Canada Prime Minister Justin Trudeau Tuesday announced that its country expelled an Indian diplomat over the killing of the Canadian citizen Hardeep Singh Nijjar.

Canada Foreign Minister Mélanie Joly said that India’s spy agency—Indian Research and Analysis Wing (RAW) intelligence head— stationed in Ottawa named Pavan Kumar Rai.

Rai is a 1997 batch Punjab cadre IPS officer, posted as a minister in the Indian mission in Ottawa, Canada.

In 2018, Pavan was empaneled for holding the post of joint secretary or equivalent at the government of India.

Canada held marathon diplomatic efforts to raise the issue of the assassination of a Canadian citizen on Canada’s soil by an Indian spy agency’s diplomat posted in Ottawa but the New Delhi government remained in a state of denial.

Canada's National Security Adviser, Jody Thomas, also traveled to London to brief her UK counterparts on the matter.

United Nations General Assembly 2023 schedule

The Canadian authorities did not stop in the past nor do they have intentions to downplay the matter as Foreign Affairs Minister Mélanie Joly said she would also be raising the issue with her G7 counterparts at a dinner Monday evening at the United Nations at the UNGA 2023 session already begun.

In Washington, the White House said it was deeply concerned about the allegations referenced by Prime Minister Trudeau and urged an investigation into the matter.