Front Burner

Did India kill a Canadian Sikh leader in B.C.?

Who was Hardeep Singh Nijjar, the Sikh activist and Canadian citizen the Prime Minister says may have been killed by the Indian state? And why did many in the Sikh community believe that was the case long before the government’s announcement?
A man carries a sign that says "Sikhs Want Their Independence" wearing a blue collared shirt and black turban, surrounded by other men.
Hardeep Nijjar says he has never been involved with any violent activity. (Sikhs for Justice)

Hardeep Singh Nijjar was shot and killed outside his gurdwara in Surrey in June just after evening prayers. While the Sikh community has been urging investigators to get the bottom of what happened, it's been quiet until a bombshell announcement from Prime Minister Trudeau on Monday: Canada believes there are "credible allegations" the Indian government was behind it. 

Since then it's been a diplomatic firestorm. Diplomats are being pulled from both Canada and India and Canada's allies are weighing next moves. But who was Hardeep Singh Nijjar and why do some, particularly members of the Sikh community, believe the Indian government wanted him dead?

Jaskaran Sandhu from Baaz News and the World Sikh Organization takes us through who Nijjar was, the reasons he feared for his life and the long standing tensions between India and the Sikh community. 

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