Title: Canada Prime Minister Alleges India’s Involvement in Killing of Sikh Leader
Date: [Insert Date]
Canada’s Prime Minister Justin Trudeau made a significant statement on Monday, revealing that there are “credible allegations” indicating India’s government involvement in the fatal shooting of a prominent Sikh leader in British Columbia. Trudeau cited intelligence from national security services and informed Members of Parliament that Canadian authorities are actively investigating whether “agents” of New Delhi were behind the June killing of Hardeep Singh Nijjar, who was shot dead in Surrey, a suburb of Vancouver known for its large Sikh community.
Trudeau expressed concern, stating, “Canadian security agencies have been actively pursuing credible allegations of a potential link between agents of the government of India and the killing of a Canadian citizen. Any involvement of a foreign government in the killing of a Canadian citizen on Canadian soil is an unacceptable violation of our sovereignty.”
In response to these allegations, Canada expelled a top Indian diplomat on Monday, as declared by Canadian Foreign Minister Mélanie Joly. Joly emphasized the commitment to protect Canadians and demanded India’s full cooperation in uncovering the truth behind the incident.
During his recent visit to India for the G20 summit, Prime Minister Trudeau raised these allegations to Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi. However, the strained relationship between the two countries is expected to further deteriorate due to these actions. Last week, Canada’s trade minister postponed a trade mission to Mumbai without providing a specific reason.
With nearly 800,000 Sikhs calling Canada their home, and with significant Sikh communities in Surrey and Brampton, tensions surrounding the Khalistan independence movement have often caused conflicts between the Indian government and Sikh Canadians. While some Sikh Canadians support the movement, which aims to create a separate sovereign state in Punjab, northern India, the Indian government strongly opposes it.
India’s government had previously accused Hardeep Singh Nijjar, a Sikh nationalist, of terrorism and had blacklisted him. The Indian government even posted bounties for his arrest. In 2016, Nijjar wrote a letter to Trudeau dismissing India’s allegations as baseless and asserting that his activism was peaceful and protected under Canadian law.
After Nijjar was fatally shot on the premises of a Sikh house of worship where he served as president (gurdwara), the World Sikh Organization of Canada labeled his death an “assassination” and urged the Canadian government to investigate India’s role in the killing. Although the British Columbia police have identified three suspects in the killing, no arrests have been made.
Jagmeet Singh, the leader of Canada’s New Democratic Party and a Sikh himself, expressed his determination to pursue justice for Nijjar. On social media, Singh vowed to leave “no stone unturned in the pursuit of justice, including holding Narendra Modi accountable.”
As the investigation unfolds and allegations persist, the Canada-India relationship stands at a critical juncture. The truth surrounding the killing of Hardeep Singh Nijjar remains to be uncovered and justice sought for the slain Sikh leader on Canadian soil.