A group advocating for Khalistan's independence, Sikhs for Justice, held a protest outside the Indian Consulate in Vancouver on the two-year anniversary of Hardeep Singh Nijjar's murder.
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 Surrey, B.C. 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. His supporters maintain India's government was involved in his killing.
Amandeep Singh, Karan Brar, Kamalpreet Singh and Karanpreet Singh first-degree murder and conspiracy to commit murder in the case.
Relations between India and Canada have been strained since Nijjar's killing.
On Thanksgiving Monday in October 2024, then-prime minister Justin Trudeau held a news conference after the RCMP announced the 鈥渆xtraordinary鈥� step of warning the public about safety threats to Canadians linked to Indian government officials.
Trudeau said India had fundamentally violated Canada鈥檚 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 that same month.
Sikhs for Justice (SFJ) is "demanding justice and condemning Canada鈥檚 diplomatic overtures to India," noted a recent press release. "The demonstration challenges Prime Minister Carney鈥檚 move to restore High Commissioner appointments with India without addressing the role of Indian intelligence in Nijjar鈥檚 killing."
The protests came the day after Prime Minister Mark Carney met with India's Prime Minister Narendra Modi, which many members of the Sikh community protested against.
A release from the Prime Minister's office noted that the two "reaffirmed the importance of Canada-India ties" and "agreed to designate new high commissioners."
Gurpatwant Singh Pannun, legal counsel for Sikhs for Justice (SFJ), said: 鈥淎ccountability cannot be traded for ambassadorships or business deals."
The SFJ has accused the Indian government of "weaponizing its diplomatic presence in Canada to coordinate surveillance, espionage, and targeted violence against Sikh activists. Canadian intelligence agencies have assessed that India鈥檚 foreign intelligence agency, RAW, is behind plots targeting pro-Khalistan voices."
The group also held a 48-hour peaceful protest during the G7 summit called 鈥淎mbush Modi鈥檚 Politics." It has also held similar protests outside of Surrey provincial court after the four accused appeared in court.
The federal NDP also condemned the decision to invite Modi to the G7. NDP critic for Public Safety and National Security, Jenny Kwan, and NDP critic for Foreign Affairs, Heather McPherson, expressed their concern for the decision.
