Achi news desk-
Three people have been arrested and charged with the killing of Sikh activist BC Hardeep Singh Nijjar – as authorities continue to investigate possible links to the Indian government.
Court documents show that 28-year-old Karanpreet Singh, 22-year-old Kamalpreet Singh and 22-year-old Karan Brar face one count of first-degree murder and one count of conspiracy to commit murder in Nijjar’s death.
All three are Indian nationals who were living in Edmonton when they were taken into custody Friday morning, authorities said.
Investigators believe the men were in Surrey, BC, on June 18, 2023, the day 45-year-old Nijjar was shot outside his gurdwara in the city.
BC Council of Gurdwaras spokesman Moninder Singh said he and the Nijjar family had been briefed by investigators in Surrey about the arrests, and that the Nijjar children were “very emotional.”
“At the moment, there is a bit of a sigh of relief at their father’s murder,” said Singh. “There’s a bit of anger and frustration about why this had to happen in the first place, and then there’s a lot of questions around India.”
“Is this over?” he added. “How do we go back to our community and have this conversation around is this safe or is it safe?”
Possible links with India
Speaking at a news conference, RCMP Asst. Commissioner David Teboul, head of the Federal Policing Program in the Pacific Region, emphasized that the murder remains “largely under active investigation.”
“There are separate and unique investigations underway into these matters, certainly not limited to the involvement of the people arrested today, and these efforts include investigating ties to the Indian government,” Teboul said.
With charges now laid, authorities were tight-lipped about how their month-long investigation led to the three suspects.
“With an unequivocal commitment to the administration of justice, and with respect to the pending judicial process on this matter, we cannot make any comments about the nature of the evidence gathered by the police, nor can we speak about the motive behind the murder. ,” said Teboul.
Friday’s indictments allege the plot unfolded in Surrey and Edmonton between May 1, 2023 and the day of Nijjar’s killing.
Authorities could not comment on the immigration status of the three men arrested, but said they arrived in Canada over the past five years and are not permanent residents.
‘Others may have played a role’
Superintendent. Mandeep Mooker, the officer in charge of BC’s Integrated Homicide Investigation Team, said police were also “aware that others may have played a role” in the murder.
“We remain committed to finding and arresting all of these individuals,” Mooker added.
Police acknowledged the update would leave many questions unanswered in Surrey’s Sikh community, which was shaken by what some quickly feared was a political murder.
As a vocal supporter of the Khalistan movement, which advocates for a separate Sikh homeland in the Indian state of Punjab, Nijjar was a wanted man in India, where authorities labeled him a terrorist in 2020.
At the time of his death, he was organizing an unofficial referendum on Khalistan among the Sikh diaspora in BC with the Sikhs For Justice movement.
He was shot dead by masked gunmen outside the Guru Nanak Sikh Gurdwara, where he served as president.
Diplomatic crisis with India
The case triggered a diplomatic crisis between Canada and India after Prime Minister Justin Trudeau revealed that intelligence services were investigating information about a possible link with the Indian government.
Canada’s public safety minister declined to comment further on the allegations Friday, telling reporters on Parliament Hill that such questions are best addressed by the police.
“I have full confidence in the security apparatus of the Canadian government and the work of the RCMP, and the work that the (Canadian) Security Intelligence Service is doing,” said Minister Dominic Leblanc.
“I think the police operation you see today confirms that the RCMP takes these matters very seriously.”
Conservative Party denies ‘foreign interference’
In November, US authorities unsealed an indictment alleging that an Indian diplomat conspired to order the killing of a Sikh separatist in that country, pointing to a potentially wider campaign of assassinations targeting Sikhs outside India.
The plot was thwarted, but American authorities said their investigation had found evidence of plans to assassinate Canadians, including Nijjar.
The Conservative Party of Canada, in a statement following the arrests on Friday, pointed the finger at the Trudeau government, calling Nijjar’s murder an “unacceptable” example of “foreign interference” in Canada.
“We wish the government could stop this conspiracy and prevent this murder from happening in the first place, like in the United States,” the statement said.
‘Disbelief and anger’
Asst. Commissioner Brian Edwards, officer in charge of the Surrey RCMP detachment, praised the Guru Nanak Sikh Gurdwara executive for their help – and patience – during the investigation into the murder, even as they went through “grieving and intense pain”.
“Investigations in Canada are complicated,” Edwards said. “They are very, very demanding and they take time. As such, the support from those individuals, and the community in general, was essential to get to where we are today.”
BC Premier David Eby expressed his gratitude to the investigators working on the case and said the province will support the legal process as criminal proceedings begin.
“There is disbelief and anger in the community, in addition to the terrible loss that is felt by Mr Nijjar’s family and loved ones,” Eby said in a statement. “I hope today’s announcement of charges against three individuals is an important step towards justice for his family and accountability for the whole community.”
With files from CTV News Senior Digital Parliamentary Correspondent Rachel Aiello and The Canadian Press
