Sikh leader shot dead outside house of worship in Canada
Hardeep Singh Nijjar, a Sikh leader in British Columbia, Canada, was shot dead Sunday night outside the house of worship he led in a Vancouver suburb.
Nijjar, 45, was president of Guru Nanak Gurdwara in Surrey. He was gunned down by two attackers, according to witnesses.
“We honor the death of a brave warrior and declare that many more will rise,” read an Instagram post from BCSikhs. “The BC Sikh community has suffered an immeasurable physical loss tonight at the hands of spineless cowards.”
Nijjar was described as a wanted terrorist by Indian media outlets. Indian authorities claimed he was part of a Sikh independence group.
Indian leaders sought Nijjar’s extradition in 2016, according to CBC News. However, Canada did not comply, and Nijjar continued to live as a free man and a pillar of the Sikh community in western Canada.
“At this early stage of the investigation, any possible motives for the shooting are not yet known,” Surrey police told CBC News. “Police are still working to determine possible suspect descriptions from multiple witnesses who were in the area.”
Canadian intelligence agencies had warned Nijjar days earlier that credible threats against his life had been made, the Vancouver Sun reported. Nijjar was told “there are people in Vancouver who are trying to procure arms or weapons to kill.”
Nijjar never traveled with security, his attorney told the outlet.
“He wasn’t worried about his safety. He was worried about how we would accomplish Khalistan,” said New York-based Gurpatwant Singh Pannun, whose name was also mentioned in the threats.
Khalistan refers to an independent Sikh nation, which would be centered around India’s Punjab state, the only Sikh-majority state in the country.
Indian authorities have designated many Khalistan independence activists as terrorists, including Nijjar and Pannun. An Interpol red notice was previously issued for Nijjar.
“This is garbage — all the allegations. I am living here 20 years right? Look at my record. There is nothing,” Nijjar told the Vancouver Sun in 2016. “I am very, very shocked. My family and me are very shocked.”
