US provided Canada with intelligence on killing of KTF chief Hardeep Singh Nijjar

US provided Canada with intelligence on killing of KTF chief Hardeep Singh Nijjar

The killing of Hardeep Singh Nijjar, a Sikh separatist leader and the chief of the banned Khalistan Tiger Force (KTF), has sparked a diplomatic row between Canada and India, with both countries accusing each other of involvement in the assassination. Nijjar, who was organizing an unofficial referendum for an independent Sikh state in India, was shot dead by two unidentified gunmen outside a gurdwara in Surrey, British Columbia, on June 18, 2023. 

According to a report by The Globe and Mail, the US provided Canada with intelligence after the killing of Nijjar, but communications intercepted by Ottawa were more definitive and led it to accuse India of orchestrating the plot. The report claimed that the US shared information with Canada about a possible link between Indian intelligence agents and the shooters, who fled the scene in a black SUV. 

However, the report also stated that Canadian intelligence agencies had intercepted more direct evidence of India's role in the killing, including phone calls and messages between Indian operatives and the gunmen. The report cited unnamed sources who said that the intercepted communications revealed that the shooters were paid by Indian agents and instructed to carry out the hit on Nijjar. 

The report further claimed that Canadian authorities had identified the shooters and were preparing to arrest them, but were waiting for the right moment to avoid escalating the tensions with India. The report also said that Canada had expelled an Indian diplomat from the country as a retaliatory measure, and that India had responded by expelling a top Canadian diplomat in a tit-for-tat move. 

India's foreign ministry denied any involvement in the killing of Nijjar, and called the allegations "baseless and malicious". India's spokesperson Arindam Bagchi said that India had "nothing to do with this incident" and that it was "a matter of law and order in Canada". He also said that India had sought consular access to the expelled diplomat, who was accused of espionage by Canada. 

Nijjar, who was born in Punjab, India, and migrated to Canada in the mid-1990s, was a prominent figure in the Khalistan movement, which seeks to create a separate homeland for Sikhs in India. He was designated a terrorist by India in 2020, and had an Interpol Red Corner Notice issued against him in 2016. India accused him of being involved in multiple criminal cases, including the 2007 Shingar cinema blast in Ludhiana, which killed six people and injured over 30. 

Nijjar and his supporters rejected these allegations, saying he supported peaceful avenues for the creation of an independent Sikh state, Khalistan, out of India. He was also associated with Sikhs for Justice (SFJ), a US-based group that advocates for a referendum on Khalistan. He spearheaded the Khalistan Referendum 2020 campaign, which aimed to hold a vote among Sikhs around the world on the issue of Khalistan. 

Nijjar's killing has sparked outrage and grief among his supporters and the Sikh community in Canada and abroad. Many Sikh organizations and leaders have condemned the assassination and demanded justice for Nijjar. They have also called for an independent and transparent investigation into the incident, and urged the Canadian government to protect the rights and safety of Sikhs in the country. 

Source: 

(5) Hardeep Singh Nijjar - Wikipedia. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hardeep_Singh_Nijjar.
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