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Prime Minister Narendra Modi and his Canadian counterpart Justin Trudeau were seen sharing the stage together during the G20 Summit in Rio de Janeiro as diplomatic tensions between India and Canada continue to simmer. The interaction, also involving US President Joe Biden, occurred during a group photo at the Museum of Modern Art, where world leaders gathered on Tuesday.
In the moments leading up to the photo-op, PM Modi was seen clasping Biden's hand as the US President, attending his final G20 summit before exiting office in January, stepped onto the stage. Trudeau, standing nearby, was seen pointing and chatting with Biden.
Chinese President Xi Jinping joined the leaders shortly afterwards and completed the tableau which also featured French President Emmanuel Macron
Tensions between New Delhi and Ottawa have been simmering since Trudeau's September 2023 allegation of Indian involvement in the killing of Khalistani terrorist Hardeep Singh Nijjar. Nijjar was shot outside a Sikh temple in Canada. India dismissed the accusation as "absurd."
In the subsequent fallout, India expelled six Canadian diplomats and recalled its envoy to Ottawa after Canada attempted to question Indian officials as "persons of interest" in the Nijjar case. Pro-Khalistan activities in Canada, including a recent attack on a Hindu temple near Toronto, have further inflamed relations between the two nations.
PM Modi has strongly condemned such incidents, calling them "cowardly attempts" to intimidate Indian representatives.
India has consistently rejected any link to the murder of Nijjar, a designated terrorist by the National Investigation Agency (NIA), and accused Trudeau's administration of pandering to Khalistani sympathisers for political gain. The Trudeau government has accused India of being complicit in Nijjar's killing, a claim India has vehemently denied.
India has termed the allegations as politically motivated, pointing to Canada's failure to address the rising tide of pro-Khalistan sentiment in the country. In the aftermath of Nijjar's death, Canadian police suggested that six Indian diplomats were involved in the plot, a claim that India quickly dismissed as "preposterous." Despite multiple exchanges, including meetings at international forums like the G20 Summit, Canada has failed to provide any conclusive evidence linking India to the murder.