Prime Minister Justin Trudeau has directly linked the Indian government of killing Canadian Sikh leader Hardeep Singh Nijjar in British Columbia.

Mr Trudeau said Canadian intelligence has identified a credible link between his death and the Indian state.

India called the claim absurd. Mr Trudeau raised the issue with Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi at the recent G20 summit.

Mr Trudeau said in the house of commons any involvement of a foreign government in the killing of a Canadian citizen on Canadian soil is an unacceptable violation of our sovereignty.

It is contrary to the fundamental rules by which free, open and democratic societies conduct themselves.

India has previously denied any involvement with Mr Nijjar's murder.

Foreign Minister Melanie Joly told reporters following Mr Trudeau's remarks that Canada also expelled an Indian diplomat, Pavan Kumar Rai, on Monday over the case, .

Ms Joly said Canadian officials are limited in what they can say in public about the case due to the ongoing homicide investigation into Mr Nijjar's death.

Investigators have previously categorized the death of 45-year-old Mr Nijjar as a "targeted incident".

Mr Nijjar was shot dead in his vehicle by two masked gunmen on a mid-June evening in the busy car park of the Guru Nanak Sikh Gurdwara in surrey, a city about 30km (18 miles) east of Vancouver.