OTTAWA: Prime Minister of Canada Justin Trudeau has said that the Indian government could be behind the assassination of Canadian Sikh leader Hardeep Singh Nijjar.
Hardeep Singh Nijjar was killed in a fatal shooting outside of a Sikh temple on 18 June in British Columbia.
Trudeau said Canadian intelligence has found a credible connection between his death and the Indian state.
Canadian PM said he raised the issue with his Indian counterpart Narendra Modi at the G20 summit.
Nijjar, the supporter of an independent Khalistan state, had been labeled by the extremist Indian government as a “terrorist” and accused of leading a separatist group, which his supporters have always denied.
Credible information Indian government assassinated Nijjar: Trudeau
Trudeau on Monday said Canada’s national security agencies have a reason to believe that agents of the Indian government assassinated Nijjar, a Canadian citizen, who also served as the head of Surrey’s Guru Nanak Sikh Gurdwara.
He said that the Canadian security apparatus has been actively pursuing allegations of a possible link between agents of the Government of India and the killing of a Canadian citizen.
Read Also: India Raises Pro-Khalistan Protest Issue in Canada with PM Trudeau
The PM added any involvement of a foreign government in the killing of a Canadian citizen on its soil is an unacceptable violation of our sovereignty.
Trudeau said it is against the fundamental principles by which free, open, and democratic societies conduct themselves.
He added Canada has been working closely and coordinating with its allies on this very serious issue.
Trudeau asked the Indian government to cooperate in the ongoing investigation process. He noted some Indo-Canadians are angry and frightened at the same time.
“Let us not allow this to change us,” he said.
