Canada's Trudeau accuses India of role in assassination of Canadian Sikh leader
Canada expelled a senior Indian diplomat after going public with explosive 'credible allegations' that Indian agents helped kill a Canadian citizen
Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau told Parliament on Monday that "Canadian security agencies have been actively pursuing credible allegations of a potential link between agents of the government of India and the killing of a Canadian citizen, Hardeep Singh Nijjar," the leader of a Sikh temple in British Columbia. "Any involvement of a foreign government in the killing of a Canadian citizen on Canadian soil is an unacceptable violation of our sovereignty," he said.
After Trudeau's announcement, Foreign Minister Mélanie Joly said Canada had expelled an Indian diplomat, Pavan Kumar Rai, whom she identified as the head of Indian intelligence collection in the country. India's Ministry of External Affairs called the Canadian accusations "absurd and motivated," noting that Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi "completely rejected" similar allegations when Trudeau raised them with him on the sidelines of the Group of 20 summit on Sept. 10.
Nijjar, 45, was killed by two masked gunmen on June 18 while sitting in his pickup truck near the temple. Police called the killing "targeted," and a criminal investigation is ongoing. Nijjar was an outspoken advocate for an independent Sikh homeland in northern India, Khalistan. Modi's Hindu nationalist government had labeled him a "terrorist" in 2020 for "exhorting seditionary and insurrectionary imputations and also attempting to create disharmony among different communities in India."
Subscribe to The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.
Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
India has outlawed the Khalistan movement, but it has some support in India's Punjab state and among Sikh communities in Canada, the United Kingdom and Australia. Canada is home to about 770,000 Sikhs and roughly an equal number of other Canadians of Indian origin. Nijjar's murder rattled the Sikh community, which immediately pointed to India's involvement.
Nijjar is the third prominent Sikh figure to have died outside India under suspicious circumstances since May, BBC reported. Indian officials have warned in recent months about a potential resurgence of a Sikh separatist insurgency that roiled India in the 1980s, culminating in Prime Minister Indira Gandhi ordering a deadly military raid on a fortified Golden Temple, one of the holiest Sikh sites; Gandhi's subsequent assassination by two Sikh bodyguards; and resulting riots that left thousands of Sikhs dead.
Sign up for Today's Best Articles in your inbox
A free daily email with the biggest news stories of the day – and the best features from TheWeek.com
Peter has worked as a news and culture writer and editor at The Week since the site's launch in 2008. He covers politics, world affairs, religion and cultural currents. His journalism career began as a copy editor at a financial newswire and has included editorial positions at The New York Times Magazine, Facts on File, and Oregon State University.
-
4 ways to give back this holiday season
The Explainer If your budget is feeling squeezed, remember that money is not the only way you can be generous around the holidays
By Becca Stanek, The Week US Published
-
4 tips for hosting an ecofriendly Thanksgiving
The Week Recommends Coming together for the holidays typically produces a ton of waste, but with proper preparation, you can have an environmentally friendly gathering.
By Theara Coleman, The Week US Published
-
Jussie Smollet conviction overturned on appeal
Speed Read The Illinois Supreme Court overturned the actor's conviction on charges of staging a racist and homophobic attack against himself in 2019
By Peter Weber, The Week US Published
-
Has the Taliban banned women from speaking?
Today's Big Question 'Rambling' message about 'bizarre' restriction joins series of recent decrees that amount to silencing of Afghanistan's women
By Harriet Marsden, The Week UK Published
-
Cuba's energy crisis
The Explainer Already beset by a host of issues, the island nation is struggling with nationwide blackouts
By Rebekah Evans, The Week UK Published
-
Putin's fixation with shamans
Under the Radar Secretive Russian leader, said to be fascinated with occult and pagan rituals, allegedly asked for blessing over nuclear weapons
By Harriet Marsden, The Week UK Published
-
Chimpanzees are dying of human diseases
Under the radar Great apes are vulnerable to human pathogens thanks to genetic similarity, increased contact and no immunity
By Harriet Marsden, The Week UK Published
-
Deaths of Jesse Baird and Luke Davies hang over Sydney's Mardi Gras
The Explainer Police officer, the former partner of TV presenter victim, charged with two counts of murder after turning himself in
By Austin Chen, The Week UK Published
-
Quiz of The Week: 24 February - 1 March
Puzzles and Quizzes Have you been paying attention to The Week's news?
By Sorcha Bradley, The Week UK Published
-
Will mounting discontent affect Iran election?
Today's Big Question Low turnout is expected in poll seen as crucial test for Tehran's leadership
By Sorcha Bradley, The Week UK Published
-
Sweden clears final NATO hurdle with Hungary vote
Speed Read Hungary's parliament overwhelmingly approved Sweden's accession to NATO
By Peter Weber, The Week US Published