Timeline: Canada names chief aide of India's Modi in campaign against Sikh separatists

Canada alleged on Tuesday that Amit Shah, India's interior minister and the chief aide of Prime Minister Narendra Modi, was behind plots to target Sikh separatists on Canadian soil.

The allegation follows Canada's expulsion this month of six Indian diplomats it has linked to the murder of a Sikh separatist leader on Canadian soil. India has previously denied Canadian allegations and has responded by expelling Canadian six diplomats.

Here are the main events prior to Canada's latest allegation:

June 18, 2023: Hardeep Singh Nijjar, 45, is shot dead outside a Sikh temple in Surrey, a Vancouver suburb with a large Sikh population. He was a Canadian citizen campaigning for the creation of an independent Sikh homeland named 'Khalistan', carved out of India.

Sept 1, 2023: A Canadian trade official says Canada paused talks on a proposed trade treaty with India, an unexpected move that came about three months after both countries said they planned to seal an initial pact in 2023.

Sept 10, 2023: Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi conveys strong concerns about Sikh separatist protests in Canada to Prime Minister Trudeau on the sidelines of a G20 summit in New Delhi.

Sept 18, 2023: Trudeau tells parliament that Canada was "actively pursuing credible allegations" linking Indian government agents to Nijjar's killing.

Sept 19, 2023: India dismisses Trudeau's assertion as "absurd." Each country expels a diplomat in tit-for-tat moves, with Canada throwing out India's top intelligence officer in the country while India expelled his Canadian counterpart.

Sept 22, 2023: India suspends issuing new visas for Canadians and asks Ottawa to reduce its diplomatic presence in India. India resumes issuing visas two months later.

Oct 19, 2023: Canada has withdrawn 41 diplomats from India amid a dispute over Nijjar's murder, Foreign Minister Melanie Joly says.

Oct 29, 2023: Tens of thousands of Sikhs turn out in Surrey, British Columbia, at the same gurdwara, a Sikh house of worship, where Nijjar was killed to vote in an unofficial referendum on the creation of an independent Sikh state.

Nov 22, 2023: A senior Biden administration official says US authorities thwarted a plot to kill Gurpatwant Singh Pannun, a Sikh separatist, in New York and issued a warning to India over concerns the New Delhi government was involved.

Nov 29, 2023: India says it will investigate US concerns linking it to the foiled murder plot in New York.

April 30, 2024: The White House describes as a serious matter a Washington Post report that an officer in India's intelligence service was directly involved in both Nijjar's killing and the foiled plot to kill Pannun in the US India's foreign ministry said the report contained "unwarranted and unsubstantiated imputations."

May 3, 2024: Canadian police charge three people linked to Nijjar's murder, a source directly familiar with the matter says.

May 11, 2024: Canadian police arrest and charge fourth man linked to the murder of Nijjar.

Oct 14, 2024: Canada expels six Indian diplomats, including the high commissioner, linking them to the murder of Nijjar. India expels six Canadian diplomats in retaliation, dismisses the allegations and accuses Trudeau of pursuing a "political agenda".

Oct 16, 2024: US and Indian officials meet to discuss a probe into the foiled murder plot against Pannun, the State Department says, adding that Washington was satisfied with India's cooperation.

Oct 17, 2024: US charges a former Indian government official for allegedly directing a foiled plot to murder Pannun in New York.

Oct 20, 2024: Indian ex-official charged by US dismisses allegations, his family says.