Canadian police said Friday that three people have been arrested and charged with murder in connection with the killing of a Sikh separatist leader in Vancouver.
According to the British news agency Reuters, the police said that they are also investigating the connection of these alleged killers with the Indian government.
The Royal Canadian Mounted Police (RCMP) have identified the three men as Kiranpreet Singh, Kamalpreet Singh and Kiran Brar.
Mandeep Mokar, a superintendent with the RCMP, told a televised news conference: ‘We are investigating his relationship with the Indian government.’
The Indian diplomatic mission in Ottawa did not respond to requests for comment.
Last week, the White House expressed concern over the alleged role of the Indian Intelligence Service in assassination plots in Canada and the United States.
Canadian police said they were working with U.S. law enforcement agencies on the matter, with more arrests expected.
Assistant RCMP Commissioner David Tiboll said: ‘This investigation does not end here. We are aware that others may have played a role in this murder and we are working to locate and arrest each of these individuals.’
The three Indian nationals were arrested on Friday in Edmonton, Alberta, police said. As of Monday, Balpreet Singh, British Columbia legal adviser and spokesman for the Canada-based World Sikh Organization advocacy group, said: ‘We welcome these arrests but it raises a lot of questions.’
He said that those who have been arrested are part of a hit squad and it is clear that they were given instructions (from the Indian government).
Canada was pressuring India to cooperate in investigating the murder. Last November, US officials said an Indian government official had conspired to kill another Sikh separatist group, Tunat Singh Pinan, on US soil.
This section contains related reference points (Related Nodes field).
According to the news agency AFP, 45-year-old Hardeep Singh Nagar was shot dead outside a Sikh shrine in the suburbs of Vancouver in June last year. A few months later, Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau accused the Indian government of direct involvement in the killing, sparking a diplomatic crisis between Ottawa and New Delhi.
India dismissed the allegations as ‘ridiculous’ and briefly banned visas for Canadian citizens.
Najar moved to Canada in 1997 and was a strong supporter of the Khalistan movement. He was wanted by Indian authorities on charges of alleged terrorism and conspiracy to murder.
According to French news agency AFP, three Indian nationals, two aged 22 and one 28, were arrested on Friday and charged with first-degree murder and conspiracy.
The Indian nationals are accused of acting as shooters, drivers and scouts on the day Najar was killed.
He was arrested by police in Edmonton, Alberta, where he resided, and is being held pending further proceedings.
All had been in Canada for between three and five years, police told a news conference.
#Canada #Indian #nationals #arrested #murder #Sikh #separatist #leader
2024-07-29 13:25:58
