Canadian police have detained members of an alleged hit squad linked to the murder of Sikh activist Hardeep Singh Nijjar in British Columbia last year. Prime Minister Justin Trudeau announced allegations linking Indian government agents to the fatal shooting, which has strained relations between Canada and India. The suspects were under surveillance for months, and are believed to be connected to multiple murders in Canada. India has denied involvement in Nijjar's killing.
India summoned the Canadian Deputy High Commissioner to express deep concern and protest after separatist slogans were raised at an event addressed by Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau. The tensions between the two countries escalated after Trudeau alleged Indian involvement in the murder of Sikh separatist Hardeep Singh Nijjar in Canada. India denies any government role in Nijjar's murder but criticizes Canada for allowing separatist activities. Trudeau pledged to protect Sikh rights in Canada amidst rising anti-India sentiment. The incident occurred during the Khalsa Day Celebrations in Toronto.
Hardeep Singh Nijjar (11 October 1977 – 18 June 2023) was a Canadian Sikh separatist leader involved with the Khalistan movement, which calls for an independent Sikh state.Born in India, Nijjar migrated to Canada in the mid-1990s. Sikh organizations viewed Nijjar as a human rights activist, while the Indian government accused him of being a criminal and terrorist affiliated with the militant Khalistan Tiger Force, and sought his arrest. Nijjar and his supporters rejected these allegations, saying he advocated peaceful means for creation of Khalistan. Nijjar gained prominence in 2019, when he became the leader of Guru Nanak Sikh Gurudwara (temple) in Surrey, British Columbia, and became an advocate of Sikh separatism. Nijjar was also associated with Sikhs for Justice (SFJ), and spearheaded the group's Khalistan Referendum 2020 campaign.On 18 June 2023, Nijjar was shot and killed in the parking lot of a Sikh temple in British Columbia. On 18 September 2023, Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau stated that Canadian intelligence agencies were "pursuing credible allegations of a potential link" between Indian government agents and the assassination of Nijjar. After the killing, Canada expelled an Indian diplomat from the country. India's foreign ministry denied involvement in the killing, and expelled a top Canadian diplomat in a tit-for-tat move. As of October 2023, the Canadian authorities have not yet made any arrests in connection with the murder but stated they were investigating three suspects, and Canada has provided no evidence implicating the Indian government, citing the need to protect sensitive intelligence sources and methods.
Khalistan Tiger Force (KTF) is a militant outfit of the Khalistan movement. In February 2023, it was designated as a terrorist organization by the Indian government.In May 2023, India's National Investigation Agency (NIA) arrested two wanted persons at Delhi’s Indira Gandhi International Airport, who allegedly were close aides of KTF's Arshdeep Singh, an “individual designated terrorist” based in Canada. In June 2023, NIA arrested Gagandeep Singh who allegedly is a close-aide of KTF operatives. Gagandeep Singh was also arrested previously in July 2021.In June 2023, Hardeep Singh Nijjar, the alleged chief of Khalistan Tiger Force, was shot dead outside a Sikh Temple by unidentified assailants in Surrey, Canada. In September 2023, the Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau said they had "credible allegations" linking the murder to India. Further, Canada expelled a top Indian diplomat, who was allegedly an Indian Intelligence agent and possibly linked to the murder. In retaliation, India expelled a senior Canadian diplomat.
India expects action against the culprits involved in last year's attacks on its high commission in London and consulate in San Francisco as well as those involved in threatening the Indian diplomats in Canada, External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar on Monday said. The external affairs minister said India had to suspend issuance of visas in Canada as its diplomats were repeatedly "threatened and intimidated in many ways" and we "got very little comfort from the Canadian system that time". In September last year, India temporarily suspended issuance of visas to the Canadian citizens, a move that came days after Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau's allegations of a "potential" involvement of Indian agents in the killing of Khalistani separatist Hardeep Singh Nijjar. The visa services were resumed several weeks later. India strongly rejected Trudeau's allegations.
Recently, reports from The Washington Post and Australian Broadcasting Corporation alleged that India's intelligence service, RAW, was involved in planned assassinations and espionage abroad, including a foiled plot to assassinate a US-based Sikh separatist. The Indian government denied these claims, stating they were unwarranted. Similar incidents were reported in Australia and Canada, implicating Indian spies in various activities. The US is cooperating with India in investigating these allegations. Allegations have also been made against India in Canada and Pakistan for targeted killings of separatists. Investigations and diplomatic tensions are ongoing between the countries involved.
During Canada's ongoing public inquiry into foreign interference in its elections, allegations of Chinese high school students coerced into voting for a Liberal candidate, opaque cash injections from China, and illegal financial support from a proxy agent of India's government have emerged. Testimonies from Canada's diaspora communities highlighted threats to their safety. China and India deny the allegations. The inquiry, led by Quebec judge Marie-Josee Hogue, involves over 40 community members, politicians, and federal election officials. Prime Minister Justin Trudeau is scheduled to testify. Canada's spy agency and affected parties criticize the government for inadequate action against interference, comparing the country unfavorably to its Five Eyes allies.
The White House views the reported involvement of an Indian intelligence officer in two assassination plots in the US and Canada as a serious matter. India's foreign ministry denied the allegations, calling them unwarranted. The plot involved a foiled plan to assassinate a vocal critic of Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi and a Sikh activist. The Biden administration is faced with balancing ties with India amid concerns about China's power. The delicate situation arose as Canada also investigated Indian agents' potential involvement in another Sikh separatist's murder.
The Indian foreign ministry has refuted claims in a report by The Guardian accusing India of targeted killings in Pakistan, calling it false propaganda. The report alleges up to 20 assassinations by RAW since the 2019 Pulwama attack, drawing inspiration from Mossad and the KGB. Pakistan supplied evidence for the report, mentioning sleeper cells in the UAE. Previous accusations by the US and Canada on Indian involvement in such activities, including the killing of Khalistani separatist Hardeep Singh Nijjar in Canada, have been denied by India.
The 1984 anti-Sikh riots, also known as the 1984 Sikh massacre, was a series of organised pogroms against Sikhs in India following the assassination of Indira Gandhi by her Sikh bodyguards. Government estimates project that about 2,800 Sikhs were killed in Delhi and 3,350 nationwide, whilst other sources estimate the number of deaths at about 8,000–17,000.The assassination of Indira Gandhi itself had taken place after she had ordered Operation Blue Star, a military action to secure the Harmandir Sahib Sikh temple complex in Amritsar, Punjab, in June 1984. The operation had resulted in a deadly battle with armed Sikh groups who were demanding greater rights and autonomy for Punjab and the deaths of many pilgrims. Sikhs worldwide had criticized the army action and many saw it as an assault on their religion and identity.In the aftermath of the pogroms, the government reported that 20,000 had fled the city; the People's Union for Civil Liberties reported "at least" 1,000 displaced persons. The most-affected regions were the Sikh neighborhoods of Delhi. Human rights organizations and newspapers across India believed that the massacre was organized. The collusion of political officials connected to the Indian National Congress in the violence and judicial failure to penalize the perpetrators alienated Sikhs and increased support for the Khalistan movement. The Akal Takht, Sikhism's governing body, considers the killings a genocide.In 2011, Human Rights Watch reported that the Government of India had "yet to prosecute those responsible for the mass killings". According to the 2011 WikiLeaks cable leaks, the United States was convinced of the Indian National Congress' complicity in the riots and called it "opportunism" and "hatred" by the Congress government, of Sikhs. Although the U.S. has not identified the riots as genocide, it acknowledged that "grave human rights violations" occurred. In 2011, the burned sites of multiple Sikh killings from 1984, were discovered in Hondh-Chillar and Pataudi areas of Haryana. The Central Bureau of Investigation, the main Indian investigative agency, believes that the violence was organised with support from the Delhi police and some central-government officials.After 34 years of delay, in December 2018, the first high-profile conviction for the 1984 anti-Sikh riots took place with the arrest of Congress leader Sajjan Kumar, who was sentenced to life imprisonment by the Delhi High Court. Very few convictions have taken place in the pending 1984 cases, with only one death penalty conviction for an accused, Yashpal in the case of murdering Sikhs in the Mahipalpur area of Delhi.
Prime Minister Justin Trudeau has defended the integrity of Canada's 2019 and 2021 elections amid a public inquiry into foreign interference, particularly focusing on allegations of meddling by China, India, and Russia. The Canadian Security Intelligence Service (CSIS) disclosed that China covertly interfered in the elections, with specific instances like funding a charter bus to aid a candidate. Trudeau emphasized that while irregularities warrant follow-ups, they may not justify overturning results. Other allegations include illicit financial support from India's government proxies to pro-India politicians in Canada.
Jagtar Singh Johal, a British man who has been imprisoned in India for over six years, is facing the death penalty for his activism in advocating for Sikh rights. His brother has urged the UK Foreign Secretary to intervene and bring him back to the UK, stating that his life is in the hands of the British government. The Foreign Secretary has promised to review the case and ensure that the right steps are taken. Jagtar's family has requested answers and called for his immediate return.
Australian journalist Avani Dias was pressured to leave India after her reporting on Sikh separatism angered Indian authorities, leading to her journalist visa not being renewed. Despite Australian diplomatic efforts, she was only granted a two-month visa extension at the last minute before her departure. Indian officials refute Dias' claims of difficulties and state she could have covered the elections if she had stayed. Dias' case highlights the challenges faced by foreign journalists in India, with mounting pressure experienced by many other foreign nationals in the country.
The Khalistan movement is a separatist movement seeking to create a homeland for Sikhs by establishing an ethno‐religious sovereign state called Khalistan (lit. 'land of the Khalsa') in the Punjab region. The proposed boundaries of Khalistan vary between different groups; some suggest the entirety of the Sikh-majority Indian state of Punjab, while larger claims include Pakistani Punjab and other parts of North India such as Chandigarh, Haryana, and Himachal Pradesh. Shimla and Lahore have been proposed as the capital of Khalistan.The call for a separate Sikh state began during the 1930s, when British rule in India was nearing its end. In 1940, the first explicit call for Khalistan was made in a pamphlet titled "Khalistan". With financial and political support of the Sikh diaspora, the movement flourished in the Indian state of Punjab – which has a Sikh-majority population – continuing through the 1970s and 1980s, and reaching its zenith in the late 1980s. The Sikh separatist leader Jagjit Singh Chohan said that during his talks with Pakistani prime minister that Zulfikar Ali Bhutto affirmed "we'll help you and make it the capital of Khalistan" and claimed Bhutto wanted revenge over Bangladesh.The separatist militant insurgency in Punjab started in the early 1980s. Several militant groups were involved in the armed insurgency, including Babbar Khalsa and Khalistan Commando Force, among others. In 1986, Khalistan Commando Force took responsibility for the assasination of General Arun Vaidya, in retaliation for 1984's Operation Blue Star. By the mid-1990s, theinsurgency petered out, with the last major incident being the assassination of Chief Minister Beant Singh, who was killed in a bomb blast by a member of Babbar Khalsa. The movement failed to reach its objective for multiple reasons, including heavy police crackdowns on separatists, factional infighting, and disillusionment from the Sikh population.There is some support within India and the Sikh diaspora, with yearly demonstrations in protest of those killed during Operation Blue Star. In early 2018, some militant groups were arrested by police in Punjab, India. Former Chief Minister of Punjab Amarinder Singh claimed that the recent extremism is backed by Pakistan's Inter-Services Intelligence (ISI) and "Khalistani sympathisers" in Canada, Italy, and the UK. Simranjit Singh Mann, elected in 2022 from Sangrur, is currently the only openly Khalistani MP in the Indian parliament and his party, and Shiromani Akali Dal (Amritsar) is currently the only pro-Khalistan party in the Indian parliament.
Gurpatwant Singh Pannun is one of the main leaders of the Khalistan movement, which advocates for a religion-based separate state to be split out from Punjab and many neighbouring areas in India, to be known as Khalistan. He is the legal advisor and spokesperson for Sikhs for Justice (SFJ), which aims to promote the idea of a separate Sikh state. As of July 2020, the Ministry of Home Affairs of India has declared Pannun a terrorist on the grounds of sedition and secessionism, and has requested an Interpol red notice for him.
The federal government of Canada and the provincial government of Manitoba have agreed to allocate $20 million Canadian each to search a landfill for the remains of two murdered Indigenous women, Morgan Harris and Marcedes Myran. The search will focus on the Prairie Green landfill north of Winnipeg, with an estimated total cost of $90 million Canadian. Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau has emphasized the importance of prioritizing cases of missing and murdered Indigenous women in the country, recognizing past neglect of these cases.
Conservative leader Pierre Poilievre was ejected from Canada's House of Commons after refusing to retract calling Prime Minister Justin Trudeau a 'wacko' during a debate on British Columbia's decriminalisation of hard drugs. The province is facing pushback over public disorder and drug use concerns, prompting a partial rollback of the policy. Poilievre's expulsion led to a heated exchange, highlighting the contentious relationship between the two leaders ahead of the upcoming general election expected by October next year.
Justin Pierre James Trudeau ( TROO-doh, troo-DOH, French: [ʒystɛ̃ pjɛʁ dʒɛms tʁydo]; born December 25, 1971) is a Canadian politician who has served as the 23rd prime minister of Canada since 2015 and the leader of the Liberal Party since 2013.Trudeau was born in Ottawa, Ontario and attended Collège Jean-de-Brébeuf. He graduated from McGill University in 1994 with a Bachelor of Arts degree in literature, then in 1998 acquired a Bachelor of Education degree from the University of British Columbia. After graduating he taught at the secondary school level in Vancouver, before relocating back to Montreal in 2002 to further his studies. He was chair for the youth charity Katimavik and director of the not-for-profit Canadian Avalanche Association. In 2006, he was appointed as chair of the Liberal Party's Task Force on Youth Renewal.In the 2008 federal election, he was elected to represent the riding of Papineau in the House of Commons. He was the Liberal Party's Official Opposition critic for youth and multiculturalism in 2009, and the following year he became critic for citizenship and immigration. In 2011, he was appointed as a critic for secondary education and sport. Trudeau won the leadership of the Liberal Party in April 2013 and led his party to victory in the 2015 federal election, moving the third-placed Liberals from 36 seats to 184 seats, the largest-ever numerical increase by a party in a Canadian federal election. Trudeau is the second-youngest prime minister in Canadian history after Joe Clark; he is also the first to be the child of a previous holder of the post, as the eldest son of Pierre Trudeau.Major government initiatives he undertook during his first term as prime minister included legalizing recreational marijuana through the Cannabis Act; attempting Senate appointment reform by establishing the Independent Advisory Board for Senate Appointments and establishing the federal carbon tax. In foreign policy, Trudeau's government negotiated trade deals such as the Canada-United States-Mexico Agreement (CUSMA) and the Comprehensive and Progressive Agreement for Trans-Pacific Partnership, and signed the Paris Agreement on climate change. He was sanctioned by Canada's ethics commissioner for violating conflict of interest rules regarding the Aga Khan affair, and later again with the SNC-Lavalin affair.Trudeau led the Liberals to a minority government victory in the 2019 federal election. During his second term, his government responded to the COVID-19 pandemic, announced an "assault-style" weapons ban in response to the 2020 Nova Scotia attacks, and launched a national child care program. He was investigated for a third time by the ethics commissioner for his part in the WE Charity scandal, but was cleared of wrongdoing. In the 2021 federal election, he led the Liberals to another minority government. During his third term, Trudeau invoked the Emergencies Act in response to the Freedom Convoy protests (the first time the act was brought into force since it was enacted in 1988) and responded to the Russian invasion of Ukraine by imposing sanctions on Russia and authorizing military aid to Ukraine. His government also entered into a confidence and supply agreement with the New Democratic Party (NDP), which resulted in the launching of a national dental care program for low income Canadians and a framework for national Pharmacare.
Sikhs (singular Sikh: sik or seek; Punjabi: ਸਿੱਖ, romanized: sikkh, IPA: [sɪkkʰ]) are an ethnoreligious group who adhere to Sikhism, a religion that originated in the late 15th century in the Punjab region of the Indian subcontinent, based on the revelation of Guru Nanak. The term Sikh has its origin in the Sanskrit word śiṣya, meaning 'seeker', 'disciple' or 'student'. According to Article I of Chapter 1 of the Sikh Rehat Maryada ('code of conduct'), the definition of Sikh is: Any human being who faithfully believes inOne Immortal BeingTen Gurus, from Guru Nanak Sahib to Guru Gobind Singh SahibThe Guru Granth SahibThe utterances and teachings of the ten Gurus and The initiation, known as the Amrit Sanchar, bequeathed by the tenth Guru and who does not owe allegiance to any other religion, is a Sikh.Male Sikhs generally have Singh ('lion') as their last name, though not all Singhs are necessarily Sikhs; likewise, female Sikhs have Kaur ('princess') as their last name. These unique last names were given by the Gurus to allow Sikhs to stand out and also as an act of defiance to India's caste system, which the Gurus were always against. Sikhs strongly believe in the idea of sarbat da bhala ('welfare of all') and are often seen on the frontline to provide humanitarian aid across the world.Sikhs who have undergone the Amrit Sanchar ('initiation by Khanda'), an initiation ceremony, are known as Khalsa from the day of their initiation, and they must at all times have on their bodies the five Ks:kesh, uncut hair usually kept covered by a dastār, also known as a turban;kara, an iron or steel bracelet;kirpan, a dagger-like sword tucked into a gatra strap or a kamar kasa waistband;kachera, a cotton undergarment; andkanga, a small wooden comb.The Punjab region of the Indian subcontinent has been the historic homeland of the Sikhs, having even been ruled by the Sikhs for significant parts of the 18th and 19th centuries. Today, Canada has the largest national Sikh proportion (2.1%) in the world, while the Punjab state in India has the largest Sikh proportion (58%) amongst all administrative divisions in the world. Many countries, such as Canada and the United Kingdom, recognize Sikhs as a designated religion on their censuses, and, as of 2020, Sikhs are considered as a separate ethnic group in the United States. The UK also considers Sikhs to be an ethno-religious people, as a direct result of the Mandla v Dowell-Lee case in 1982.
Alexandre Emmanuel "Sacha" Trudeau (born December 25, 1973) is a Canadian filmmaker, journalist and author of Barbarian Lost. He is the second son of Canada's former prime minister, Pierre Trudeau, and Margaret Trudeau, and the younger brother of Canada's current prime minister, Justin Trudeau.
British Columbia's decriminalisation pilot programme for hard drugs, initiated in 2023, is being partially reversed due to concerns around public disorder and drug use. Premier David Eby announced the change, giving police power to address drug use in all public places, while maintaining allowances for drug use in private spaces and supervised sites. This move comes in response to pushback and critiques of the initial policy in BC, the only Canadian province with the hard drug decriminalisation project.
Nijjar is a surname found in India. Notable people with the surname include:Aron Nijjar (born 1994), English cricketerRob Nijjar (born 1967), Canadian politicianSunny Singh Nijjar, Indian actorSurinder Singh Nijjar (1949–2021), Indian judgeHardeep Singh Nijjar (1977–2023), Canadian Sikh separatist leader
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