The Canadian government has identified India’s ambassador to Canada and other Indian diplomats as persons of interest in an investigation, according to a statement released on Monday by the Indian foreign ministry.

The government in New Delhi said it would recall its top diplomat in Ottawa and others implicated in response, citing “an atmosphere of extremism and violence” which it said endangers their safety.

The statement did not explain what the investigation was about and the Canadian government has not issued any response. A spokeswoman for the Canadian foreign ministry did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

The two countries have been in an intense dispute following the assassination of a Canadian Sikh cleric in British Columbia in June 2023, which the government of Prime Minister Justin Trudeau said at the time had been orchestrated by the Indian government.

Canada is home to a large Sikh community and India has said that some Sikhs in Canada are actively involved in a secessionist movement that seeks to carve out a Sikh homeland.

The Indian government has vehemently denied the accusations that it was involved in the killing of the cleric and has claimed that Prime Minister Justin Trudeau of Canada is pandering to Canada’s large Sikh community for political gain.