"Saddened by these terrible tragedies," MEA Spokesperson condoles deaths of Indian students in Canada

Jaiswal said that Indian High Commission and consulates are in touch with the families and the local authorities for ensuring a thorough investigation.

"In the last week or so, we have had unfortunate tragedies in Canada. Three Indian students have been murdered in violent crimes. We are saddened by these terrible tragedies that have struck our nationals in Canada. We extend our deepest condolences to the grieving families. Our High Commission in Ottawa and Consulates in Toronto and Vancouver are in touch with the families and extending all possible help in the matter. They are in touch with the local authorities for a thorough investigation into these incidents," Jaiswal said.

"The safety, security and welfare of Indian nationals, students in particular, in Canada remains is of paramount importance. Our High Commission in Ottawa and Consulates are in touch with local authorities for their welfare and safety. We have also issued an advisory for our nationals and Indian students to exercise extreme caution and remain vigilant in the way of deteriorating security environment in Canada as a result of the growing incidents of hate crimes and criminal violence," he said.

Jaiswal added that Indian community is huge in Canada and the MEA has issued an advisory warning them of the situation there.

"There are approximately over 4.5 lakh Indian students in Canada. Of all the Indian students studying abroad, Canada makes up the majority for it. Apart from that, the Indian community in Canada is also very huge. We had issued an advisory a while back for Indians in Canada, warning them of the dire situation there."

On reports regarding the granting of Indian Visas to Canadians, Jaiswal said that granting visas is a sovereign matter of a country and that Canadian media is maligning the Indian image.

Jaiswal said, "We have seen media reports about this. It is yet another example of Canadian media's disinformation campaign to malign India... Granting of Indian visas is our sovereign function and we have the legitimate right to deny visas to those who undermine our territorial integrity. The commentary that we see in the Canadian media on this matter is akin to foreign interference in India's sovereign affairs."

The Consulate General of India in Vancouver expressed condolences over the killing of Indian national Harshandeep Singh, who was fatally shot in Edmonton on December 6.

Notably, two individuals, Evan Rain and Judith Saulteaux, both aged 30, were arrested and charged with first-degree murder in connection Singh's killing on Friday at an apartment complex in central Edmonton, according to a report by Toronto Sun. (ANI)