India announced on Tuesday that it has ordered a high-ranking Canadian diplomat to leave the country, hours after Ottawa expelled an Indian diplomat in connection with the killing of a Sikh separatist leader near Vancouver. The Indian Ministry of External Affairs stated in a press release that New Delhi's decision reflects "growing concerns about Canadian diplomats interfering in our internal affairs and engaging in anti-India activities." Canada's High Commissioner to India was summoned, and the Indian government informed him of the decision to expel the senior Canadian diplomat on Tuesday, as stated in the press release. The Indian ministry further elaborated, "The concerned diplomat has been requested to leave India within the next five days." This decision came shortly after Canada announced the expulsion of a senior Indian diplomat. Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, before Parliament on Monday, referred to "credible information" suggesting that India may be responsible for the assassination of Hardeep Singh Nijjar, a Sikh leader with Canadian citizenship, in June in western Canada. Earlier on Tuesday, New Delhi rejected these accusations, deeming them "absurd." The Indian Ministry of External Affairs stated in a press release, "Allegations linking the Indian government to any acts of violence in Canada are absurd," adding, "We are a democratic nation with a clear commitment to the rule of law." AFP