Close X
Thursday, October 3, 2024
ADVT 
National

Sikh activists mark anniversary of B.C. temple leader Nijjar's murder

Darpan News Desk The Canadian Press, 18 Jun, 2024 12:08 PM
  • Sikh activists mark anniversary of B.C. temple leader Nijjar's murder

A Sikh activist marking the anniversary of the killing of British Columbia temple leader Hardeep Singh Nijjar says the past year has shown they are vindicated in their claims that India targeted separatists overseas.

Gurpatwant Singh Pannun, a New York-based activist who himself was targeted by India according to U.S. authorities, says Nijjar's murder a year ago was "not the kind of publicity" the Sikh independence movement was seeking.

Pannun says Nijjar's death and subsequent revelations by Canadian and U.S. officials have "uncovered" India's plans to silence overseas dissidents with violence outside the law. 

Nijjar, a key organizer for an overseas referendum on an independent Sikh state in India, was gunned down in the parking lot of the Surrey temple where he was president on June 18 last year.

Sikh activist groups are marking the one-year anniversary of his death with a rally and a "citizens' court" outside Vancouver's Indian consulate, as well as a commemoration at Guru Nanak Gurdwara in Surrey where he was killed.

Four Indian nationals — Karan Brar, Amandeep Singh, Kamalpreet Singh and Karanpreet Singh — are accused of murder and conspiracy in Nijjar's killing last year which strained relations between Canada and India. 

Prime Minister Justin Trudeau told Parliament that credible intelligence linked Nijjar's death to Indian government involvement.

Pannun says activists are pushing ahead with holding non-binding referendums in overseas Sikh communities on the question of creating an independent state known as Khalistan, with the next vote slated for Calgary on July 28.

"Even though we have lost Shahid Nijjar as our main co-ordinator, we are continuing on with full resolve on the path of independence," Pannun says, using the Sikh term for martyrdom in reference to the Surrey temple leader.

"If the cost of running or organizing a Khalistan referendum is a bullet, I'm ready to face that bullet," he says. 

India has denied involvement in the killing and says it does not have a policy of assassinating people abroad.

The four accused in the case are next scheduled to appear in court in Surrey on June 25.

MORE National ARTICLES

Fatal shooting by Edmonton police officer investigated by review agency

Fatal shooting by Edmonton police officer investigated by review agency
Alberta's law enforcement review agency is investigating the fatal shooting of a man by an Edmonton police officer. At about 8:30 p.m. Sunday, police were sent to an area northeast of the city's downtown in response to reports of a man with a knife approaching people.  

Fatal shooting by Edmonton police officer investigated by review agency

Home sales slow in the Fraser Valley

Home sales slow in the Fraser Valley
At $1,489,100, the Benchmark price for an FVREB single-family detached home decreased 0.94 per cent compared to October 2023 and increased 6.22 per cent compared to November 2022.

Home sales slow in the Fraser Valley

'Atmospheric river' set to hit Metro Vancouver, southern coast of British Columbia

'Atmospheric river' set to hit Metro Vancouver, southern coast of British Columbia
Environment Canada is also warning drivers on the Sea to Sky Highway from Squamish to Whistler to exercise caution due to heavy rains raising the risk of flooding and landslides along the route. The rainfall warning says an atmospheric river is set to make landfall on the province's southern coast today, bringing as much as 150 millimetres of rain to Western Vancouver Island.  

'Atmospheric river' set to hit Metro Vancouver, southern coast of British Columbia

Large pro-Israel rally planned for Parliament Hill on Monday

Large pro-Israel rally planned for Parliament Hill on Monday
Prominent Jewish groups are set to host a rally on Parliament Hill Monday afternoon in solidarity with Israel. The Centre for Israel and Jewish Affairs says the event is meant to be a show of collective strength in the face of what it calls staggering antisemitism. 

Large pro-Israel rally planned for Parliament Hill on Monday

Canadian confirmed dead in Lebanon

Canadian confirmed dead in Lebanon
A Canadian citizen has been confirmed dead in Lebanon, the eighth since the start of the Israel-Hamas war. In an update Sunday evening, Global Affairs Canada provided no further details but did confirm that 130 more Canadians left Gaza this weekend after the Rafah border crossing reopened to foreign nationals.

Canadian confirmed dead in Lebanon

Avian flu at Chilliwack poultry farm

Avian flu at Chilliwack poultry farm
The Canadian Food Inspection Agency says it has detected the presence of Avian influenza at a Chilliwack commercial poultry operation. It is now the 50th B-C location where the contagious viral infection has been detected at commercial or backyard bird operations since October.

Avian flu at Chilliwack poultry farm