Amandeep Singh, one of the alleged hitmen accused of killing B.C. Sikh temple leader Hardeep Singh Nijjar, was arrested in Surrey, B.C., shortly before the attack on Nijjar. Singh was charged with fleeing police and dangerous driving, and signed an undertaking agreeing to appear for court appearances and not possess firearms. Twelve days later, he allegedly opened fire on Nijjar in the parking lot of Surrey’s Guru Nanak Sikh Temple, in an incident believed by some to be a political assassination. The RCMP is investigating possible involvement of the Indian government, which had long been critical of Nijjar for his role in the Khalistan movement seeking independence for Punjab.
Singh, along with three other individuals accused of involvement in Nijjar’s killing, are Indian nationals in their 20s who came to Canada on temporary visas. Singh had initially come to Surrey to study, but eventually began working night shifts at a warehouse. He displayed questionable behaviors such as getting a gun tattoo, driving a muscle car, and wearing expensive sneakers without an apparent source of income. Singh was previously charged for fleeing police and dangerous driving in March 2023, but was released on an undertaking to appear in court in June. At the time of the killing, Singh was living in a basement suite in Surrey, only a short drive away from where Nijjar was shot.
Singh eventually moved to Ontario, where he was staying at a residence with a friend until his arrest on Nov. 3, 2023. He was charged with multiple counts including possession of a firearm and failure to comply with an undertaking not to possess weapons. Singh required a Punjabi interpreter during his court appearances. Despite these charges, India has denied any involvement in the conspiracy and instead blamed gangs for the crime. Moninder Singh, a close friend of Nijjar, expressed relief at the arrest but emphasized the need to focus on India as the primary culprit in this political assassination.
Following Nijjar’s killing, a similar plot against his associate, Gurpatwant Singh Pannun, was allegedly disrupted in the U.S. The plot was said to be orchestrated by India’s Research and Analysis Wing (RAW), with involvement from Indian intelligence officers based in New Delhi. Nijjar and Pannun were organizing a referendum on Khalistan at the time they were targeted. Pannun called for further investigations into the role of Indian diplomats, consular representatives, and RAW agents in Ottawa and Vancouver. He also highlighted the recent wave of terror against pro-Khalistan activists in India, indicating a troubling escalation in response to these developments.
India has been accused of launching a crackdown on pro-Khalistan activists in the aftermath of the RCMP arrests linked to Nijjar’s killing. The Punjab Police reported the arrest of men identified as Sikhs for Justice operatives, accusing them of writing pro-Khalistan slogans at public places. Director general of the police force, Gaurav Yadav, described this as a major breakthrough and linked the arrested individuals to the mastermind Pannun. Pannun, however, maintained that the primary orchestrators of the plot were yet to be brought to justice and urged Canada to conduct a thorough investigation into these matters.
