Suspects in murder of Canadian Sikh murder in court June 25

By Barry Ellsworth

TRENTON, Canada (AA) – The four suspects in the murder of Canadian Sikh activist Hardeep Singh Nijjar will appear in court next week as thousands gather to mark the first anniversary of his killing.

Nijjar was assassinated in a hail of bullets on June 18, 2023 in the parking lot of a Sikh temple in Surrey, British Columbia. The murdered man was a Sikh separatist who was prominent in advocating for a separate Sikh state, known as Khalistan, in India.

Four Indian citizens were subsequently arrested and charged with first-degree murder. In September, Prime Minister Justin Trudeau said that there was “credible evidence” linking the Indian government to the killing, an accusation New Delhi called “absurd.”

Sunday, thousands of Sikhs from Canada and around the world gathered in Surrey for a three-day commemoration marking Nijjar’s death.

“We're honestly just trying to fill in the shoes that he left behind and just have the same impact or do something for our community,” Bhawleen Singh, who came from Toronto, told CBC News.

Other Sikhs gathered in Surrey said Nijjar’s murder marks an ongoing New Delhi campaign targeting those whose strong voices promote the separate state of Khalistan. Nijjar was labelled as a terrorist by the Indian government.

“We need to get justice, we need to get closure and we need to alleviate the risks that are continued to be faced by Sikhs in Canada,” said Jatinder Singh, a director of Sikhs for Justice, which backs the Khalistan state, CBC News reported.

“The intimidation and the continued acts of violence perpetrated here by foreign powers must stop.”