The leader of the New Democratic Party (NDP) in Canada, Jagmeet Singh, has once again claimed that the Indian government was involved in the murder of terrorist Hardeep Singh Nijjar, even though Canadian authorities have not found any evidence linking Nijjar’s death to India.
In return for backing on a number of important issues, Singh’s NDP has been assisting Justin Trudeau’s Liberal minority administration. Singh said there was Indian participation in the crime when Canadian police announced they had arrested three suspects in Nijjar’s death.
In a post on X, Singh wrote, “The Indian government hired assassins to murder a Canadian citizen on Canadian soil – at a place of worship. Today 3 arrests were made. Let me be clear – any Indian agent or state actor that ordered, planned or carried out this murder must be exposed and met with the full force of Canadian law. For Canada, democracy and free speech – there must be Justice for Hardeep Singh Nijjar.”
Last year, Canadian Prime Minister Trudeau also accused the Indian government of involvement in the killing, a claim strongly refuted by India as “absurd and motivated.”
Canadian police have not presented any evidence linking the crime to India, despite speculation in the Canadian media. Earlier on Friday, Canadian police released photographs of the three individuals arrested in connection with Nijjar’s killing last year.
The Royal Canadian Mounted Police (RCMP) named the three suspects, all Indian nationals, as Karanpreet Singh, 28, Kamalpreet Singh, 22, and Karan Brar, 22, and disclosed their arrest in Edmonton City, Alberta. The Integrated Homicide Investigation Team (IHIT) of Surrey RCMP stated that the trio was apprehended for Nijjar’s June 2023 killing in Surrey, facing charges of first-degree murder and conspiracy.
In a press conference, RCMP Assistant Commissioner David Teboul stressed the ongoing investigation into Nijjar’s murder, indicating possible connections to the Indian government.
Public Safety Minister Dominic Leblanc refrained from confirming any link to the Indian government, directing inquiries to the RCMP.
Hardeep Singh Nijjar, designated a terrorist by India’s National Investigation Agency in 2020, was shot dead outside a Gurdwara in Surrey in June last year. A purported video of the incident surfaced in March this year, showing Nijjar being shot by armed individuals in what has been described as a “contract killing.”