Sources said that India has ordered Canada to reduce the number of its diplomatic staff by about 40 people by Tuesday.

As bilateral relations between Canada and India have soured, the Canadian government has relocated some lower-level diplomatic staff stationed outside Delhi to Kuala Lumpur and Singapore in recent weeks, according to multiple sources speaking to CBC News.

CBC can also confirm that the Indian government has given Canada until Tuesday to reduce its diplomatic presence at the High Commission in New Delhi by about 40 people. Sources stated that the Indian government is threatening to revoke the diplomatic immunity of additional staff who do not leave by the deadline on October 10.

The Canadian decision to relocate diplomatic staff stationed outside Delhi is not directly related to India's request this week for Canada to reduce its diplomatic presence.

Sources spoke to CBC News on the condition of anonymity, as this report corroborates information published earlier this week by the Financial Times and CTV News.

Canadian-Indian relations soured last month after Prime Minister Justin Trudeau stated that the Canadian security agency has reason to believe that agents of the Indian government were involved in the fatal shooting of Canadian citizen Hardeep Singh Nijjar.

India has also denied any role in Nijjar's killing and described Trudeau's accusations as absurd and baseless.

Nijjar, who was a vocal advocate for an independent Sikh homeland in northern India called Khalistan, was shot dead in June outside a gurdwara in Surrey, British Columbia.

The Indian government designated Nijjar as a terrorist in 2020 and accused him of leading a militant separatist group, a charge his supporters deny.

Global Affairs Canada also stated that due to security and operational considerations, the department is unable to confirm details of India's request for Canada to reduce its diplomatic presence or Canada's move to relocate some diplomatic staff.

Earlier this week, Foreign Minister Mélanie Joly said it is important for Canada to have a strong diplomatic footprint in India during this diplomatic crisis.