Toronto: The Canadian Police have arrested some persons behind the killing of India designated terrorist Hardeep Singh Nijjar in June last year, Canadian news site CBC News revealed on Friday.
The report said that Canadian police are investigating the links between the alleged shooters and three additional killings in Canada. The police are expected to share details later Friday (local time). Nijjar was killed outside the Gurdwara in Surrey, British Columbia, on June 18.
The CBC report further claimed that the “arrested men could be part of an alleged hit squad tasked by the government of India.” This charge has been repeatedly denied by India. In September 2023, External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar had said that the Indian government had told Canada that it was not Government of India policy to engage in such acts like the killing of Hardeep Nijjar
In its report on Friday, CBC news further quoted sources, saying that the arrested men arrived in Canada on temporary visas after 2021. They are said to be alleged associates of gangster Lawrence Bishnoi, who is currently under arrest in India. Bishnoi is accused of plotting the killing of popular singer Sidhu Moose Wala in May 2022.
According to another Canadian news outlet, CTV news, court documents show the three arrested as Karanpreet Singh, Kamalpreet Singh and Karan Brar. They face one count of first degree murder and a count of conspiracy to commit murder.
The arrests come in the backdrop of frayed relationship between India and Canada. Last year, Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau had alleged that there was an Indian government hand behind the killing of Nijjar, a charge that the Indian government had vehemently denied, calling it absurd.
Earlier this month, purported video footage of the killing of Hardeep Singh Nijjar surfaced, showing Nijjar being shot by armed men. Nijjar, who was designated a terrorist by the National Investigation Agency in 2020, was shot and killed as he came out of a Gurdwara in Surrey, British Columbia. The attack was described as ‘highly coordinated’ and involved six men and two vehicles.
The India-Canada relationship continues to be troubled. On May 2, the Ministry of External Affairs condemned pro-Khalistan slogans at a public event attended by Justin Trudeau, and stressed that this shows the kind of political space that has been given in Canada to separatism, extremism, and violence.
During the weekly briefing, the MEA spokesperson said, “PM Trudeau has made such remarks earlier as well…His remarks illustrate once again the kind of political space that has been given in Canada to separatism, extremism, and violence. This not only impacts India-Canada relations but also encourages a climate of violence and criminality in Canada to the detriment of its own citizens.”
During the Khalsa Day Celebrations that took place in Toronto, loud chants of pro-Khalistan slogans were seen being raised in the presence of Canadian PM Trudeau, as well as opposition leader Pierre Poilievre.
