India again rejects Canada's claim it works with gangs targeting Sikh separatists

As India doubles down on rejecting the claim it is behind widespread crimes in Canada, its foreign ministry is accusing Ottawa of trying to smear New Delhi.

The federal government ordered India's top envoy to leave the country on Monday after the RCMP said it had credible evidence that Indian agents played a role in extortion, coercion and murder of Canadian citizens on Canadian soil.

In a news conference today, India denied it has worked with criminal organizations to target Sikh separatists in Canada, and it raised cases where Canada has refused to extradite people that India deems to be criminals.

India's foreign ministry is also claiming Indian-origin journalists in Canada are unsafe, a likely reference to a Calgary radio host who says he was targeted for his reporting.

Meanwhile, Liberal MP Chandra Arya says Canada needs to do more to call out violent extremism, especially toward Hindu people in Canada, by separatists who want a Sikh homeland carved out of India.

The comments come as the U.S. Justice Department charged an Indian government employee in a foiled plot to assassinate an American citizen in New York City.