The Canadian authorities on Saturday arrested another Indian national for his role in the killing of Khalistani separatist Hardeep Singh Nijjar. All four individuals arrested so far in the case are Indian nationals.
The Canadian government in an official release informed that Twenty-two-year-old Amardeep Singh, a resident of Brampton, Surrey, and Abbotsford areas of Canada, has been arrested on charges of first degree murder and conspiracy to commit murder, the PTI reported.
Canada's Integrated Homicide Investigation Team (IHIT) said that Singh was arrested on May 11 in connection with Hardeep Singh Nijjar's murder.
Amardeep Singh was already in police custody in an unrelated firearms case.
IHIT Superintendent Mandeep Mooker confirmed the arrest and said that Singh's arrest shows the nature of our ongoing investigation to hold responsible those who played a role in the homicide of Hardeep Singh Nijjar.
45-year-old Nijjar was killed outside Guru Nanak Sikh Gurdwara in Surrey, British Columbia on June 18, 2023.
On May 3, the investigating officers arrested Karan Brar (22), Kamalpreet Singh (22) and 28-year-old Karanpreet Singh in Hardeep Singh Nijjar's murder case. These three accused were living in Edmonton and they have been charged with first degree murder and conspiracy to commit murder.
Nijjar, who held Canadian nationality, was gunned down outside Surrey's Guru Nanak Sikh Gurudwara on June 18 last year. A pro-Khalistan figure, he was designated as an “individual terrorist” by India under the stringent UAPA in July 2020.
India-Canada diplomatice ties saw a major setback when Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau publicly alleged that “agents of the Government of India” carried out the killing. Indian government however, refuted the allegations and further accused the Trudeau government of inaction towards Khalistani elements in Canada.
On Thursday, India's external affairs ministry spokesman Randhir Jaiswal told reportes that Canada has informed India about the arrest of three Indian nationals who have been charged with the murder of a Sikh separatist leader Nijjar, however no relevant information or specific evidence about New Delhi’s involvement has been shared by the Canadian authorities till date.