Police in British Columbia are urging Sikh community members to overcome their fears by providing any evidence in the shooting death of a local gurdwara president who advocated for a separate Sikh state in India.
Surrey RCMP confirmed Monday that 45-year-old Hardeep Singh Nijjar was shot and killed in his vehicle as he was leaving the Guru Nanak Sikh temple in Surrey, B.C., on Sunday night.
Nijjar is accused of terrorism and conspiracy to murder in India.
Assistant Commissioner Brian Edwards called Nijjar's killing "brazen" and "appalling," and said it was "disgusting" that the incident happened at a place of worship, with many other community members present during the attack.
Edwards said the only way for people to respond should be to come forward with evidence to help solve the case.
There was a heavy police presence outside the temple Monday, including an RCMP mobile command vehicle. A steady stream of Sikh community members arrived at the temple but they declined to speak to reporters.
Police had taped off part of Guru Nanak Way, a private road leading into the parking lot. Several community members tried to get closer to the scene but were turned away by police.
Sgt. Tim Pierotti of the Integrated Homicide Investigation Team, which is heading the investigation, said they are aware that the shooting death of the high-profile Sikh community member has triggered speculation about the attack's motives.
He said investigators are focusing on "letting the evidence lead," and that is why community participation by speaking up or providing things like dashcam footage from the evening of the shooting will be crucial to solving the case.
"There are a lot of vehicles that record … even if the vehicle is off," Pierotti said. "So, please check that dash cam footage is reported to us if you do have anything that has been recorded."
Police confirmed they are aware of a burning vehicle found in Coquitlam shortly after the shooting, but have yet to definitively link the vehicle to the case.
At an unrelated news conference on Monday, Premier David Eby called the shooting a heinous crime.
"Like many people in Surrey and many British Columbians, I'm profoundly disturbed that somebody was murdered in our community on the grounds of a place of worship in front of many witnesses."
The general secretary of the Guru Nanak Sikh Gurdwara Society said Nijjar was alone in his pickup truck when he was attacked as he was leaving the temple's parking lot.
Bhupinder Singh Hothi said Nijjar previously received death threats because of his support for a separate Sikh state of Khalistan, in India, but the shooting will not deter those who share his beliefs.
Canadian Minister of Public Safety @marcomendicino has failed.@csiscanada have failed.@RCMP have failed.
— The Sikh Community of 'BC' / Salish Land (@BCSikhs) June 20, 2023
Under your watch, a community leader was shot and killed at a place of worship in broad daylight.
A paid assassination by a foreign government on Canadian soil. pic.twitter.com/DwKB76y7Rj
Surrey RCMP said officers received reports of the shooting at about 8:27 p.m. Sunday and the victim died at the scene.
Police say they are searching for suspects and trying to confirm a motive for the homicide.
“We’re not gonna let people come into this community and do these things anywhere, let alone in a house of worship," said Edwards. "We're not going to stand for it."
A video posted on Twitter about 90 minutes after the shooting showed a large crowd gathered outside the gurdwara, the scene illuminated by the flashing lights of police cars.
Some in the crowd chanted in Punjabi, “Long live Khalistan,” “We want a separate Khalistan,” and “Death to India,” as RCMP officers looked on.
A video also circulating on social media shows a person slumped over in the driver’s seat of a grey pickup truck, the windows shattered.
Hothi said he did not know why Nijjar was shot, but he had previously been threatened over his Khalistan advocacy. “He was raising his voice for his homeland."
In India, Nijjar had been accused of terrorism-related offences and insurrection.
India's counterterrorism National Investigation Agency last year issued a charge sheet that also accused Nijjar of conspiring to murder Hindu priest Kamaldeep Sharma, who the agency said was killed by a "terror gang" in a village in Jalandhar, Punjab.
In a video posted by the gurdwara on its Facebook page, an unidentified man said in Punjabi that Nijjar had been "martyred."
"Nijjar was silenced but his voice will live forever. We will become his voice," the man said.
The World Sikh Organization of Canada, a non-profit which said it advocates for the interests of Canadian Sikhs, issued a news release on Monday that called the killing an "assassination."
It said the Canadian Security Intelligence Service and police "were aware of the threat to Nijjar as well as other Sikh activists in Canada."
"The fact that he was assassinated in this manner is a failure of these bodies to provide protection to someone they knew would be targeted," the organization's president, Tejinder Singh Sidhu, said in the release.
He added: "The role of foreign interference from India must be thoroughly investigated and those responsible for this crime must be brought to justice."
The news release said Nijjar denied being involved in any criminal activity.
Remembering Hardeep Singh Nijjar
— GNFK (@gnfkCanada) June 20, 2023
We are saddened by the loss of Hardeep Singh. Our thoughts & prayers are with his family, friends, & the @SurreyGurdwara community. He will be greatly missed. 🙏 💙 #NeverForget #MakeADifference #Seva #Sewa #GNFKCanada #GNFK #LoveAll #FeedAll pic.twitter.com/w4fXapzWcd
A close associate of Sikh community leader Hardeep Singh Nijjar says his friend was warned by Canadian intelligence officials about being targeted for assassination by "mercenaries" before Nijjar was gunned down.
New York-based lawyer Gurpatwant Singh Pannun says in a statement he spoke with Nijjar by phone the day before he was killed outside the Guru Nanak Sikh gurdwara where he served as president.
Pannun says Nijjar spoke about an unofficial Khalistan referendum vote seeking a separate Sikh state they had been organizing, and threats to their safety related to a reward being offered by the Indian government for Nijjar's apprehension.
He says Nijjar told him that "gangsters" said they were both on a hit list, and that Nijjar received a call days later from the Canadian Security Intelligence Service warning that his life was in danger.
BREAKING | As news of Hardeep Nijjar's assassination shocks the Sikh community, sources share that @csiscanada is aware that India is targeting Sikh Canadian activists. CSIS has a list of Sikhs facing threats of assassination. It is believed gangs are being hired to make hits. pic.twitter.com/un8CThEAHO
— Baaz (@BaazNewsOrg) June 19, 2023
Pannun, who is general counsel to the advocacy group Sikhs For Justice, says he has no doubt the killing was ordered by Indian government officials, who allege Nijjar was involved in "violent or criminal activities in India or elsewhere."
Surrey Centre MP Randeep Sarai took to Twitter and expressed his grief over the incident.
Saddened and shocked to see what happened at Guru Nanak Sikh Gurdwara in Surrey this Sunday. While this is an active RCMP investigation, I encourage anyone that knows anything about it to contact the RCMP as they take steps to ensure those responsible are brought to justice.
— Randeep S. Sarai (@randeepssarai) June 20, 2023
Local politicians and NDP leader have issued statements to probe this murder and find the killer behind Nijjar shooting.
British Columbia’s NDP MLAs jointly released this statement about the killing of Bhai Hardeep Singh Nijjar. pic.twitter.com/cMbeBxbM3U
— Gurpreet S. Sahota (@GurpreetSSahota) June 21, 2023
NDP leader @theJagmeetSingh wrote to Public Safety minister of Canada and expressed the concerns of Canadian Sikhs. Sikhs were expecting that elected Sikh politicians and other politicians in Canada will openly condemn the brutal killing of a Canadian citizen, an unanimously… pic.twitter.com/OGrl7G4wER
— Gurpreet S. Sahota (@GurpreetSSahota) June 20, 2023
Provincial Public Safety Minister Mike Farnworth said in a statement issued Tuesday that he was confident those responsible for the "profoundly disturbing" killing will be caught.
"Our thoughts are with his loved ones and everyone who has been affected by this crime," Farnworth said. “It’s particularly troubling that the shooting took place outside a place of worship, where people should be able to gather in safety with friends, family and community members."
A vigil attended by hundreds of people was held at the Surrey gurdwara on Monday night.
In another media conference this afternoon investigators in Surrey are asking for video from the public to help solve the murder of the Sikh temple leader.
Police have released vague descriptions of the two suspects in death of Hardeep Singh Nijjar.
The suspects are described as heavier-set males who were wearing face coverings, and they are believed to have escaped on foot through a nearby park.
It is believed the suspects and the vehicle may have been in that area in the hour proceeding the homicide.
