A small crowd gathered outside of the Indian Consulate in Vancouver Tuesday (Feb. 18) to protest on the 600th day since Surrey Sikh temple president Hardeep Singh Nijjar was killed.
Nijjar, 45, 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 Khalistan movement, which seeks to secure an independent Sikh nation in India, while his supporters maintain 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. The next court hearing is scheduled for April in New Westminster Supreme Court.
The pro-Khalistan advocacy group Sikhs for Justice (SFJ) gathered outside the consulate in Vancouver (201-325 Howe St.) Tuesday to condemn the federal government's "failure to bring Indian diplomats to justice for their alleged role in this transnational killing."
They burned the Indian national flag in what they called a "strong act of defiance."
In a news release Tuesday, the SFJ acknowledged that while four Indian nationals have been charged, "key Indian diplomats" have avoided prosecution for what they allege is "their involvement in this state-sponsored assassination."
On Thanksgiving Monday in October, 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.
Trudeau said India had fundamentally violated Canada’s sovereignty and international law by targeting Canadians with murder, extortion and coercion.
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 by Oct. 19.
- With files from Tom Zytaruk and The Canadian Press
