Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau has publicly accused the Indian government of assassinating Hardeep Singh Nijjar, a prominent Sikh leader and a Canadian citizen. In June, Nijjar was shot dead outside a Sikh temple in the city of Surrey, British Columbia, by two masked gunmen who escaped in a waiting car. His murder sparked widespread fear across Canada’s large Sikh community. Three years before his killing, India’s government designated Nijjar a terrorist. On Monday, Trudeau blamed India’s government for orchestrating his assassination.

Prime Minister Justin Trudeau: “Any involvement of a foreign government in the killing of a Canadian citizen on Canadian soil is an unacceptable violation of our sovereignty. It is contrary to the fundamental rules by which free, open and democratic societies conduct themselves.”

Trudeau reportedly raised the killing with Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi. On Monday, Canadian Foreign Minister Mélanie Joly said she had expelled India’s top intelligence official in Canada. In response, India expelled a senior Canadian diplomat. India has rejected Trudeau’s charges, calling them “absurd” and politically motivated.