India on Monday asked six Canadian diplomats in New Delhi to leave the country by Saturday hours after it decided to withdraw its high commissioner Sanjay Kumar Verma and other "targeted diplomats and officials" from Canada.

Canada has also announced expulsion of six Indian diplomats, including the high commissioner.

The development came after Ottawa said the Indian high commissioner and other diplomats are "persons of interest" in a matter related to a Canadian investigation, a claim strongly rejected by New Delhi.