Two individuals suspected of being involved in the fatal shooting of a Sikh separatist leader in British Columbia are reportedly under police surveillance and are anticipated to be apprehended by the Royal Canadian Mounted Police (RCMP) within the next few weeks, according to the Canadian daily The Globe and Mail.
Hardeep Singh Nijjar, 45, was attacked and shot multiple times in a gangland-style incident while leaving a Sikh temple in Surrey on June 18. Prior to the attack, Canadian Security Intelligence Service had allegedly cautioned him about potential threats to his life.
The Globe and Mail said that the suspected assailants remained in Canada after the murder and have been under police surveillance. It’s anticipated that the RCMP will make arrests and press charges against these individuals soon. The sources also suggest that the police will disclose more details regarding the alleged involvement of the accused and the Indian government upon laying charges.
Last month, US federal prosecutors accused an Indian intelligence officer of supposedly orchestrating a plot, originating from India, to assassinate Khalistan separatist Gurpatwant Singh Pannun in New York. This alleged scheme reportedly involved collaboration with another Indian individual and two operatives, one posing as a source and the other as a hitman, both revealed to be undercover U.S. officers.
The claims stem from an indictment filed by the US Department of Justice in a federal court located in Manhattan. As per the indictment, the Indian official collaborated with a 52-year-old Indian citizen named Nikhil Gupta, also known as Nick, who was apprehended by Czech authorities on June 30 of this year. Gupta faces charges of murder-for-hire and conspiracy to commit murder-for-hire.
Later, in an interview with CBC News, David Vigneault, Director of the Canadian Security Intelligence Service (CSIS), mentioned that he became aware of certain aspects of India’s purported assassination plot through the U.S. indictment.
Earlier in September, relations between India and Canada had soured when Canadian PM Justin Trudeau had asserted that Canadian intelligence had credible information linking Hardeep Nijjar’s death to Indian state agents. However, New Delhi firmly denied any role in the assassination, stating that Canada had not shared convincing evidence to support claims of Indian involvement.
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This accusation significantly impacted relations between Canada and India, leading to the suspension of free-trade discussions and a business trade mission by Ottawa, while the Indian government revoked diplomatic protections for 41 Canadian diplomats in India.
The NIA had designated Nijjar as a terrorist l In 2020, and he was accused of actively supporting the militant group Khalistan Tiger Force.
Nijjar’s son Balraj Singh Nijjar, 21, had previously told the Vancouver Sun that his father had been regularly meeting with officers from the Canadian Security Intelligence Service, with the frequency escalating to “once or twice a week.” These meetings persisted until just before his father’s murder on June 18.
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Balraj said these meetings commenced around February and intensified over the subsequent three to four months.
Hardeep Singh Nijjar, was fatally shot by two masked assailants in the parking lot of Surrey’s Guru Nanak Sikh Gurdwara, where he held the position of president.
