A fourth Indian national, Amandeep Singh, 22, has been charged by Canadian authorities in connection with the 2023 murder of Sikh leader Hardeep Singh Nijjar in Vancouver. Singh was already in custody on unrelated gun charges when he was charged with first-degree murder and conspiracy to commit murder. The killing of Nijjar, who immigrated to Canada in 1997 and became a citizen in 2015, has raised tensions between Ottawa and New Delhi, with Prime Minister Justin Trudeau alleging Indian intelligence involvement. India has denied these allegations. Nijjar, who advocated for a separate Sikh state known as Khalistan carved out of India, was wanted by Indian authorities for alleged terrorism and conspiracy to commit murder. He was shot dead on June 18, 2023, by masked assailants in the parking lot of the Sikh temple he led in suburban Vancouver. Trudeau announced several months later that Canada had credible allegations connecting Indian intelligence to the slaying. India dismissed these allegations as absurd and responded furiously, briefly curbing visas for Canadians and forcing Ottawa to withdraw diplomats. In November, the US Justice Department charged an Indian citizen living in the Czech Republic with allegedly plotting a similar assassination attempt on American soil. Prosecutors said in unsealed court documents that an Indian government official was also involved in the planning. The allegations came after US President Joe Biden hosted Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi for a rare state visit, as Washington seeks closer ties with India against China’s growing influence. US intelligence agencies have assessed that the alleged assassination plot on American soil was approved by India’s top spy official at the time, Samant Goel, according to the Washington Post. Canada is home to some 770,000 Sikhs, who make up about two percent of the country’s population, with a vocal minority calling for an independent state of Khalistan.
Fourth Indian National Charged in Murder of Sikh Leader in Vancouver
