Nijjar, a Sikh separatist leader, was killed in June this year outside of Surrey, B.C.’s Guru Nanak Sikh Gurdwa
By:National Post Staff.
Hardeep Singh Nijjar, the murdered Sikh leader at the centre of a diplomatic row between Canada and India, denied the Indian government’s allegations that he was a terrorist in a letter to Prime Minister Justin Trudeau in 2016.
In an Interpol notice in 2016, Nijjar was accused of being the leader of the Khalistan Terror Force, and a report in the Times of India claimed he was running training camps near Mission, B.C. That same year, India’s Central Bureau of Investigation issued a warrant for Nijjar, citing charges of attempting to cause an explosion, making or keeping explosives with intent to endanger life or property, and making or possessing explosives under suspicious circumstances. Nijjar denied all the accusations and urged Trudeau to intervene on his behalf following the Interpol warrant.
“I urge your administration to dispel the Indian government’s fabricated, baseless, fictitious and politically-motivated allegations against me,” Nijjar said, adding that India had “blatantly abused its governmental authority.” Nijjar said he and his family had been targeted by the Indian government because of his support for a separatist movement seeking to create an independent Sikh homeland known as Khalistan.
The letter said Nijjar “never believed in, supported or been involved in any violent activity,” according to a Vancouver Sun report by Kim Bolan.
“Because of my campaign for Sikh rights, it’s my belief that I have become a target of an Indian government campaign to label my human rights campaign as terrorist activities,” the letter reportedly said.
Nijjar was killed in June, outside of Surrey’s Guru Nanak Sikh Gurdwara. No arrests have been made. Nijjar, who worked as a plumber in B.C., was the president of the Sikh temple where he was killed. Referred to as a “pillar” in the Sikh community, Nijjar’s death, and India’s alleged involvement, sparked protests across Canada earlier this week. In 2016, the year Nijjar wrote his letter to Trudeau, the government of India alleged he was linked to a 2007 bombing in Punjab. Nijjar strongly denied the allegations. “Mr. Prime Minister, I want to bring it to your attention that the Indian government’s campaign to label me a terrorist started when I actively participated in a campaign to collect signatures on a complaint to the United Nations Human Rights Council,” Nijjar’s letter said.
“I am a Sikh nationalist who believes in and supports Sikhs’ right to self-determination and independence of Indian-occupied Punjab through a future referendum.”
Nijjar also claimed that his father and brother were detained while visiting India and given a warning for him to curb his “anti-India campaign.”
Source: https://nationalpost.com/
