India's envoy to Canada, who is being expelled over what Ottawa says are links to the murder of a Sikh leader, insisted in an interview he was innocent and said Prime Minister Justin Trudeau had wrecked bilateral political ties.

Indian envoy to Canada Sanjay Kumar Verma - now withdrawn by New Delhi -- has accused Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau of wrecking bilateral ties with India and reiterated that Ottawa's allegations are politically motivated.

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,

Canada's Foreign Minister Melanie Joly stated that Indian diplomats are on notice for jeopardizing Canadian safety. Six diplomats have been expelled, and Joly emphasized that Canada will not tolerate violations of the Vienna convention.

Comparing India to Russia, Joly said Canada's national police force has linked Indian diplomats to homicides, death threats and intimidation in Canada.