The arrest of a fourth suspect in the killing of Hardeep Singh Nijjar nearly one year after his death is a promising indication of progress in the investigation, says a close friend of the Sikh Canadian spiritual leader.
Moninder Singh, who has been in regular contact with Mr. Nijjar’s family, said each development since the killing has been emotionally draining for those close to the late president of the Guru Nanak Sikh Gurdwara in Surrey, B.C.
But the recent arrests have brought a degree of relief and are “a positive step forward in this case,” said Mr. Singh, who is also a spokesperson for the B.C. Gurdwara Council, in an interview on Sunday.
Amandeep Singh, 22, has been arrested and charged with first-degree murder and conspiracy to commit murder, B.C.’s Integrated Homicide Investigation Team announced Saturday. Mr. Singh, an Indian national who lived in Brampton, Ont., and Surrey and Abbotsford, B.C., was already in custody in Ontario for unrelated firearms charges.
Amandeep Singh, 22, in an undated photograph released by the Integrated Homicide Investigation Team (IHIT).Integrated Homicide Investigatio/Reuters
He joins three others arrested in connection with Mr. Nijjar’s death. On May 3, police in B.C. announced that Karan Brar, 22, Kamalpreet Singh, 22, and Karanpreet Singh, 28, were arrested in Edmonton and face the same charges. The force’s probe included “investigating connections to the government of India,” police said. The case remains under investigation.
Mr. Nijjar was fatally shot in his pickup truck while leaving his gurdwara last June. Sikh activists say India orchestrated his killing because of Mr. Nijjar’s leadership in promoting the creation of an independent Sikh state, called Khalistan, that would be carved from the South Asian country. India’s government, which sees Khalistani separatism as a seditious threat, classified him as a terrorist.
The first three suspects arrested made their first appearance before a judge at Surrey Provincial Court May 7 through video from pretrial jail, electing to be tried in English and agreeing to adjourn their cases until May 21. Members of B.C.’s Sikh community demonstrated outside the courthouse, carrying blue and yellow Khalistan flags and placards honouring Mr. Nijjar.
Mr. Nijjar’s killing became a full-blown diplomatic row last September after Prime Minister Justin Trudeau told the House of Commons that Canadian security agencies were probing allegations that the Indian government had played a role in the slaying of Mr. Nijjar.
Mr. Trudeau told MPs that he had personally presented his concerns about these allegations to Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi. The Indian government has denied any involvement in Mr. Nijjar’s death, dismissing Mr. Trudeau’s claims as “unsubstantiated” and accusing the Canadian government of harbouring criminals.
In November, U.S. authorities said an Indian government official had directed a plot in the attempted murder of Gurpatwant Singh Pannun, a Sikh separatist and dual citizen of the United States and Canada.
On May 3, Commissioner Marie-Josée Hogue released her initial report from the Public Inquiry into Foreign Interference, focused on Canada’s 2019 and 2021 federal general elections, which found that India is deeply involved in efforts to influence Canadian affairs, and that the country sees all pro-Khalistan political advocacy as a serious threat.
India has attempted to disguise that interference by using Canadian and Canadian-based proxies that allow it to deny links to New Delhi, Ms. Hogue wrote, although she wasn’t able to provide specifics because her findings were based on classified documents.
The B.C. Gurdwara Council is a member of the Sikh Coalition, which was granted party standing along with the World Sikh Organization of Canada and the Ontario Gurdwara’s Committee in the inquiry.
Mr. Singh, a spokesperson of the council, said that, in addition to wanting successful convictions for those responsible for Mr Nijjar’s death, Sikh leaders wish for a public inquiry focused solely on India’s role in foreign interference in Canada, given the gravity of allegations.
“We think it is crucial for Canada to understand how deep is India involved in the undermining of Canada’s sovereignty and its democratic processes,” he said. “Only then could we prevent this type of interference and safeguard the lives of Sikhs in Canada and all Canadians.”