The Royal Canadian Mounted Police (RCMP) announced on Friday the arrest of three Indian men suspected of murdering prominent Sikh separatist Hardeep Singh Nijjar. The arrested individuals, identified as Karanpreet Singh (28), Kamalpreet Singh (22), and Karan Brar (22), all resided in Edmonton, Alberta at the time of their arrest. The suspects are believed to have entered Canada to target Nijjar under the direction of the government of India.
Nijjar was shot dead on June 18, 2023, outside a Sikh temple in Surrey, British Columbia. Indian authorities had previously labeled Nijjar as the leader of a terrorist group called “Khalistan Tiger Force,” held responsible for a 2007 cinema bombing in Punjab. Nijjar was also accused by Indian intelligence agencies of operating a terror camp in British Columbia to carry out attacks in Punjab. These allegations, by Nijjar’s account, held no ground.
Nijjar’s death has escalated tensions between the governments of Canada and India. Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau previously accused the Indian government of involvement in the murder and called for cooperation in the ongoing investigation. In reaction, India blocked access to a Canadian investigative documentary probing the allegations of the Indian government’s involvement in Nijjar’s murder.
All three suspects have been charged with first-degree murder and conspiracy to commit murder. Not much has been disclosed about the evidence collected or the motive behind the murder, with Assistant Commissioner David Teboul highlighting that the matter is “still under very active investigation.” Importantly, the RCMP is still investigating potential connections between the Indian government and the arrested individuals. The full account of this developing story can be found here.