India-Canada Relations
Timeline: Fraying India-Canada relations over Sikh killing
1984:
The Indian government launches Operation Blue Star, a military operation to flush out Sikh militants from the Golden Temple in Amritsar, Punjab. The operation results in the deaths of thousands of people, including civilians.
1985:
Air India Flight 182 is bombed off the coast of Ireland, killing all 329 people on board. The bombing is later linked to Sikh separatists.
1986:
Talwinder Singh Parmar, a leader of the Sikh separatist group Babbar Khalsa, is assassinated in Ludhiana, Punjab.
1989:
Inderjit Singh Reyat is convicted of manslaughter in the Air India bombing. He is sentenced to life in prison.
1998:
Ajaib Singh Bagri, a Sikh separatist leader, is killed in an encounter with the Indian police in Punjab.
2000:
Ripudaman Singh Malik, another Sikh separatist leader, is acquitted of murder in the Air India bombing.
2006:
Jaspal Atwal, a Sikh separatist convict, is invited to an event in Canada attended by Indian Prime Minister Manmohan Singh. The invitation is later withdrawn after protests from the Indian government.
2017:
Jagtar Singh Johar, a Sikh activist, is arrested in India on charges of sedition and terrorism. He is released on bail in 2019.
2020:
Arjan Singh Bhullar, a Sikh separatist convicted of the assassination of Talwinder Singh Parmar, is released from prison in India.
2022:
Indian police arrest Hardeep Singh Nijjar, a Canadian national, on charges of sedition and terrorism. Nijjar is accused of being involved in a plot to assassinate the Prime Minister of India.
2023:
Dipesh Sharma, a Sikh separatist, is killed in an encounter with the Indian police in Punjab. Sharma’s death sparks protests in Canada, and the Canadian government condemns the killing.
The killing of Dipesh Sharma has further strained the already frayed relations between India and Canada.
The Indian government has accused Canada of harboring Sikh separatists, while the Canadian government has criticized India’s human rights record.
It remains to be seen whether the two countries will be able to mend their relationship in the near future.