Amid a diplomatic row over the killing of a Khalistani terrorist, Canadian Foreign Affairs Minister Melanie Joly has said that her country has withdrawn 41 diplomats and their family members from India after it threatened to strip them of their diplomatic immunity.

“I can confirm that India has formally conveyed its plan to unilaterally remove diplomatic immunities for all but 21 Canadian diplomats and dependents in Delhi by tomorrow, October 20,” Joly said on Thursday.

Joly said that in their “unreasonable” request for diplomatic parity, India would only allow 21 diplomats and their families to maintain their diplomatic status, putting the others at risk of having their protections stripped arbitrarily, leaving them vulnerable to reprisal or arrest.

“This means 41 Canadian diplomats and their 42 dependents were in danger of having immunity stripped on an arbitrary date, and this would put their personal safety at risk,” she further said.Tensions flared between India and Canada last month following Prime Minister Justin Trudeau’s allegations of the “potential” involvement of the Indian government in the killing of Khalistani terrorist Hardeep Singh Nijjar on June 18 in British Columbia.

India has rejected the allegations as “absurd” and “motivated”.