Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau informed an emergency session of parliament on Monday that the country’s intelligence agencies are currently examining “credible allegations” regarding the possible connection between the murder of a prominent Canadian Sikh activist in June and “agents of the government of India.”
Expressing his strong stance, Trudeau firmly stated to lawmakers, “The involvement of any foreign government in the killing of a Canadian citizen on Canadian soil amounts to an unacceptable violation of our sovereignty.”
Following Trudeau’s announcement, the expulsion of the head of India’s intelligence agency in Canada promptly took place. Reflecting on this action, foreign affairs minister Mélanie Joly affirmed, “Today, we are taking a step by expelling a key diplomat, and our determination to get to the root of this matter remains unwavering.”
On Tuesday morning, India’s foreign ministry openly dismissed the allegations as utterly ridiculous and declared their decision to expel an anonymous senior Canadian diplomat in response.
Now let’s delve into some key facts about the murder, the Sikh separatist movement, and its impact on the India-Canada relationship.
Behind the killing of Hardeep Singh Nijjar.
Hardeep Singh Nijjar, a 45-year-old who moved to Canada in the 1990s, was tragically killed on June 18, 2023. Two masked men took his life while he was in his truck outside a Sikh temple in Surrey, British Columbia.
Nijjar was known for his strong support of the Khalistan movement, which advocates for a separate homeland for the Sikh community in India’s Punjab region. Despite being a minority, comprising less than 2% of the country’s population, Sikhs have long faced challenges and even violence. In the 1980s and 1990s, a tumultuous period marked by an insurgency, tens of thousands lost their lives in armed clashes between Khalistan supporters and the Indian army.
The Khalistan movement continues to receive support and resonate with Sikh diaspora communities worldwide. Canada, home to the largest population of Sikhs outside of Punjab, has even seen separatist demonstrations held in front of Indian diplomatic missions. Such protests have drawn concern from the Indian government.
Authorities in India, where there has been a surge in Hindu nationalism, have actively pursued Sikh separatists. They even took the extreme step of restricting internet services for around 30 million people to locate a Sikh leader who supported the Khalistan movement.
Indian authorities also labeled Nijjar as a “terrorist” and accused him of being involved in the murder of a Hindu priest in Punjab, a claim that Nijjar’s supporters vehemently denied.
According to Canadian media reports in June, Nijjar had been warned by both “gang members” and the Canadian Security Intelligence Service that he was at risk of being targeted by professional assassins. Canadian investigators have identified three suspects in Nijjar’s murder, but no arrests have been made so far.
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