Prime Minister Justin Trudeau’s decision to go public with foreign interference claims against India lies in stark contrast with the way the United States handled similar allegations and could be at the root of violent clashes seen in recent days between Sikh and Hindu crowds in Brampton, Ont., and Surrey, B.C., say India experts.

Last year, Trudeau told Parliament that Indian government agents were part of the plot to murder Hardeep Singh Nijjar, a pro-Khalistan Sikh shot down on June 18, 2023, in the parking lot of a British Columbia temple. Last month, the prime minister told the federal inquiry into foreign interference that he wasn’t looking to provoke a fight with the government of India, but that its agents are playing a role in widespread violence in Canada, including killings, something India has denied.