Washington, DC: Reacting on the allegations associated with the case of Indian government’s alleged involvement in the murder of the Sikh separatist leader, Hardeep Singh Nijjar, the United on Monday
Washington, DC: Reacting on the allegations associated with the case of Indian government’s alleged involvement in the murder of the Sikh separatist leader, Hardeep Singh Nijjar, the United on Monday stated that India should take it “very seriously” and should investigate it.
Responding to a media query during the State Department briefing on Monday (local time) on the arrest of three individuals linked with the killing of India-designated terrorist Hardeep Singh Nijjar, spokesperson Matthew Miller said, “I would refer you to the Canadian authorities to speak to the details of the investigation there.”
“With respect to the indictment that was returned in the United States, I’ll let the Department of Justice speak on behalf of that in detail. And then the only thing further I’d say: When it comes to the State Department, we made clear when these allegations were first made public that it’s something we think India should take very seriously and investigate,” he said.
Asserting that the US would “wait to see the results,” Miller added saying, “They opened a committee of inquiry to look into the matter, and that work is ongoing, and we’ll wait to see the results. But we made very clear that it’s something that we take seriously and we think it’s something they should take seriously as well.”
India and Canada are dealing with an unprecedented diplomatic crisis, after the Canadian Prime Minister accused agents of the Indian government of killing Canadian Khalistani leader Hardeep Singh Nijjar in June 2023. However, India has dismissed the accusations as “absurd” and “motivated.”
Nijjar was shot and killed after he had stepped out of a gurdwara in Surrey in June last year. A video clip of his killing reportedly surfaced in March this year, purportedly showing Nijjar being fatally shot by assailants, in what was claimed to be ‘contract killing’.
In a recent development, on May 4, Canada’s New Democratic Party (NDP) leader Jagmeet Singh levelled a fresh allegation of India’s hand in the killing of Nijjar.
However, the Canadian police administration did not share any evidence linked to India’s involvement in the killing of the Khaliatani leader.
Jagmeet’s party backs the Liberal minority government led by Trudeau in exchange for support on some key bills. After the Canadian Police announced the arrest of three alleged accused in the killing of Hardep Nijjar, Jagmeet renewed his claim of an Indian hand in the incident.
“The Indian government hired assassins to murder a Canadian citizen on Canadian soil – at a place of worship. Today 3 arrests were made. Let me be clear – any Indian agent or state actor that ordered, planned or carried out this murder must be exposed and met with the full force of Canadian law. For Canada, democracy and free speech – there must be Justice for Hardeep Singh Nijjar,” Jagmeet posted from his X handle.
In the year 2023, India found itself targeted by allegations from the Canadian Prime Minister, who indicted the country for purported involvement in a murder case, a notion that India vehemently dismissed as ‘ridiculous and with hidden intentions’. Despite this accusation, Canada has yet to present any solid proof to connect India to the said crime. Recently, there has been a development where images of three individuals investigated in context with the murder of one Hardeep Singh Nijjar, who is labelled as a terrorist in India’s eyes, have been made public by the Canadian police. This is said to be a part of their ongoing endeavor to explore potential ties to the Indian government. The individuals, identified by the Royal Canadian Mounted Police (RCMP), are all citizens of India: Karanpreet Singh, aged 28, Kamalpreet Singh, aged 22, and Karan Brar, also aged 22. Their photographs have been issued to the public, and they were taken into custody in Edmonton City, Alberta.