Blair Gable/Reuters
Canada’s Prime Minister Justin Trudeau speaks to reporters in the lobby of the House of Commons on Parliament Hill in Ottawa, Ontario, Canada, September 18, 2023. REUTERS/Blair Gable
cnn
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There are “credible allegations” linking the Indian government to the murder of a Canadian citizen and a prominent Sikh leader, Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau said Monday.
“Over the past few weeks, Canadian security agencies have been actively pursuing credible allegations of a potential link between Indian government agents and the murder of Canadian citizen Hardeep Singh Nijjar,” Trudeau said, adding that his government would take all necessary measures. necessary. “The perpetrators of this murder must be held accountable.”
Nijjar was a prominent Sikh leader in British Columbia and, according to local police, two masked gunmen shot him dead in his truck in June outside a Sikh temple in Surrey, British Columbia.
His death shocked and outraged Canada’s large Sikh community, which now numbers in the hundreds of thousands.
India designated Niijar as a terrorist threat several years ago, labeling him as part of a separatist movement from Sikhism.
“Canada has expressed its deep concern to the Indian government’s top intelligence and security officials. Last week at the G20, I presented them personally and directly to Prime Minister Modi in very clear terms. “Any involvement by a foreign government in the murder of a Canadian citizen on Canadian soil is an unacceptable violation of our sovereignty,” Trudeau said during his speech in parliament, calling it an “extremely serious matter.”
Canadian police have not arrested anyone in connection with Niijar’s murder, but in an August update, police issued a statement saying they were now investigating three possible suspects and issued a description of a possible getaway vehicle, calling for the help from the public.
CNN contacted the Indian High Commission in Ottawa for comment but did not receive a response.