Three Indian men have been charged with brazenly killing a Sikh separatist on Canadian soil, police said Friday. The killing sparked a diplomatic row with New Delhi after Prime Minister Justin Trudeau accused “agents of the Indian government” of orchestrating the plot. shooting.
The Indian government called the claims “absurd” and Canada took steps to withdraw more than 40 diplomats from the country. But amid continuing denials, Canada said it had “conclusive evidence” backed by information from the United States. And a federal indictment in New York has implicated the Indian government in another murder-for-hire plot against another Sikh separatist.
The three were arrested in Edmonton, Alberta, and charged with first-degree murder and conspiracy to commit murder in the June killing of Sikh nationalist Hardeep Singh Nijjar, the Royal Canadian Mounted Police said. The suspect is Karan Brar, 22 years old. Kamalpreet Singh, 22 years old. She and Karanpreet Singh, 28, had lived in Canada for three to five years, but she was not a permanent resident of Canada, police said.
“This investigation does not end here,” Superintendent Mandeep Mooker, head of the Mountain Range Integrated Homicide Investigation Team, said at a press conference on Friday. “We are aware that other individuals may have been involved in this murder and remain committed to finding and apprehending each of these individuals.”
Several other investigations are ongoing, including possible Indian government involvement in Nijjar's murder, Assistant Attorney General David Teboul said at a news conference. He also said that relations with India in the murder investigation had been difficult, without providing further details.
The Indian government did not immediately comment on the arrest.
The arrest was the culmination of an investigation into a shooting that shocked Canada and worried Sikhs in the country. Over the past year, Canadian police investigating Nijjar's death have provided little information about the progress of the investigation, except for a map outlining the route of the getaway vehicle and a grainy image of the assailant's silver Toyota Camry. It has not been published.
Nijjar, 45, was ambushed and shot dead by three masked men on June 18 while he was in the parking lot of Guru Nanak Sikh Gurudwara in Surrey, British Columbia, where he was president.
According to Indian news reports, the Canadian citizen was born in Punjab province and immigrated to Canada during India's escalating crackdown on Sikh leaders in the 1990s. He was a leader of the local Khalistan movement, which had long called for the creation of an independent Sikh state that included the northern Indian state of Punjab. The city of Surrey, a suburb of Vancouver, is home to Canada's largest Sikh population.
The Indian government had labeled Nijjar a terrorist and had called for his arrest. And the cavalry warned Mr Nijjar and several other Sikhs that their lives were in danger.
Jagmeet Singh, the federal New Democratic Party leader who represents British Columbia, said he too had received a warning from police in the Foreign Interference Inquiry, which was established last month to investigate allegations that India and Canada interfered in Canada's elections. He testified that he had received it. about potential threats to his life.
Mr. Nijjar's public killing heightened diplomatic tensions between Canada and India after Mr. Trudeau openly accused India of being behind the killing. He said the charges were based on information collected by the Canadian government.
The United States was wary of damaging relations with India, which it considers an important global partner, and U.S. intelligence provided information to Canadian intelligence that helped Canada reach that conclusion. But coalition officials said Canada itself had discovered the “smoking gun.” In other words, intercepted communications of Indian diplomats stationed in Canada implicated them in the conspiracy.
Prime Minister Trudeau told the House of Commons in September that he directly raised India's involvement in the shooting incident “in no uncertain terms” with Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi at the Group of 20 (G20) summit that month. Stated.
The Indian government strongly denies the accusations and in November moved to revoke the immunity of 41 Canadian diplomats in India, forcing Canada to withdraw two-thirds of its diplomats based in the country. Canadian Foreign Minister Mélanie Joly said the move violated international law.
Federal prosecutors in Manhattan later revealed what they claimed was another murder-for-hire plot in the United States against another Sikh activist. The federal indictment filed in Manhattan targets Gurpatwant Singh Panun, a dual American and Canadian citizen who lives in New York and has been an outspoken advocate for a Sikh-majority homeland. accused an Indian of an assassination plot.
The unsealed indictment says the plot was orchestrated by senior Indian government officials who were also involved in Nijjar's murder. Nikhil Gupta, an Indian national, was later arrested in the Czech Republic in connection with the US plot. Officials said Mr. Gupta bragged about his criminal ties to an undercover agent believed to be the assassin and offered him $100,000.
In December, officials told Canadian newspaper The Globe and Mail that an arrest was imminent. But as months passed, some feared the anniversary of Nijjar's death would pass without a solution.
“We would not be at this point without the courage and bravery of the Sikh community,” Superintendent Mooker said at a press conference. He also said police would release photos of the three suspects in an effort to gather more information about their presence in Surrey at the time of the shooting.
Posters praising Nijjar, who temple officials consider a martyr to the Khalistan cause, are still posted throughout and around the building. Dozens of people gathered for a local luncheon Friday afternoon to hear updates from temple leaders. In a public statement, leaders said they were committed to furthering the cause for which Mr Nijjar had “risked his life”.
But Balpreet Singh Boparai, a Toronto-based lawyer with the World Sikh Organization of Canada, said if those involved in the killings and other acts of sabotage are not held accountable, the arrests announced Friday will be It is likely to be of little comfort to Sikhs, he said.
“We can only hope that Canada has the courage to be transparent and identify the individuals behind this conspiracy,” he said.
Mihika Agarwal contributed reporting from Surrey, British Columbia.