday and former Florissant, Missouri, officer Julian Alcala on Wednesday were unrelated but the indictments spelled out similar allegations. Both men face federal charges accusing them of depriving the rights of several women and destroying evidence.
McKnight, 39, victimized nine women between September 2023 and Aug. 19, his indictment said. Typically, according to the indictment, he would pull over a woman for a traffic violation and tell her he needed to look at her phone to either verify her identity or confirm insurance coverage.
McKnight searched the phones and used his own phone to photograph nude pictures he found, the indictment said.
McKnight was arrested by patrol investigators on Aug. 21 and resigned five days later, patrol Capt. Scott White said in an email.
White declined to discuss McKnight’s case but said patrol employees “are held to high standards and if it is determined that those standards were not met, they are held accountable.”
McKnight pleaded not guilty during a court appearance on Thursday. Messages were left Friday with his lawyer.
“These allegations are being taken very seriously, and we’d like to encourage anyone who believes they had a concerning interaction with McKnight to contact the FBI,” U.S. Attorney Sayler A. Fleming said in a statement.
Alcala, 29, was accused of crimes involving 20 women between Feb. 6 and May 18. Five of the alleged crimes happened on the same day.
Alcala confiscated phones from women under the auspices of confirming insurance coverage and vehicle registration, the indictment said. Like McKnight, he was accused of searching the phones for nude photos and then using his own phone to take pictures.
The indictment said Alcala also found a video on one victim’s phone and texted the video to his own phone.
Multiple victims of Alcala have filed lawsuits, CBS affiliate KMOV reported.
“What you did to me and these other females, how you overused your power as a police officer to do these things to make these women feel this way, you should be disgusted in yourself,” one victim told the station.
Alcala doesn’t yet have a listed attorney. No phone listing for him could be found. He also is named in four lawsuits filed against him and the city of Florissant, a St. Louis suburb.
Alcala was with the Florissant department since January 2023. He resigned in June amid an FBI investigation.
“We are disgusted at this behavior, which is a complete betrayal of the values we uphold and in no way reflects the professionalism and integrity of our dedicated officers,” Florissant police said in a statement. “We recognize the gravity of this breach of trust and its impact on our community.”
Anyone with information is asked to contact the FBI by calling 1-800-CALL-FBI (800-225-5324) or via tips.fbi.gov.
“If you feel uncomfortable about your encounter with law enforcement, please don’t hesitate to go to that department after the fact to report what happened,” Special Agent in Charge Ashley T. Johnson of the FBI St. Louis Division said in a statement. “If you feel your civil rights have been violated, contact the FBI. Investigating criminal conduct by a law enforcement officer is among our top priorities.”
Ali Larter says she and co-star Billy Bob Thornton may be complete opposites in real life but they found a common love for their characters in their new show “Landman.”
Set in the world of West Texas oil rigs, the new Paramount+ series created by Taylor Sheridan – who is also the person behind “Yellowstone” – drives into the lives of workers and the impact big oil has on their communities.
At the heart of the series beats the complicated relationship between Larter and Thorton’s characters, divorced couple Angela and Tommy Norris.
“We are so different. Me and Billy in real life, are complete opposites,” Larter told “CBS Mornings Plus.” “But when we came together… we both loved the material, and we found the love in these two characters. Because as much as they’re sparring all the time, they love each other for their flaws, and there’s not a lot of judgment.”
After auditioning and getting to know more about the character, Larter said she was hooked.
“When I went down there to screen test, it was like I had to play Angela because she’s so provocative and so free and bold and feisty,” she said. “But then what [Sheridan]does is he really shows you the vulnerable side and where you crumble.”
Larter said the series feels real because it’s based on the podcast “Boomtown” by Christian Wallace, who spent a year living on oil rigs and in man camps. This real-world experience is reflected in the show, with experts on set ensuring accuracy in every detail.
“To be able to get a real eye into this world is very special,” said Larter.
“Landman” premieres Sunday, November 17, exclusively on Paramount+, which, like CBS, is part of Paramount Global.
CBS News
Cellphone battery sparks fire, evacuations on Southwest flight at Denver International Airport
Everyone on board a Southwest Airlines flight at Denver International Airport was evacuated safely Friday morning after a cellphone battery ignited. It happened on board Southwest Airlines Flight 3316 before 7 a.m. as the plane was getting ready to depart for Houston.
CBS
According to Southwest, the aircraft was still at the gate when the fire started. The crew was able to extinguish a seat fire caused by the burning cellphone. The passenger who had the phone suffered burns and was treated by local medical personnel.
Southwest told CBS News Colorado that there were 108 passengers on board when the fire started. Those passengers in the back of the aircraft used the rear emergency slides and those in the front of the plane exited through the front door. One passenger suffered minor injuries during the evacuation.
The incident is being investigated and Southwest released this statement, “Southwest’s Customer Care Team is working to accommodate the passengers on another aircraft to their original destination of Houston. Nothing is more important to Southwest than the Safety of its Customers and Employees.”
According to a CBS News Investigation published last year, similar incidents have been happening much more frequently in the skies over the United States. The FAA verifies the number of lithium-ion battery fires jumped more than 42% in the last five years.
Duluth man got gun permit 2 months before allegedly killing his family
Missouri police officers accused of taking nude photos from women’s phones during traffic stops: “Complete betrayal”
Ali Larter on finding unexpected chemistry with Billy Bob Thornton in “Landman”
Duluth man got gun permit 2 months before allegedly killing his family
Missouri police officers accused of taking nude photos from women’s phones during traffic stops: “Complete betrayal”