Arrests have been made in connection with the fatal shooting of prominent Sikh-Canadian activist Hardeep Singh Nijjar, further intensifying diplomatic tensions between India and Canada. The Royal Canadian Mounted Police (RCMP) confirmed the arrests in the 2023 killing, which had previously been linked to alleged involvement of Indian government agents. Nijjar was shot outside a Sikh temple in Surrey, British Columbia, on June 18, 2023, sparking widespread condemnation.
Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau had earlier expressed concerns over the potential involvement of foreign government agents in the killing of a Canadian citizen on Canadian soil, calling it an unacceptable violation of sovereignty. The Indian government vehemently denied the allegations, dismissing them as politically motivated and absurd. The incident occurred during a period of growing tensions between Canada and India over the Sikh campaign for a sovereign state in India’s Punjab region, known as the Khalistan movement.
The arrests made by Canadian authorities are believed to involve members of an alleged hit squad, suspected to have been tasked by the Indian government to carry out Nijjar’s killing. The identities of those arrested have not been disclosed, but sources indicate that they played various roles, including shooters, drivers, and spotters on the day of the incident. Canadian law enforcement had reportedly been closely monitoring the alleged hit squad for several months.
The High Commission of India in Ottawa has not yet responded to requests for comment on the recent developments. Nijjar’s killing has raised concerns about alleged Indian foreign interference within Sikh diaspora communities in Canada, the United States, and other countries. In 2022, Nijjar and four other Sikh leaders were reportedly warned by the RCMP’s national security division about threats to their lives. Reports of a foiled plot to assassinate another prominent Sikh separatist leader in the US have also emerged, resulting in charges against an Indian national, Nikhil Gupta.
The Washington Post recently reported that US intelligence agencies determined the operation to target the US citizen was approved by the former head of India’s foreign intelligence agency, RAW. The Indian government has rejected these allegations as unwarranted and unsubstantiated. The White House has expressed its concerns and expects a thorough investigation by the Indian government.
