In Canada, three individuals face charges for attempting to murder a Sikh separatist.
Three individuals named Karanpreet Singh, Kamalpreet Singh, and Karan Brar are facing charges for their involvement in a plot to murder Hardeep Singh Nijjar, as described in recently released court documents. Nijjar, a supporter of a separateSikh homeland known as Khalistan in India's Punjab state, was fatally shot by masked men outside a Sikh temple in Surrey, British Columbia last year.
Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau previously shared that he had received credible information linking the Indian government to the murder of Nijjar, causing an uproar in India that resulted in diplomatic tensions between the two nations. Trudeau's claim was met with denial from India, who dismissed it as "absurd and motivated." Concurrently, India expelled several senior Canadian diplomats, with Canada retaliating in kind. The pursuit of Khalistan has been illegal in India due to its history of violent insurgency by some Sikh separatists, but it enjoys a level of support in the Sikh diaspora outside India, where free speech laws allow for more open advocacy for secession from the country.
A few weeks after Trudeau made his allegation, the US accused an Indian government official of involvement in a conspiracy to kill another Sikh separatist, who was an American citizen and an alleged terrorist in India, Gurpatwant Singh Pannun. United States prosecutors uncovered an indictment against an Indian national, Nikhil Gupta, detailing Gupta's effort to kill Pannun. The indictment alleged that Gupta was under orders from an unnamed Indian government official.
India denied any involvement in the alleged plot against Pannun. However, one day after Nijjar's killing in Canada, Gupta allegedly told an undercover law enforcement officer, posing as a hitman, that he also had Nijjar on his list of targets.
Following Nijjar's death, Dr. Pritpal Singh, leader of the American Sikh Caucus Committee, received a warning from the FBI about a potential threat to his life. In a statement, Singh acknowledged the hard work of Canadian law enforcement in their efforts to find those responsible for Nijjar's murder, stating, "we, as a community, stand firm in demanding accountability and will continue to advocate for justice to ensure such reprehensible actions are addressed decisively." [This is a developing story and will be updated]
Read also:
- This will change in December
- Dikes withstand water masses so far - Scholz holds out the prospect of help
- Fireworks and parties ring in 2024 - turn of the year overshadowed by conflicts
- Attacks on ships in the Red Sea: shipping companies avoid important trade route
The Canadians and Americans share a collective concern over the safety of Sikh separatists around the world, as three individuals in Canada face charges for attempting to murder Hardeep Singh Nijjar, while an Indian government official was accused by the US of involvement in a conspiracy to kill another Sikh separatist, Gurpatwant Singh Pannun in America. The threats against Sikhs, being a prominent minority group in the Americas, have sparked concerns about the global reach of extremist groups.
Source: edition.cnn.com
