New Delhi:

The Indian government will “naturally oppose any move giving political space to extremism and advocacy of violence”, the Foreign Ministry said Friday in its weekly press briefing.

The reference was to the Canadian parliament observing a moment of silence in the memory of Khalistani terrorist Hardeep Singh Nijjar, who was killed outside a gurdwara in Canada’s British Columbia province last year. A video released by news agency IANS showed MPs observing silence after Speaker Greg Fergus said, “… I understand there is an agreement to observe a moment of silence in memory of Hardeep Singh Nijjar, assassinated in Surrey one year ago today.”

Nijjar was wanted in India for being the “mastermind” of the Khalistani Tiger Force, a designated terror group in this country. Last July, anti-terror agency NIA announced a cash reward of Rs 10 lakh for the capture of Nijjar in connection with the murder of a Hindu priest in Punjab’s Jalandhar.

READ | India’s Kanishka Reply To Canada Parliament’s Nijjar Move

Nijjar is also accused in the 2007 bombing of a cinema in Punjab.

On his killing, Canada Prime Minister Justin Trudeau claimed “agents” of the Indian government were involved in killing Nijjar, a Canadian citizen. Those allegations, repeated frequently since, have led to tense relations between the two nations, including awkward moments between the Canadian leader and Prime Minister Narendra Modi when India held the G20 Summit last year.

India has firmly rubbished Canada’s allegations, calling them “absurd” and “motivated” and noting that Mr Trudeau has yet to provide evidence, of any sort, to back his claim.

“Such unsubstantiated allegations seek to shift the focus from Khalistani terrorists and extremists… who have been provided shelter in Canada and continue to threaten India’s sovereignty and territorial integrity. Inaction of Canada is a matter of continuing concern,” the Indian side had side.

Nijjar’s murder is being investigated by the Royal Canadian Mounted Police and four Indian nationals have been arrested.

On the Canadian parliament’s move to honour the memory of Nijjar, the Indian consulate in Vancouver announced a memorial service – to be held on Sunday – to pay tribute to the 329 victims of the Air India flight bombed by Khalistani terrorists in 1985.

The Air India Flight travelling from Montreal to London had blown up 31,000 feet above the ground when a bomb planted by Canadian Sikh terrorists went off. The 329 passengers killed in the incident included 268 Canadian citizens, 27 British citizens, and 24 Indian citizens. This bombing is among the deadliest acts of aviation terrorism.

On that subject an Indian-origin Canada MP, Chandra Arya, said the ideology responsible for the terrorist attack is still alive among a few people in his country.

READ | Canada MP On Kanishka Bombing, Says “Dark Forces Energised Again”

Speaking in the Canadian Parliament, he said the celebration of ex-Prime Minister Indira Gandhi’s assassination by “Khalistani supporters” demonstrated that “dark forces have been energised again”.

He also highlighted the concerns of Hindu Canadians regarding recent incidents.

NDTV is now available on WhatsApp channels. Click on the link to get all the latest updates from NDTV on your chat.

A group of protesters hold yellow flags with the word Khalistan, as well as a banner with the picture of Sikh separatist leader Hardeep Singh, during a protest outside India’s consulate, a week after Canada’s Prime Minister Justin Trudeau raised the prospect of New Delhi’s involvement in the murder of Sikh separatist leader Hardeep Singh Nijjar in British Columbia, in Toronto, Ontario, Canada September 25, 2023.
| Photo Credit: Reuters

A Canadian court has thrown out a bid by two Sikh extremists to get off the country’s no-fly list, saying there are “reasonable grounds” to suspect they will threaten transportation security or travel by air to commit a terrorism offence.

The Federal Court of Appeal in its ruling this week dismissed an appeal by Bhagat Singh Brar and Parvkar Singh Dulai after they lost a constitutional challenge of their no-fly designations under Canada’s Secure Air Travel Act, The Canadian Press news agency reported from Vancouver on Thursday.

The two were not allowed to board planes in Vancouver in 2018.

The ruling says the act empowers the Public Safety Minister to ban people from flying if there are “reasonable grounds to suspect they will threaten transportation security or travel by air to commit a terrorism offence.”

“At some point, the appellants tried to fly. They could not,” the ruling says. “They were on the list and the minister had directed that they not fly.”

The appellate panel found that based on confidential security information, the minister “had reasonable grounds to suspect that the appellants would travel by air to commit a terrorism offence.”

In 2019, Brar and Dulai went to the Federal Court of Canada to have their names struck from the list.

But Justice Simon Noel ruled against them both in 2022.

The limits imposed on Dulai, he ruled, “were the result of evidence-based suspicions that he could fly abroad in order to plot a terrorist attack.”

“The Government of Canada must enact laws that protect national security and intelligence activities in a way that respects rights and freedoms and encourages the international community to do the same,” Judge Noel ruled.

In their appeal, both Brar and Dulai argued the impairment of their rights as a result of being placed on the list was not “minimal” and therefore unjustified.

However, the appellate court ruled the legislation was justified and that confidential portions of the court process were procedurally fair.

The Secure Air Travel Act deals with “national security, international relations and global co-operation to prevent terrorism” and is “not directed to past events that are tangible, certain and known,” the appellate court found.

“Rather, it is forward-looking, designed to act preventatively, proactively and pre-emptively to deal with perhaps imprecise but nevertheless very real risks of harm to property, public safety and human life,” the ruling says. “Several of its features show careful tailoring to minimize the impairment of rights and freedoms.”

Judge David Stratas, who wrote for the three-judge panel, says while the courts need to protect rights, the stakes for government are “sky-high” for security and terrorism prevention, which warrants giving Parliament “some leeway.” Lawyers for Brar and Dulai did not immediately respond to requests for comment on the court’s ruling.

According to sources in New Delhi, Dulai is a member of the banned Babbar Khalsa.

They said Dulai is a close associate of opposition New Democratic Party leader Jagmeet Singh. Dulai runs a channel called “Channel Punjabi” from Surrey and “ Global TV” from Chandigarh.

Both the channels spread Khalistani propaganda, they said.

The court’s ruling came against the backdrop of severe strain in India-Canada ties following Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau’s allegations in September last year of a “potential” involvement of Indian agents in Nijjar’s killing.

New Delhi rejected Mr. Trudeau’s charges as “absurd” and “motivated”.

India has been maintaining that the main issue between the two countries is that of Ottawa giving space to pro-Khalistan elements operating from Canadian soil with impunity.

Canada Prime Minister Justin Trudeau responds to a question during the question period in the House of Commons on Parliament Hill in Ottawa, Ontario, on June 18, 2024.
| Photo Credit: AP

Canadian parliamentarians stood for a moment of silence to mark one year since the killing of Khalistani separatist and Canadian citizen Hardeep Singh Nijjar on June 18, in a sign that bilateral ties between India and Canada are likely to spiral further downwards, despite a meeting between the two countries’ Prime Ministers, Narendra Modi and Justin Trudeau, in Italy on June 14 .

Khalistani groups were also allowed to take out processions in different Canadian cities, where they shouted anti-India slogans over the killing and called for a trial against Indian officials and Mr. Modi. This came a day after Mr. Trudeau had said that “keeping Canadians safe” — a reference to the Nijjar killing — was a priority in his talks with Mr. Modi.

The Ministry of External Affairs declined to comment on the Canadian parliament’s decision to commemorate the death of Mr. Nijjar, which was taken after an “agreement between representatives of all parties in the House”, according to the Canadian House of Commons Speaker Greg Fergus. Mr. Nijjar was wanted on terror charges by the Indian government, which had placed him on its terror list under the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act. New Delhi had also requested Ottawa to extradite him to India.

Kanishka bombing memorial

In what appeared to be a pointed response to the Canadian parliament’s actions, however, the Indian consulate in Vancouver announced on June 19 that a memorial would be held next week to mark the anniversary of the bombing of an Air India Kanishka plane flying the Montreal-Bombay route, carried out by Khalistani separatists in 1985. The attack killed 329 people, including 268 Canadians and 24 Indians. The consulate urged the Indian diaspora to attend.

“India stands at the forefront of countering the menace of terrorism and works closely with all nations to tackle this global threat,” the consulate wrote on its social media handle, asking people of Indian origin in Canada to “join the event in a show of solidarity against terrorism”.

Keeping Canadians safe’

The meeting between Mr. Modi and Mr. Trudeau on the sidelines of the G-7 summit in Italy was the first time the two had come face to face since Mr. Trudeau had, in September 2023, accused Indian “government agents” of being involved in the Nijjar killing and expelled India’s station intelligence chief based in Ottawa. India had responded by cancelling visas, expelling a Canadian diplomat, and ordering the Canadian High Commission’s strength to be reduced by two-thirds. Since then, the Royal Canadian Mounted Police has arrested four Indian nationals, but has yet to announce any evidence connecting them to the government.  

After meeting Mr. Modi, who only tweeted a photograph on the exchange with a brief comment, Mr. Trudeau had said that the two Prime Ministers had “committed to work together” to resolve important issues. 

India second-biggest foreign threat to Canadian democracy: report

“Now that he [Mr. Modi] is through his election, I think there is an opportunity for us to engage, including on some very serious issues around national security and keeping Canadians safe and the rule of law that we will be engaging,” Mr. Trudeau said in an interview on June 17 , indicating that the Nijjar case continued to be a top priority.

Stark contrasts

While neither New Delhi nor Ottawa commented on the two separate memorial events, the framing of the anniversaries of the Air India bombing, the single worst act of terror in Canada, and the killing of Mr. Nijjar, who was wanted on terror charges in India, highlights the stark contrast between them.

While India has raised the issue of Canada providing safe havens to Khalistani groups accused of terrorism, who are planning to conduct a “referendum” for a separate State in India, Canada has made the issue about Canadian sovereignty and rule of law, accusing India of “interfering” in Canadian affairs. In addition, Canada has contested Indian claims that it has shared no evidence in the Nijjar case thus far, and also denied that it is blocking Indian requests for the extradition of Canadian citizens wanted for terror.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi meets Canadian PM Justin Trudeau at the G7 Outreach Summit, in Apulia on Friday.
| Photo Credit: ANI

Amidst severe strain in bilateral ties, Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau said on June 15 that there was a commitment to work together with India to deal with some “very important issues” after he met Prime Minister Narendra Modi on the sidelines of the G7 Summit.

PM Modi had posted an image on social media of the two leaders shaking hands on June 14, with a one-liner saying “met Canadian PM Justin Trudeau at the G7 Summit”.

The meeting which took place on the sidelines of the G7 Summit in Apulia, southern Italy, is the first amid strained diplomatic relations over pro-Khalistani extremism after Mr. Trudeau alleged that Canadian authorities are “actively pursuing credible allegations” related to Indian Government involvement in the murder of Hardeep Singh Nijjar, a designated terrorist.

The Canadian allegations from last year were strongly rejected by the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) as “absurd and motivated”.

“I’m not going to get into the details of this important, sensitive issue that we need to follow up, but this was a commitment to work together, in the coming times, to deal with some very important issues,” Mr. Trudeau  told reporters at a press conference in Savelletri Di Fasano in Italy on June 15, the concluding day of the three-day G7 Summit.

The last meeting between the two leaders happened on the sidelines of the G20 Summit hosted by India in September.

Soon after the meeting on June 14 evening, the Canadian Prime Minister’s Office said the leaders had a “brief discussion on the bilateral relationship”, during which Mr. Trudeau  also congratulated PM Modi on his re-election.

“Of course, there are important issues between our two countries right now. You can appreciate that we won’t be making any further statements at this time,” spokesperson Ann-Clara Vaillancourt was quoted by the Canadian Press news agency as saying.

India has been maintaining that the main issue between the two countries is that of Canada giving space to pro-Khalistan elements operating from Canadian soil with impunity.

India has repeatedly conveyed its “deep concerns” to Canada and New Delhi expects Ottawa to take strong action against those elements.

Nijjar’s murder is being probed by the Royal Canadian Mounted Police (RCMP). Four Indian nationals have been arrested in this connection by the RCMP.

PM Modi’s meeting with Mr. Trudeau came at the end of a packed day of bilateral meetings for the Prime Minister, including with French President Emmanuel Macron, British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak, Japanese PM Fumio Kishida, German Chancellor Olaf Scholtz and Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni — the host of the summit. He also had discussions with other world leaders gathered for the summit, including with U.S. President Joe Biden.

Prime Minister Modi joined leaders of Algeria, Argentina, Brazil, Jordan, Kenya, Mauritania, Tunisia, Turkiye, and the United Arab Emirates (UAE) to address the Outreach session on Artificial Intelligence, Energy, Africa and the Mediterranean, along with Pope Francis, on the invitation of Meloni.

Karan Brar, Kamalpreet Singh and Karanpreet Singh, three of four individuals charged with murdering Hardeep Singh Nijjar in 2023, appear in Surrey Provincial Court in Surrey, Canada, on May 21, 2024, in a courtroom sketch.
| Photo Credit: Reuters

Three Indian nationals accused of killing Khalistan separatist Hardeep Singh Nijjar last year appeared in person for the first time in a Canadian court on May 21, with the judge ordering them to have no contact with several people in the community.

Karan Brar (22), Kamalpreet Singh (22), and Karanpreet Singh (28) appeared in person at the British Columbia Provincial Court in Surrey and Amandeep Singh (22) appeared via video link, the Vancouver Sun reported.

The British Columbia judge has ordered all four of them to have no contact with several people in the community in their latest court appearance, the report added.

Those appearing in person wore red prison sweatsuits as they entered the courtroom, while Amandeep remains in custody in Ontario where he was facing unrelated weapons before being arrested on May 10 for Nijjar’s killing.

Judge Mark Jette spoke to the men through an interpreter as he placed them under the no-contact order, before adjourning until the suspects’ next appearance on June 25.

Richard Fowler, the lawyer representing Karan Brar, told the Vancouver Sun,” It’s completely understandable given the context why there is an enormous amount of community interest in this case. That level of community interest makes me…to ensure that those charged with these offences have a fair trial.”

“And I have no doubt the members of East Indian community, broader Canadian community and the international community are equally interested in ensuring that there was a fair trial, that justice is done.”

Attendees at the latest hearing for the men were searched before entering the courthouse, while a protest by supporters of Nijjar and the Sikh separatist movement he championed was taking place outside.

Sheriffs at the hearing placed peoples’ phones in plastic zipper bags and kept them outside the courtroom in plastic bins, with the judge warning observers that recording audio and taking pictures was prohibited, the report added.

Hundreds of local Sikhs carrying Khalistan flags and posters showed up at the courthouse.

Nijjar, 45, was killed outside Guru Nanak Sikh Gurdwara in Surrey, British Columbia on June 18, 2023.

The ties between India and Canada came under severe strain following Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau’s allegations in September last year of the “potential” involvement of Indian agents in the killing of Nijjar.

Ottawa:

One of the suspects in the killing of Sikh separatist leader Hardeep Singh Nijjar, has said in a social media video that he entered Canada on a ‘study permit’ which only took him days to obtain, Canada-based global news reported.

The accused, Karan Brar, in a video posted online in 2019, said he applied for a student visa through EthicWorks Immigration Services in Bathinda, in the Indian state of Punjab.

He said he received his study visa days later, according to a translation of his Punjabi-language statement, as per Global News.

The promotional video and a picture of Brar, who the firm claimed was from Kotkapura, a city north of Bathinda, were uploaded on EthicWorks’ Facebook page.

“Congratulations Karan Brar for the Canada study visa,” the caption below the video read. “One more happy client from Kotkapura,” reported Global News.

Immigration Minister Marc Miller has declined to answer questions about how the suspects came to Canada, but online posts indicate that Brar arrived on a student permit three years before the killing.

According to another Facebook page purportedly owned by Brar, he moved to Edmonton on May 4, 2020, after starting his studies at Bow Valley College in Calgary on April 30, 2020, Global News reported.

However, questions concerning the subject have not yet received a response from Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada.

Brar, 22, Karanpreet Singh, 28, and Kamalpreet Singh, 22, were all taken into custody in Edmonton on Friday. They are accused of murder and conspiracy; they appeared in court in Surrey, British Columbia on Tuesday.

Members of the Sikh Community from British Columbia crowded a Surrey courtroom on Tuesday as three Indian nationals accused of Hardeep Singh Nijjar’s killing made their first court appearance by video, according to Globe and Mail, a Canada-based news website.

As the trio, dressed in orange jumpsuits, appeared before court, pro-Khalistani protesters chanted slogans and held placards, outside the Surrey provincial court, blaming India’s government for the killing.

The three men were taken into custody in Edmonton last week on Friday and are accused of first-degree murder and murderous conspiracy in connection with the June 2023 shooting of Nijjar, which severely damaged Canada’s relations with India.

Notably, ties between India and Canada have been strained after Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau accused agents of the Indian government of killing Nijjar. However, India has dismissed the accusations as “absurd” and “motivated”.

Hardeep Singh Nijjar, who was designated a terrorist by India’s National Investigation Agency in 2020, was shot and killed as he came out of a Gurdwara in Surrey in June last year. The video of his killing that reportedly surfaced in March this year showed Nijjar being shot by armed men in what has been described as a “contract killing.”

Last week, Canadian police released photographs of all three persons arrested in the killing of India-designated terrorist, Nijjar last year amid an ongoing probe into alleged connections of the Indian government.

Along with photographs of the three accused, the Canadian police also released the photographs of the car believed to have been used by the suspects in the time leading up to the homicide, in and around the Surrey area.

The Integrated Homicide Investigation Team (IHIT) of Surrey, RCMP had said that on the morning of May 3, IHIT investigators, with the assistance of members from the British Columbia and Alberta RCMP and the Edmonton Police Service, arrested the three men for the June 2023 killing of Nijjar.

(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)

Three Indian nationals accused of killing Khalistan separatist Hardeep Singh Nijjar last year have appeared before a Canadian court through video for the first time to face homicide charges in a case that has soured Canada-India relations.

Karan Brar, 22, Kamalpreet Singh, 22, and Karanpreet Singh, 28, all Indian nationals residing in Edmonton, were arrested and charged on May 3 with first-degree murder and conspiracy to commit murder.

They appeared separately by video in front of a packed Surrey provincial courtroom on May 7 to acknowledge the charges of first-degree murder and conspiring to commit murder and to agree to have their cases adjourned to May 21 to give them time to consult with their lawyers, the Vancouver Sun newspaper reported.

The three believed to be members of an alleged hit squad appeared before the Surrey Provincial Court in British Columbia province, the report said.

Each of them appeared separately from North Fraser Pretrial Centre wearing jail-issued red T-shirts or sweatshirts and sweatpants.

Who was Hardeep Singh Nijjar, the Sikh activist whose killing has divided Canada and India?

Two of the accused appeared in the morning while Kamalpreet Singh’s appearance was delayed until after lunch to give him time to consult with a lawyer.

All three agreed to have the proceedings heard in English and each of them nodded that they understood the charges of first-degree murder and conspiring to murder Nijjar, the report said.

The court granted the Crown prosecutor’s request for a no-contact order naming seven people under a Canada Criminal Code section that bans the accused from communicating directly or indirectly with any of them.

Those named on the order are Nijjar’s son Balraj Nijjar, 21, and Harjinder Nijjar, Mehtab Nijjar, Sarandeep Sehaj, Harsimranjeet Singh, Arshdeep Kapoor and Malkit Singh, the report added.

The three accused men had a brief appearance before an adjudicator on May 4 for an interim judicial release hearing, after which they were kept in custody.

Their next step would be to have their lawyers apply for bail, said Surrey criminal and immigration lawyer Affan Bajwa, who has no connection to the case.

Mr. Bajwa said their chances of being released on bail would depend on whether their lawyers could make a strong case to the judge.

“I think it may be difficult for them to be released on bail because of a possible flight risk and risk to public safety,” he said.

Mr. Bajwa also said if the case goes ahead, the men would be tried in Canada and if found guilty of first-degree murder would have no chance of parole for at least 25 years.

If they are foreign nationals or permanent residents, as soon as they’re released, they would face a deportation hearing by the Canada Border Services Agency, he said.

If found not guilty, they could still be deported, according to a Supreme Court of Canada ruling in September in which the nine judges unanimously ruled that a foreign national could be deemed inadmissible to Canada on security grounds under the Immigration and Refugee Protection Act of “being a danger to the security of Canada,” according to Canadian Lawyer Magazine, the Vancouver Sun report said.

Hundreds of local Khalistan supporters showed up at the courthouse. A separate overflow room inside the courthouse was opened to accommodate an additional 50 people who wanted to witness the hearing.

Another 100 or so people outside the courthouse waved Khalistan flags and carried posters supporting Sikh separatism.

Nijjar, a Canadian citizen, was shot dead outside a gurdwara in Surrey on June 18, 2023.

The indictments May 3 allege the conspiracy unfolded in both Surrey and Edmonton between May 1, 2023, and the date of Nijjar’s killing.

The alleged hitmen entered Canada over the past five years and were suspected of involvement in the world of drug trafficking and violence, according to local police.

India had on May 2 rejected fresh comments by Prime Minister Justin Trudeau on the killing of Nijjar and said the remarks once again illustrated the political space given in Canada to separatism, extremism, and violence.

Mr. Trudeau addressed a Khalsa Day event in Toronto on May 5 that was attended by some pro-Khalistan supporters.

The ties between India and Canada came under severe strain following Mr. Trudeau’s allegations in September last year of the “potential” involvement of Indian agents in the killing of 45-year-old Nijjar.

India has dismissed Mr. Trudeau’s charges as “absurd” and “motivated.” The presence of Sikh separatist groups in Canada has long frustrated India, which had designated Nijjar a “terrorist.” The police suggested more arrests might be coming. Royal Canadian Mounted Police (RCMP) Assistant Commissioner David Teboul, the force’s commander for the Pacific region, said May 3 that he wouldn’t comment on the alleged links between the three men arrested and Indian officials but noted the force is “investigating connections to the government of India.” External Affairs Minister S. Jaishankar on May 4 said what is happening in poll-bound Canada over the killing of Nijjar is mostly due to their internal politics and has nothing to do with India.

He said a section of pro-Khalistan people are using Canada’s democracy, creating a lobby and have become a vote bank.

The ruling party in Canada has no majority in Parliament and some parties depend on pro-Khalistan leaders, he said.

“We have convinced them several times not to give visa, legitimacy or political space to such people which is causing problems for them [Canada], for us and also for our relationship,” Mr. Jaishankar said.

But the Canadian government has not done anything, Mr. Jaishankar said, adding that India sought the extradition of 25 people, most of whom are pro-Khalistan, but they did not pay any heed.

“Canada did not give any proof. They do not share any evidence with us in certain cases, police agencies also do not cooperate with us. It is their political compulsion in Canada to blame India. As elections are coming in Canada, they indulge in vote bank politics,” the Minister said.

Bhubaneswar:

India will wait for Canadian police to share information on the three Indian men it has arrested and charged with the murder of a Khalistani terrorist last year, Foreign Minister S Jaishankar said on Saturday.

Canadian police charged the three on Friday over the murder of Hardeep Singh Nijjar and said they were probing whether the suspects had links to the Indian government.

Mr Jaishankar said he had seen news of the arrests and said the suspects “apparently are Indians of some kind of gang background… we’ll have to wait for the police to tell us.”

“But, as I said, one of our concerns which we have been telling them is that, you know, they have allowed organized crime from India, specifically from Punjab, to operate in Canada,” said Mr Jaishankar.

Sanjay Verma, India’s high commissioner to Canada, said that it hopes to get regular updates from Canadian authorities regarding the three arrested Indians.

“I understand that the arrests have been made as a result of investigations conducted by the relevant Canadian law enforcement agencies. This issue is internal to Canada and therefore we have no comments to offer in this regard,” Mr Verma added.

The trio, all Indian nationals, were arrested in the city of Edmonton in Alberta on Friday, police said.

Nijjar, 45, was shot dead in June outside a gurdwara in Surrey, a Vancouver suburb with a large Sikh population. A few months later, Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau alleged Indian government involvement, prompting a diplomatic crisis with New Delhi.

Canada’s New Democratic Party leader Jagmeet Singh
| Photo Credit: Reuters

Canada’s New Democratic Party (NDP) leader Jagmeet Singh has again alleged an Indian government hand in the killing of India-designated terrorist Hardeep Singh Nijjar despite police personnel not giving any evidence of any link to India’s involvement in the murder.

Jagmeet Singh’s NDP has supported the Liberal minority government led by Justin Trudeau in exchange for support on some key bills.

After the Canadian police announced the arrest of three accused in the killing of Nijjar, Mr. Singh claimed that there was an Indian hand in the same. In a post on X, he wrote, “The Indian government hired assassins to murder a Canadian citizen on Canadian soil — at a place of worship. Today 3 arrests were made. Let me be clear — any Indian agent or state actor that ordered, planned or carried out this murder must be exposed and met with the full force of Canadian law. For Canada, democracy and free speech – there must be Justice for Hardeep Singh Nijjar.”

Last year, Canadian Prime Minister Trudeau had alleged an Indian hand in the killing, a claim that was vehemently denied by India which called it ‘absurd and motivated’.

Candian Police personnel have also not given any evidence of any link to India as was being speculated in Canadian media.

Earlier on Friday, Canadian police released photographs of all three persons arrested in the killing of India-designated terrorist Hardeep Singh Nijjar last year amid an ongoing probe into alleged connections of the Indian government.

In a statement, the Royal Canadian Mounted Police (RCMP) named the three men, all Indian nationals, as Karanpreet Singh, 28, Kamalpreet Singh, 22 and Karan Brar, 22 and released their photographs. The trio were arrested in Edmonton City in Alberta.

The Integrated Homicide Investigation Team (IHIT) of Surrey, RCMP on Friday (local time) said that on the morning of May 3, IHIT investigators, with the assistance of members from the British Columbia and Alberta RCMP and the Edmonton Police Service, arrested the three men for the June 2023 killing of Hardeep Singh Nijjar in Surrey.

The trio have now been charged with first-degree murder and conspiracy to commit murder in relation to the homicide, according to a Royal Canadian Mounted Police press release.

Along with photographs of the three accused, the Canadian police have also released the photographs of the car believed to have been used by the suspects in the time leading up to the homicide, in and around the Surrey area.

Hardeep Singh Nijjar, who was designated a terrorist by India’s National Investigation Agency in 2020, was shot and killed as he came out of a Gurdwara in Surrey in June last year. The video of his killing that reportedly surfaced in March this year showed Nijjar being shot by armed men in what has been described as a “contract killing.”

Ottawa:

Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau on Thursday said they are looking to work constructively with the Indian government in the probe into the killing of designated terrorist Hardeep Singh Nijjar.

According to Canada-based Cable Public Affairs Channel (CPAC), Mr Trudeau was asked, “How is India’s cooperation shaping up on the assassination investigations of Canadian citizen Hardeep Singh Nijjar when Canada has credible allegations and India expects Canada to complete its own investigation first?”

The Canadian PM responded saying, “The killing of a Canadian citizen on Canadian soil is something that we all should take extremely seriously.”

“The credible allegations that agents of the Indian government were involved in–that is something that we did not declare lightly, but our responsibility to protect all Canadians from illegal actions by foreign governments is something that, as a country grounded in diversity, we need to take very seriously,” he added.

India has earlier denied the charges as baseless.

Mr Trudeau said the Canadian government is ensuring appropriate probe is being done, according to a video shared by the CPAC.

“That’s why we have been unequivocal about standing up for the rule of law and ensuring that the appropriate investigations are being done in full accordance with our justice system and our police independence,” the Canadian PM said.

Moreover, he said they are working constructively with the Indian government to get to the bottom of this matter.

“At the same time, we are working. We’re looking to work constructively with the government of India to get to the bottom of this, to understand how this could have happened, and to make sure that no Canadians are ever vulnerable again to foreign interference by any international power,” he added.

Nijjar, who was designated a terrorist by the National Investigation Agency in 2020, was shot and killed as he came out of a Gurdwara in Surrey, British Columbia, on the evening of June 18, 2023.

Trudeau had alleged the Indian government’s role in Nijjar’s killing, a charge that India rejected and led to the deterioration of diplomatic ties between the two countries.

India has rejected the allegations as “absurd and motivated”.

According to the Ministry of External Affairs, Canada has not been able to present any evidence to back its claims over the killing.

(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)