Three Indian nationals residing in Canada as non-permanent residents have been arrested and charged with first-degree murder and conspiracy to murder in the killing of Khalistan separatist Hardeep Singh Nijjar in Surrey, British Columbia.
Ottawa: Canadian police have apprehended three Indian nationals suspected of being part of an alleged hit squad assigned by the Indian government to assassinate Khalistan separatist Hardeep Singh Nijjar in Surrey last year. This development comes after Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau's accusations in September last year, suggesting the "potential" involvement of Indian agents in Nijjar's killing, which significantly strained relations between India and Canada.
India has rejected Trudeau's accusations as "absurd" and "motivated." Royal Canadian Mounted Police (RCMP) Assistant Commissioner David Teboul confirmed the arrest and charging of three individuals in the killing of activist Nijjar.
According to court documents, Karanpreet Singh (28), Kamalpreet Singh (22), and Karan Brar (22) have been charged with first-degree murder and one count of conspiracy to murder in Nijjar's death. The three men, who were arrested on Friday, were residing in the city of Edmonton, Alberta. They are scheduled to be transported on Monday to British Columbia to face the charges. The indictments state that the conspiracy was planned in both Surrey and Edmonton between May 1 and June 18.
Video of Khalistani terrorist Hardeep Singh Nijjar's killing in Canada emerges (WATCH)
The arrests come nearly a year after the activist was killed in the parking lot of the Guru Nanak Sikh Gurdwara on the evening of June 18 in the city of Surrey, British Columbia. Investigators previously described the incident as a carefully orchestrated operation, with two assailants firing approximately 50 bullets at Nijjar before fleeing the area in a grey car.
During the press conference, Superintendent Mandeep Mooker, who leads the Integrated Homicide Investigation Team, stated that the suspects, identified as Karan Brar, Karanpreet Singh, and Kamalpreet Singh, all men in their 20s, were not previously known to the police before the investigation into Nijjar's death. The three individuals were apprehended on Friday (May 03) in Edmonton.
Mooker revealed that all three suspects are Indian nationals and have been residing in Canada as non-permanent residents for the past three to five years. He acknowledged that coordination with India has been challenging in recent years. Mooker emphasized that the investigation has relied on the support of the Sikh community.
"We would not be at this point without the bravery and courage of the Sikh community coming forward with information for this investigation," he said, adding that he believes they will continue to come forward for any future investigations, according to the report.
India has refuted any direct involvement in the killing of Nijjar and indicated that "rogue" operatives may have been behind a separate attempted assassination of a prominent Sikh figure in the United States. The fallout from Nijjar's murder has strained relations between Canada and India, revealing what officials describe as a transnational campaign of violence by India, aimed at targeting dissidents abroad. On Friday, the Indian high commissioner, Sanjay Kumar Verma, declined to comment on the arrests, stating that they are an "internal" matter for Canada.