Hundreds gathered outside the Indian Consulate General in Vancouver on Saturday for a rally.
Sikh protesters and activists said they had gathered to voice their concerns that the Indian government was behind the killing of Hardeep Singh Nijar.
Nijal was president of Guru Nanak Sikh Gurdwara in Surrey when he was shot dead in a parking lot six days ago on the night of June 18.
“This act of violence was predictable and foreseen. For us it is unacceptable,” said Jatinder Singh Gulwal, director of Sikhs for Justice.
Homicide investigators believe the shooting was targeted.
Regarding the evidence supporting the activists’ claims, Grewal said: “Hadeep Singh Nijar was a close friend of mine. A week before his (murder) … he told me that the RCMP and CSIS had advised him of the threat to his life.”
“He plainly advised me that he had no enemies and that he would not fight or quarrel with anyone except working for Haristan. India declared (he) a terrorist in India, but He failed to present the Canadians with evidence to justify his extradition.On the basis of all the circumstantial evidence, it is clear to us who is responsible.”
Global News reached out to the Indian Consulate General in Vancouver for comment but did not receive a response before publication.
On Monday, Global News spoke to Burnaby’s Spice Radio 1200 AM radio host Ghapreet Singh, who interviewed Nijar last month. He said Mr Nijal had been “very vocal” about threats being made against him “undercover”.
“Worse still, he publicly said he was on the list. Both law enforcement and CSIS knew about the hit list and had been in contact with Nijar for at least a year. we know,” he told Global News. “Clearly not enough was being done to save his life.”
According to Indian media reports in 2016, Nijar was accused of running a terror training camp on a mission with the aim of carrying out attacks in Punjab. The RCMP said it had no information to support these claims at the time.
In 2018, India submitted an initial intelligence report against Nijar, accusing him of planning a large-scale terrorist attack in Punjab.
Mr. Nijar has repeatedly maintained his innocence, writing a letter to Prime Minister Justin Trudeau saying the allegations were “factual and fabricated”. He previously admitted speaking out in support of Sikh separatism but denied his involvement in the violence.
Homicide investigators are looking for two suspects in this high-profile murder.
Police said Wednesday that the two suspects, described as “believed to be burly men with face coverings,” fled the scene on foot south on 122nd Street through Cougar Creek Park. bottom.
“It is believed that the suspects may have parked their cars in the 121st and 68th Streets area,” the sergeant said. Timothy Pierotti of the Integrated Homicide Investigation Team (IHIT). “It is believed that the suspect and his vehicle may have been in the area for at least an hour before the murder.”
Although no arrests were made, he sought to allay security concerns following the killing, particularly among Surrey’s Sikh community.
“There is no reason to believe that the Sikh community is in danger,” he said. “This was a targeted incident with one person targeted.”
Few other details were revealed on Wednesday, but investigators again called for witnesses and, in particular, dashcam footage from vehicles parked in the Guru Nanak Sheikh Gurdwara parking lot. .
The IHIT has neither confirmed nor denied that Nijal received threats prior to his death, but is willing to use its relationships with other intelligence and law enforcement agencies to investigate reports, if necessary. Checked again on Wednesday.
A day after the shooting, Canada’s World Sikh Organization called on Canada’s intelligence and law enforcement agencies to thoroughly investigate the murder of Nijal, which included foreign intervention “particularly from India.”
“I think the police are probably doing everything in their power to find out who pulled the trigger,” said World Sikh Organization legal adviser Valpreet Singh. “But really, the question we have is who ordered the hits?”
“I think President Gurdwara was shot in his compound while he was sending a message,” legal adviser Singh said in an interview. “I think there’s definitely some anxiety in the Sikh community about who’s going to be next.”
IHIT advised anyone who had information, or who had drive recorder footage, that between 6:00 and 8:45 p.m. I’m asking someone who was in the 121st Street and 68th Avenue area. Please contact the information line at 1-877-551-IHIT by June 18th.
For confidential, non-judgmental, 24/7 mental health support, please contact the Crisis Center BC at 1-784-2433. Information about emotional support and mental health resources is also available at 310-6789. No area code is required.
— Using files from Elizabeth McSheffery of Global BC
© 2023 Global News, a division of Corus Entertainment Inc.
