Khalistani activist Hardeep Singh Nijjar was shot dead while travelling in his car a few months ago, and the incident has put strain on the ties between India and Canada.
Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau came forward to put allegations on the Indian government over the assassination of Khalistani separatist leader Hardeep Singh Nijjar, who was shot dead earlier this year while travelling in his car.
The allegations put forward by the Canadian government have further put strain on the relations between the country and India, right after Trudeau was welcomed by Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi during the G20 Summit in New Delhi.
The cause of this strain is the death of Hardeep Singh Nijjar, a prominent Khalistani separatist leader who was based in Canada and was termed as one of the most wanted criminals in India, who hailed from Jalandhar was sparking insurgency against India.
Who was Hardeep Singh Nijjar?
Hardeep Nijjar was termed as a Khalistani terrorist by the Indian government and was an influential member of pro-Khalistan groups Khalistan Tiger Force and the Canadian wing of the banned outfit Sikhs For Justice (SFJ), which has sparked disturbances across Punjab.
Nijjar was accused of sparking riots and insurgency among Sikhs and was put on the most wanted criminals list by former Punjab Chief Minister Amarinder Singh, who had also shared the list with Canada PM Justin Trudeau.
Nijjar, who was spearheading the Khalistani referendum in Canada, was gunned down by two persons on June 18 in the parking lot of Surrey’s Guru Nanak Sikh Gurdwara. Now, Canada has accused India of being responsible for the Khalistani terrorist’s death.
Canada expelled a top Indian diplomat Monday as it investigates what Prime Minister Justin Trudeau called credible allegations that India’s government may have had links to the assassination in Canada of the Khalistani activist.
Trudeau also said that he had discussed the killing of Nijjar with PM Modi during his visit to Delhi for the G20 Summit, and the Indian PM had agreed that any involvement of India in the incident would be unacceptable.
(With inputs from agencies)