{"id":789291,"date":"2026-07-08T23:41:09","date_gmt":"2026-07-08T23:41:09","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/789291\/"},"modified":"2026-07-08T23:41:09","modified_gmt":"2026-07-08T23:41:09","slug":"sikh-advocates-accuse-ottawa-of-letting-india-off-the-hook-in-nijjar-murder","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/789291\/","title":{"rendered":"Sikh advocates accuse Ottawa of letting India off the hook in Nijjar murder"},"content":{"rendered":"

Following a gang bust, the RCMP says there is no connection between the Indian government and the killing of a Canadian Sikh activist. Andrew Johnson reports. <\/p>\n

SURREY, B.C. – Members of Canada\u2019s Sikh community say they are encouraged by major arrests related to the killing of Surrey, B.C. Sikh leader Hardeep Singh Nijjar, but believe Ottawa is backing away from earlier allegations the Indian government was involved. <\/p>\n

\u201cWe\u2019re on the right track law-enforcement wise,\u201d said Moninder Singh, spokesperson for the Sikh Federation of Canada. \u201cBut politically, it feels like we\u2019re courting India at the risk of violating the human rights of Canadians.\u201d<\/p>\n

\"\"Moninder Singh Moninder Singh, spokesperson for the Sikh Federation of Canada (Andrew Johnson\/CTV News) <\/p>\n

Singh\u2019s comments come after law enforcement officials announced nearly two dozen arrests as part of Operation Hardball, an investigation targeting India-based organized crime groups operating in Canada and the United States. Investigators said Indian gangster Lawrence Bishnoi and his associate, Goldy Brar have been charged with ordering Nijjar\u2019s murder.<\/p>\n

Nijjar was a prominent Sikh activist India had labelled a terrorist. He was shot and killed outside Surrey\u2019s Guru Nanak Sikh Gurdwara in June 2023.<\/p>\n

Later that year, then-prime minister Justin Trudeau sparked a rift between Canada and India when he said: \u201cOver 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.\u201d<\/p>\n

Singh said many in the Sikh community are now struggling to reconcile Trudeau\u2019s stance after the RCMP said yesterday, that no link was found between India and Bishnoi\u2019s alleged involvement in Nijjar\u2019s death. <\/p>\n

\u201cWe had all this evidence and all these statements from elected officials that were all kind of saying that this is what\u2019s happening,\u201d Singh said. \u201cAnd now we\u2019re kind of seeing the complete U-turn, which is that it\u2019s these two gangsters that carried out this assassination.\u201d<\/p>\n

Prime Minister Mark Carney has worked to improve relations with India, culminating in a March trip to Mumbai and New Delhi that concluded with a meeting between Carney and Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi and the signing of a series of trade agreements. <\/p>\n

\"\"Prime Minister Mark Carney meets Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi at Hyderabad House in New Delhi, Monday, March 2, 2026. THE CANADIAN PRESS\/Adrian Wyld Prime Minister Mark Carney meets Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi at Hyderabad House in New Delhi, Monday, March 2, 2026. THE CANADIAN PRESS\/Adrian Wyld <\/p>\n

Carney has not repeated Trudeau\u2019s claims of Indian involvement in Nijjar\u2019s murder. In March, he told The Globe And Mail he did not want to prejudice an ongoing criminal investigation.<\/p>\n

Carney\u2019s change in tone<\/p>\n

Singh says the change in tone regarding India has not gone unnoticed in his community. <\/p>\n

\u201cSo we had all this evidence and all these statements from Canadian officials, elected officials that were all kind of saying that this is what\u2019s happening,\u201d Singh told CTV News. <\/p>\n

\u201cNow we\u2019re kind of seeing the complete U-turn, which is that it\u2019s these two gangsters that carried out this assassination and Mr. Carney\u2019s government in the last year courting Mr. Modi and the Indian side, basically for trade and economic relationships.\u201d<\/p>\n

Gurpatwant Pannun, general counsel for Sikhs for Justice, agrees and questions who supplied Bishnoi with information about Nijjar\u2019s whereabouts, before he allegedly ordered the killing from an Indian jail. <\/p>\n

\u201cThe answer is very simple,\u201d Pannun said. \u201cAmerica knows it, Canada knows it.\u201d<\/p>\n

In addition to Trudeau\u2019s 2023 allegation, the RCMP in 2024 alleged Indian diplomats and consular officials were involved in criminal activity in Canada, including homicides and extortion targeting members of the South Asian community.<\/p>\n

Meanwhile, despite the arrests related to Operation Hardball, alleged extortion-related violence continues in Canada. <\/p>\n

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