Reaction: Nijjar assassins arrested and charged
UPDATE: A fourth man (Amandeep Singh, 22) was arrested by Peel Police (Ontario) in connection with the Nijjar assassination on 11th May.
Yesterday (03.05.24) Canadian authorities confirmed the arrest of members of an alleged hit squad investigators believe were tasked by the government of India with assassinating Shaheed (Sikh martyr) Bhai Hardeep Singh Nijjar.
Bhai Hardeep Singh Nijjar was the President of Guru Nanak Sikh Gurdwara Surrey and Delta, as well as a leading Khalistan (free Sikh homeland) activist, when he was gunned down in the Gurdwara carpark last June. Nijjar openly talked about the threat to his life posed by the Indian State for his activism, portraying him as a terrorist, allegations which were investigated and cleared by Canadian authorities.
Kamalpreet Singh (22-years-old), Karanpreet Singh (28) and Karan Brar (22) were arrested and charged with first-degree murder and conspiracy to commit murder in Edmonton regarding the assassination. Between the three, each acted as either the shooter, driver or spotter. All are Indian nationals and have been non-permanent residents of Canada for three to five years.
Image by Punjab Beyond
Here we share wider Sikh reaction regarding the incident.
The news was broken by CBC News, whose lead journalist on the case Evan Dyer stated:
The statement dismisses the recent India claim that “rogue agents” were behind the assassination attempt on New York lawyer and Sikh activist Gurpatwant Singh Pannun.
Despite the insight from Dyer, the news that the sole focus of the investigation is now on the Indian government has suspiciously been ignored by some media, who continue to put push baseless claims the killing was part of an internal Sikh conflict. The latest justification comes from the Sikh-Punjabi names of the men arrested. However, many have been quick to point out India have history of using those with Sikh identity to carry out attacks on the community.
Authorities also confirmed the trio are linked to the Bishnoi gang, named after notorious gangster Lawrence Bishnoi, currently held in India’s high-security Sabarmati prison in Ahmedabad, in Gujarat, who has taken responsibility for Sidhu Moosewala assassination. Media reports have quoted intelligence officers confirming a nexus between India’s intelligence services and criminal networks, something Indian military/intelligence figure and Hindu extremist Major Gaurav Arya has bragged about on his hugely popular youtube channel.
Many Sikh reps were quick to point out that the Bishnoi gang are not only celebrated by Indian nationalists as a criminal enforcer network against critics of the Indian State, such as Khalistanis. Furthermore, the Bishnoi gang’s reach into Canada has already been documented, through extortion cases still being investigated by Canadian authorities.
The Sikh Press Association’s Senior Press Officer Jasveer Singh is one of many Sikh community figures who have received threats of being pursued by the Bishnoi gang.
In one of the most shocking revelations of the new updates, the Indian State assassins are also linked with the shooting of an 11-year-old child, whose father was the main target of a hit. The trio are believed to have become hitmen-for-hire for Canada’s underworld, whilst carrying out India’s transnational repression targeting Khalistanis.
The group are also being linked with the overly suspect killing of Sukhdool Gill. Indian media were first to report his death in Winnipeg last September, even before local authorities had made the news public, clearly suggesting at best an inside informant. Sikh PA chased an answer from local authorities and media about how Indian media could have gotten this information so quickly, but were ignored. Bishnoi took credit for the killing, whilst Indian media claimed Sukhdool was a Khalistani activist, although Punjab police denied this, and Canadian Sikh orgs say he was not known within sangat (Sikh congregation) circles.
Due to the fact those arrested were Indian national immigrants into Canada, some attempts were made to turn focus onto immigration in the country, which Canadian Sikh community figure and national spokesperson Moninder Singh was quick to counteract, as can be heard in the video below.
The statement from Moninder Singh of the Khalistan Center and BC Gurdwaras Council came at a press conference held by the Guru Nanak Sikh Gurdwara of Surrey and Delta, where Nijjar was formerly President. At the press conference, other points raised included:
- How Canada could have acted sooner against Indian interference
- Reiterating demands made by Sikh orgs in October, including police action against senior Indian diplomats who orchestrated the killing, and not just their expulsion from Canada
- Why the prosecution of individuals is not enough, and real reexamination of Canadian ties with India needs to happen
See a Gurdwara statement here:
The World Sikh Organization also shared a press release on the news, which also highlighted other examples of India’s interference in Canada, which were confirmed in a report released today as part of the national interference inquiry a Sikh coalition have been involved in.
As always, NDP’s Jagmeet Singh and his brother Gurratan spoke out about the Sikh-centric news.
Meanwhile, Canadian opposition party the Conservatives released a statement, saying they will “fight” foreign interference, despite not mentioning India in the release.
Despite the welcome news of the arrests, many Sikh orgs continue to highlight the need for further examination and prosecutions.
Media inquiries- media@sikhpa.com.
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