India’s high commissioner to Canada has denied any involvement in the murder of a Canadian Sikh leader who was killed in British Columbia last year even though the Canadian government has named him as a person of interest in the assassination.

India’s government is denying that it works with mobsters to target Sikh separatists in Canada as alleged publicly this week by Canadian officials in an escalating diplomatic dispute.

Ottawa's accusations this week detailing a deadly Indian campaign against its Canada-based critics may have further derailed bilateral relations -- but to Sikh activists, the striking disclosures brought validation.

There are roughly 770,000 Sikhs in Canada, about 2 per cent of the population - the largest Sikh community outside India Ottawa's accusations this week detailing a deadly Indian campaign against its Canada-based critics may have further derailed bilateral relations - but to Sikh activists,