The murder of a Sikh activist caused a diplomatic crisis between Canada and India last year. Now the police have arrested three suspects in the case. Whether there are connections to the Indian government is still being examined.
Police in Canada have arrested three people in connection with the killing of a Sikh separatist last year. The crime is linked to the Indian government. The three men are charged with first-degree murder and conspiracy, CBC reported on Friday, citing court documents.
The men are accused of being active as shooters, drivers and scouts on the day of the murder of Sikh activist Hardeep Singh Nijjar in Surrey, a suburb of Vancouver. The three Indian nationals, aged between 22 and 28, were arrested by police in Edmonton. According to officials, all have been in Canada for three to five years.
The investigation has not yet been completed, the police said. Others may also have played a role in the case. In addition, the suspects’ connections to the Indian government, if any, would be examined.
Trudeau spoke of India’s involvement
In June last year, Nijjar was found shot dead outside a Sikh cultural center in Surrey. The Canadian with Indian roots had campaigned for the establishment of the independent Sikh state in India and was wanted by the Indian authorities for alleged terrorism and conspiracy.
The murder severely strained diplomatic relations between India and Canada, as Ottawa immediately suspected New Delhi was behind the crime. According to Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, “credible allegations” suggest Indian intelligence involvement. In September last year, the Canadian government expelled an Indian diplomat who, according to the Foreign Ministry in Ottawa, was suspected of having a connection to the assassination attempt.
The Indian government called the allegations absurd, denied “any acts of violence in Canada” and temporarily suspended processing visa applications in Canada.
Hardeep Singh Nijjar was shot dead in the parking lot of the Guru Nanak Sikh Gurdwara Temple. A banner commemorates him.
Perpetrators probably committed further murders
Those arrested are said to be responsible for three more deaths, including the shooting of an eleven-year-old in Edmonton. According to CBC, the men had been under surveillance for weeks before they were arrested during operations in at least two provinces.
Canada is home to the world’s largest Sikh community outside the northern Indian state of Punjab. Punjab, where about 58 percent of the population is Sikh and 39 percent Hindu, was rocked by a violent independence movement in the 1980s and 1990s. Thousands of people were killed.
With information from Charlotte Voß, ARD Studio New York