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Following the release of the documents by the Justice Department of British Columbia, Canada, that showed that all four alleged accused in the murder of NIA-designated terrorist Hardeep Singh Nijjar were no longer in custody, Punjab BJP Vice President Fatehjung Singh Bajwa on Thursday criticised Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau's earlier allegations against the Indian government, claiming that his actions have caused significant damage to his international relations.
On Thursday, the documents released by the Justice Department of British Columbia, Canada, showed 'N' against the status of being in custody against the four men--Karan Brar, Amandeep Singh, Kamalpreet Singh and Karanpreet Singh--who were charged with the murder of Nijjar and conspiracy to commit murder by the Canadian police. Notably, ties between India and Canada have been strained after Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau accused agents of the Indian government of killing Nijjar. However, India has dismissed the accusations as "absurd" and "motivated." According to the Punjab BJP Vice President, Trudeau had failed to provide evidence for his claims and suggested that even Canadians are no longer supporting him. "Today, a Canadian court granted bail to all accused in Hardeep Singh Nijjar's murder case. Justin Trudeau levelled a huge allegation against the Indian government... The government said that he should produce evidence if he has any... So, I think Justin Trudeau has paid a huge price by souring his international relations. Justin Trudeau used to stand in support of hardliners; today even Canadians are not standing in his support," Bajwa said. Brar, 22; Karanpreet Singh, 28; and Kamalpreet Singh, 22, were all taken into custody in Edmonton on May 3, 2024. A fourth accused, identified as Amandeep Singh (22), was already in custody of Peel Regional Police in Ontario for unrelated firearms charges and was also arrested for the said crime on May 11, 2024. According to the Integrated Homicide Investigation Team (IHIT) in British Columbia, they are accused of murder and conspiracy. Police personnel however had not given any evidence of any link to India as was being speculated in the Canadian media. At the time of the arrest of the alleged accused, the Ministry of External Affairs reiterated that Canada had not provided any "specific" evidence or relevant information in the Hardeep Singh Nijjar killing case and that no "formal communication" had been provided to India over the arrests of three Indians allegedly involved in the matter. Meanwhile, the former General Secretary of Shiromani Gurdwara Parbandhak Committee (SGPC), Bhagwant Singh Sialka, voiced his concerns over the matter and questioned the court's decision, expressing dissatisfaction over the accused being "no longer in custody" before the trial. Sialka noted that the situation is upsetting, and many Sikhs in Canada do not accept the decision. He pointed out that this poses a threat to the victim's family and witnesses, which may influence the outcome of the case. "It is not understandable how they got bail despite their trial on February 11. Because when they come out, they can threaten the victim's family and also the witness of this case. This may affect the entire process of the case. It is very upsetting, and all the Sikhs in Canada are not accepting it as well," Sialka said. Hardeep Singh Nijjar, who was designated a terrorist by India's National Investigation Agency in 2020, was shot and killed as he came out of a Gurdwara in Surrey in June 2023. The video of his killing that reportedly surfaced in March 2024 showed Nijjar being shot by armed men in what has been described as a "contract killing." (ANI)
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