The Indian government has vehemently rejected the allegations leveled by Prime Minister Justin Trudeau in the Canadian Parliament against Indian agencies for the killing of Khalistani terrorist Hardeep Singh Nijjar, and the Indian Ministry of External Affairs has said, “There is no evidence of any violent act on Canadian soil.” Allegations of India’s involvement are completely absurd…India is committed to the rule of law…”
Nijjar was the chief of Khalistani Tiger Force
Hardeep Singh Nijjar, originally a resident of Jalandhar in the Indian Punjab state, moved to Canada in the year 1997. Hardeep Singh Nijjar was wanted in India for being the mastermind of ‘Khalistani Tiger Force’ (KTF), registered as a terrorist group in India.
He was shot dead in June, 2023
Apart from ‘Khalistani Tiger Force’, Hardeep Singh Nijjar was also the head of the Canada branch of Sikhs for Justice (SFJ). Hardeep Singh Nijjar was shot dead by some unknown assailants near a Gurudwara in Surrey in June 2023.
Nijjar had a reward of Rs 10 lakh
In July 2022, the Indian anti-terrorism agency had announced a cash reward of Rs 10 lakh on Hardeep Singh Nijjar in the case of murder of a Hindu priest in Jalandhar. Apart from this, Nijjar was also accused of a bomb blast in a cinema hall in Punjab in 2007. NIA is also investigating the recent attacks on Indian diplomatic missions in Canada, Britain and America.
It is noteworthy that Canada has been one of the favorite destinations for migrant Sikhs, where extremism has increased rapidly in the last few years. Canada has seen several Khalistani activities in the last few months, including protests outside the Indian Embassy and pasting of threatening posters for Indian diplomats.
