Ottawa, 4 May 2024, (GNP): Three citizens of India have been apprehended and accused in connection with the assassination of a Sikh separatist leader in Canada, leading to a significant diplomatic dispute between the two nations.
Hardeep Singh Nijjar, aged 45, was fatally shot last June by unidentified gunmen wearing masks in a crowded parking lot in a suburb of Vancouver.
Tensions heightened diplomatically when Prime Minister Justin Trudeau suggested potential involvement of the Indian government.
Delhi vehemently denied the accusation.
Superintendent Mandeep Mooker announced the arrests on Friday, identifying the three suspects as Karan Brar, aged 22, Kamal Preet Singh, aged 22, and Karan Preet Singh, aged 28.
They were apprehended in Edmonton, Alberta, where they had been residing. According to court records, they face charges of first-degree murder and conspiracy to commit murder.
Authorities stated that all three individuals had been living in Canada for a period ranging from three to five years.
The police emphasized that investigations are ongoing, including examining potential ties to the government of India.
“There are separate and distinct investigations ongoing into these matters. Certainly not limited to the involvement of the people arrested today,” Assistant Commissioner David Teboul said.
Investigators have been collaborating with counterparts in India, but they described the cooperation as “rather difficult and rather challenging” over the past few years.
Authorities mentioned that there could be additional individuals implicated in the assassination, and further arrests or charges might be forthcoming.
Canadian Sikh leader Hardeep Singh Nijjar was an advocate for Khalistan, which seeks the establishment of an independent Sikh homeland in the Punjab region of India. He publicly campaigned for this cause.
The Khalistan movement originated in the 1970s, marked by a separatist insurgency in India, resulting in significant casualties before being suppressed in the subsequent decade. While the movement has largely subsided within India, it continues to find support primarily among Sikh communities in other countries.
India has previously labeled Nijjar as a terrorist, alleging that he led a militant separatist organization, accusations that his supporters refute as baseless. They assert that he faced threats due to his activism.
Nijjar was fatally shot at the Guru Nanak Sikh Gurdwara in Surrey, a city approximately 30km (18 miles) east of Vancouver, on June 18 last year.
Individuals close to him have claimed that Canadian intelligence services had warned him before his death that he was on a “hit list” and that there had been threats against his life.
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Moninder Singh, a member of the British Columbia Gurdwaras Council and a close friend of Mr. Nijjar for 15 years, expressed gratitude on behalf of the Sikh community for the progress made in the investigation.
However, he noted that there are lingering “public safety concerns” and acknowledged the existence of “a lot of tension, frustration, and hope” within the community.
Three months following Nijjar’s death, Prime Minister Trudeau, speaking in the House of Commons, stated that Canada was examining “credible allegations potentially linking” the Indian government to the assassination.
Indian officials denied the accusation, accusing Canada of harboring “Khalistani terrorists and extremists.”
This dispute between the two nations prompted Delhi to request Ottawa to reduce its diplomatic presence in India.