In a significant development, three men residing in Edmonton have been detained and charged in connection with the murder of Hardeep Singh Nijjar, a Sikh separatist leader from British Columbia. The arrest comes amid claims by Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau linking the Indian government to the assassination.
Assistant Commissioner David Teboul of the RCMP highlighted the ongoing investigations into possible connections with the Indian government, stressing that several related cases remain unresolved. The incident had previously escalated into a diplomatic dispute when Trudeau disclosed to the Canadian Parliament that national security was investigating India’s involvement in Nijjar’s death, a claim that brought tensions to the fore in Canada-India relations.
The controversy intensified in November when U.S. authorities uncovered a plot allegedly directed by an Indian government official targeting Gurpatwant Singh Pannun, another Sikh separatist.
Assistant Commissioner Brian Edwards expressed gratitude towards the Sikh community in Surrey for their cooperation, particularly leaders at the Guru Nanak temple, where Nijjar was fatally ambushed. “The community’s wounds are deep, and although today’s charges are a step forward, healing will take time,” Edwards said.
Eyewitness accounts suggest multiple assailants were involved in the attack, according to Moninder Singh, a spokesperson for the B.C. Gurdwara Council and a friend of Nijjar. Singh also voiced concerns over ongoing threats from Indian operatives to activists in the Sikh diaspora.
Legal documents reveal that the suspects, Karanpreet Singh, Kamalpreet Singh, and Karan Brar, who had been residing in Canada for 3-5 years, are charged with first-degree murder and conspiracy to commit murder, stemming from plots hatched in Edmonton and Surrey since May 2023.
The Indian High Commissioner to Canada refrained from commenting on the arrests, terming it a domestic matter for Canada, while Foreign Minister Subrahmanyam Jaishankar acknowledged the arrests but awaited further details from Canadian law enforcement.
The case has rekindled longstanding grievances, reminiscent of the tensions following the Air India bombing by Sikh extremists in 1985. This development has notably strained the diplomatic relations between Canada and India, affecting discussions on trade and diplomatic engagements.