Surrey Sikh gurdwara calls for continued probe into Indian foreign interference
Published 2:15 pm Thursday, July 9, 2026
The gurdwara where Hardeep Singh Nijjar was killed has released a statement calling for continued justice for the death of Nijjar, who was the temple president at the time of his death.
The statement comes following the arrest and charges of people around the world who were allegedly connected to Nijjar’s killing.
Nijjar, 45, who was the president of the gurdwara at the time, was shot to death on June 18, 2023, in the parking lot of Guru Nanak Sikh Gurdwara in the 7000-block of Scott Road in Newton. He was found in his truck.
Nijjar was an ardent supporter of the Khalistani movement, which seeks to secure an independent Sikh nation in India, and his supporters maintain that India’s government was involved in his killing.
Amandeep Singh, Karan Brar, Kamalpreet Singh and Karanpreet Singh are charged with first-degree murder and conspiracy to commit murder in the case. This case is still making its way through the B.C. Suprme Court.
But newly released U.S. grand jury indictments say that Indian gangsters Lawrence Bishnoi and Goldy Brar “ordered the assassination” of Hardeep Singh Nijjar, the president of a Surrey Sikh temple, in 2023, as newly released U.S. court documents allege.
In a statement posted to the gurdwara’s Facebook page, the gurdwara states that the investigation goes beyond looking at organized crime or a single criminal organization.
“It must continue to examine all individuals, organizations, and any alleged foreign-state involvement previously identified by Canadian authorities,” the statement reads. “
“The repeated ‘Duty to Warn’ notices issued by Canadian law enforcement agencies to Sikh activists demonstrate that the security concerns identified by Canadian authorities extend beyond a single individual. On the other hand. U.S. authorities have disrupted alleged assassination plots targeting prominent Sikh leader Gurpatwant Singh Pannun of Sikhs for Justice. These developments, taken together, have raised broader concerns about alleged transnational repression targeting Sikh activists across North America.”
Relations between India and Canada have been strained since Nijjar’s killing.
On Thanksgiving Monday in October 2024, then-prime minister Justin Trudeau held a news conference after the RCMP announced the “extraordinary” step of warning the public about safety threats to Canadians linked to Indian government officials.
Canada expelled six Indian diplomats whom the RCMP say refused to comply with investigations, prompting India to retaliate by ordering six Canadian envoys out of the country that same month.
Trudeau said India had fundamentally violated Canada’s sovereignty and international law by targeting Canadians with murder, extortion and coercion.
The Guru Nanak Sikh Gurdwara is calling on the Canadian government to commit to several measures, including holding those who have facilitated or directed acts of foreign interference or transnational repression in Canada accountable.
Statement from Guru Nanak Sikh Gurdwara in Surrey, B.C. pic.twitter.com/D0uzouUxDB
— Anna Burns (@AnnaBBurns) July 9, 2026