The narrative of an international espionage tale thickened when Canadian law enforcement detained three Indian nationals on charges entwined with the grim assassination of Khalistan separatist Hardeep Singh Nijjar. The arrests, taking place on Friday, have fanned the embers of an already heated diplomatic tiff between Canada and India. Media sources reveal that these individuals are suspected to be part of a hit squad allegedly deployed by the Indian government to execute Nijjar in Surrey last year.
The rapport between India and Canada has been marred following Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau’s assertion in September of the last year of a “potential” hand of Indian operatives in the slaying of Nijjar. India has fervently repudiated Trudeau’s indictments as “absurd” and “motivated.”
The three apprehensions made headlines when CTV News, drawing from a well-informed government authority, reported that the suspects were charged with the murder of Sikh activist Nijjar. The allegation laid upon Karanpreet Singh, Kamalpreet Singh, and Karan Brar includes first-degree murder and conspiracy to commit murder.
Nijjar, 45, a Canadian citizen, was fatally shot outside his gurdwara in Surrey, BC, on June 18, 2023. The suspects were identified by Global News as Indian nationals, taken into custody nearly one year subsequent to the ordeal. Documents from the court proceedings disclosed Brar’s charges pertaining to a murder in Surrey on the date in question, in addition to a conspiratorial element stretching back to activities in Edmonton and Surrey on May 1, 2023.
The gravity of the case obliged Canada’s public safety minister to address the media horde that had gathered on Parliament Hill. Although hesitant to confirm the specific allegations of Indian governmental involvement, the official underscored the confidence vested in the nation’s security and intelligence apparatus, emphasizing that inquiries regarding the linkages to the Indian government should be directed to the RCMP.
Revelations from Friday’s indictments suggest an ominous plan that spanned across Surrey and Edmonton, with origins dating back to May 1, 2023, culminating in the day of Nijjar’s demise. The CBC, citing investigative sources, brought to light the consideration of potential connections these arrests have to three other homicides within Canadian bounds—one including the tragic killing of an 11-year-old boy in Edmonton.
Roles within the hit squad were purportedly varied, with members acting as shooters, drivers, and spotters at the site of Nijjar’s assassination at the Guru Nanak Sikh Gurdwara. Police executed the arrests across two provinces, as disclosed by the reports.
The domino effect of the suspects’ identification and the tight surveillance that followed, leading to these arrests, underscore the significance of the case. The Royal Canadian Mounted Police, per the briefing of a senior government source, were set to announce these developments and divulge certain investigation particulars.
These unfolding events succeed the Indian rejection of Prime Minister Trudeau’s renewed commentary on Nijjar’s killing. Addressing a Khalsa Day event wherein pro-Khalistani factions were reportedly present, Trudeau expressed concern over the murder’s repercussions on Indo-Canadian ties. External Affairs Ministry spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal criticized Trudeau’s remarks during a New Delhi briefing, articulating that such narratives foster political space for separatism and violence, adversely impacting bilateral relations and fostering a milieu of violence within Canada itself.
The strife escalated when India, retaliating to Trudeau’s alleged insinuations, commanded the scaling down of Canada’s diplomatic presence for parity, triggering the withdrawal of several diplomats from India. This diplomatic joust extended to India’s cessation of visa services to Canadian citizens, a stance that India softened weeks later by resuming the services.
As the investigation proceeds, these allegations remain shrouded in international political intrigue, with potential reverberations stretching across procedural rectitude to the core foundations of diplomatic rapport.
