Trudeau stands by allegation as India denies link to killing of Canadian Sikh leader

Prime Minister Justin Trudeau is standing by Canadian intelligence indicating India played a role in the death of a Canadian citizen despite New Delhi calling the claim 'absurd,' and is calling on the country to take the matter 'seriously.'

Prime Minister Justin Trudeau is standing by Canadian intelligence indicating India played a role in the death of a Canadian citizen despite New Delhi calling the claim "absurd," and is calling on the country to take the matter "seriously."

"India and the government of India needs to take this matter with the utmost seriousness. We are doing that. We are not looking to provoke or escalate. We are simply laying out the facts as we understand them," Trudeau said Tuesday.

"For Canada, as I said yesterday, we’re going to remain calm. We’re going to remain grounded in our democratic principles and values, and we’re going to follow the evidence and make sure that the work is done to hold people to account."

The prime minister would not comment on whether India is co-operating, saying the Indian government "will be able to speak for itself."

On Monday afternoon, Trudeau told the House of Commons in a rare statement on a matter of national security that Canadian intelligence agencies were investigating "credible allegations" that agents of the Indian government were involved in the June death of prominent Canadian Sikh leader Hardeep Singh Nijjar in B.C.

Foreign Affairs Minister Melanie Joly then announced Canada had expelled a "key Indian diplomat," Pavan Kumar Rai, who is listed as the head of Canadian operations for the Research and Analysis Wing, India's foreign intelligence agency.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi's government hit back early Tuesday, denying any involvement in any act of violence on Canadian soil and announcing it would be reciprocally expelling a senior Canadian diplomat out of concern for interference in internal affairs.