Canada police make arrests in Hardeep Singh Nijjar’s killing: Report

Canada Police on Friday arrested members of an alleged hit squad linked to the murder Khalistani terrorist Hardeep Singh Nijjar in British Columbia last year, as per a report by the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation.

Investigators had identified the suspects in Canada some months ago and had been keeping them under tight surveillance, the report said.

The CBC also claimed that authorities are actively probing potential connections to three murders in Canada, including the fatal shooting of an 11-year-old boy in Edmonton.

The alleged members of the hit squad purportedly assumed various roles as shooters, drivers, and spotters during Nijjar’s assassination. The men were arrested earlier in the day during police operations in at least two provinces.

The Royal Canadian Mounted Police were not immediately available for comment, news agency Reuters mentioned.

Nijjar (45) was gunned down on June 18, 2023, shortly after evening prayers at the Guru Nanak Sikh Gurdwara in Surrey.

Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, speaking at a Khalsa Day event in Toronto, mentioned the challenges posed by Nijjar’s assassination in British Columbia last year, reiterating his earlier assertions regarding the involvement of Indian agents in the assassination.

India rebuffed Trudeau’s remarks, asserting that such comments underscored Canada’s tolerance for separatism, extremism, and violence.

“PM Trudeau has made such remarks earlier as well. His remarks illustrate once again the political space that has been given in Canada to separatism, extremism, and violence,” India’s external affairs ministry spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal said while responding to Trudeau’s claims.

India also summoned the Canadian Deputy High Commissioner and lodged a formal protest over pro-‘Khalistan’ slogans raised at the event attended by Trudeau. Nijjar was a Khalistani separatist, and he was wanted in India on various terror charges.