Canadian Cops Arrest Suspects In Khalistani Terrorist Hardeep Singh Nijjar's Assassination

The Canadian police on Friday arrested people in connection with the assassination of Khalistani terrorist Hardeep Singh Nijjar in British Columbia, last year.

The authorities have kept a close watch on the two suspects before arresting them. However, the Royal Canadian Mounted Police is yet to issue a statement on the current development.

Nijjar, aged 46, hailed from Bhar Singh Pura village in Jalandhar's Phillaur tehsil. He was fatally shot by two assailants at a gurdwara in Surrey on June 18.

He served as the head of the Guru Nanak Sikh Gurdwara Sahib in Surrey.

He was wanted in four cases registered by the National Investigation Agency (NIA), related to Sikh radicalism and allegations of waging war against India. A reward of Rs 10 lakh was offered for his capture.

Having migrated to Canada in 1997, Nijjar worked as a plumber, as documented by the Khalistan Extremism Monitor of the New Delhi-based independent Institute for Conflict Management.

Initially affiliated with the Babbar Khalsa International (BKI) Sikh separatist group, as per India's counter-terrorist agency, the National Investigation Agency, Nijjar was later identified as the chief of the militant group Khalistan Tiger Force (KTF). The Indian government stated he was deeply involved in operationalizing, networking, training, and financing KTF members.

Nijjar was also named in the FIR filed by the NIA in December 2020 amidst the farmers' protests in Delhi. According to the FIR, Nijjar, along with SFJ founder Gurpatwant Singh Pannun and KTF member Paramjit Singh Pamma, conspired to instil fear, spread lawlessness, sow disaffection among people, and incite rebellion against the government.

The NIA asserted that the trio operated under the guise of 'Human Rights advocacy groups' with offices in various countries, including the US, Canada, the UK, and Australia. These offices were fronts for Khalistan terrorist outfits, including those operating from Pakistan, according to the NIA.

However, relations between India and Canada strained after his death as Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau's alleged that the Indian government was possibly involved in Nijjar's assassination.