Stewart Wheeler, Canada's Deputy High Commissioner to India, is summoned by New Delhi after Canada named Indian High Commissioner Sanjay Kumar Verma as a 'person of interest' in its investigation into Hardeep Nijjar's killing. (Photo:ANI)

India first announced the withdrawal of High Commissioner Sanjay Kumar Verma and other Indian diplomats from Canada and said India reserves the right to take further steps in response to what it said the Canadian government's support for extremism, violence, and separatism against India.

India’s Ministry of External Affairs said Monday it had received a diplomatic communication from Canada indicating that Indian diplomats were being considered “persons of interest” in relation to an investigation in Canada. New Delhi said it strongly rejected the “preposterous imputations” from Canada.

India’s ties with Canada suffered a setback in September last year when Prime Minister Justin Trudeau alleged that India had a hand in the assassination of Hardeep Singh Nijjar, a Canada-based pro-Khalistan separatist whom New Delhi had designated as a terrorist. India rejected the charges as “absurd” and “politically motivated”.