When India and Canada expelled each other’s diplomats in the past few days, the exchange escalated a tussle over a rash of attacks on Sikhs living in Canada in recent years and spurred headlines around the globe.

The diplomatic rift has suddenly grown more stark as Canada amplifies its accusations that India is directing lethal operations abroad.

Canada and India expelled diplomats from each country on Monday, intensifying a dispute over the killing of a Sikh activist last year. The Canadian government said it expelled six diplomats Monday, including India’s top official in the country,

India has expelled six Canadian diplomats and recalled its envoy from Ottawa as a row between the countries deepens over the death of a Sikh separatist leader in British Columbia last year. The decision to expel the diplomats comes after Canada on Monday said the Indian high commissioner Sanjay Verma was a “person of interest” in the assassination of Sikh activist Hardeep Singh Nijjar.

India rejected Canada’s move to name the Indian high commissioner to Ottawa and other diplomats as ‘persons of interest’ in the investigation into the killing of pro-Khalistan activist Hardeep Singh N