Canadian prime minister Justin Trudeau said Monday the country is investigating “credible allegations” that “agents of the Indian government” carried out the assassination of a Canadian-Sikh leader in British Columbia in June.
“Over the past number of weeks, 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,” Trudeau said during a speech before the House of Commons.
Nijjar was shot and killed by two masked gunmen outside a Sikh temple in Surrey, British Columbia. Prior to his death, Nijjar advocated for the creation of an independent Sikh nation, Khalistan, that would include parts of India’s Punjab state. For that reason, India designated him a terrorist threat several years ago.
Canadian police said last month they were investigating three possible suspects in the case and released information about a possible getaway vehicle.
No arrests have been made.
Trudeau said the government plans to take the steps necessary “to hold perpetrators of this murder to account.”
“Canada has declared its deep concerns to the top intelligence and security officials of the Indian government. Last week, at the G20, I brought them personally and directly to Prime Minister Modi in no uncertain terms. Any involvement of a foreign government in the killing of a Canadian citizen on Canadian soil is an unacceptable violation of our sovereignty,” Trudeau said during a speech in parliament.
Foreign minister Mélanie Joly said later on Monday that Canada has expelled an Indian diplomat who was “the head” of Indian intelligence in Canada.
“If these allegations are true, they represent an outrageous affront to Canada’s sovereignty,” Conservative Party leader Pierre Poilievre said. “Our citizens must be safe from extrajudicial killings of all kinds, most of all from foreign governments.”
The killing shocked the country’s Sikh community and put many on edge. There are some 1.4 to 1.8 million Canadians of Indian heritage, including many Sikhs.
The allegations will likely elevate heightened tensions between Canada and India; Canada paused negotiations on a trade deal with India earlier this month.