Published 10:26 IST, September 22nd 2023
Was Canada orchestrating Khalistani activism through Hardeep Nijjar? His son reveals
The reported disclosure by Nijjar’s son is raising speculations on whether the Sikh separatist was acting as a Canadian intelligence asset.
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Amid Canadian authorities' claims regarding the involvement of Indian government’s agents in the killing of Hardeep Singh Nijjar, the son of the Khalistani separatist in a big revelation said that his father used to regularly meet Canadian intelligence officers in the months before he was shot dead in British Columbia last June. The reported disclosure by Nijjar’s son is raising speculations if the Sikh separatist was acting as a Canadian intelligence asset.
Balraj Singh Nijjar, 21, said his father had been meeting with Canadian Security Intelligence Service officers "once or twice a week," including one or two days before he was murdered on June 18, with another meeting scheduled for two days after his death.
The acknowledgement of Balraj Nijjar regarding his father’s meeting with the Canadian intelligence officers is raising an important question: Was Canada orchestrating Khalistani activism through Hardeep Singh Nijjar?
Meanwhile, sources in privy to the development informed Republic that Khalistani terrorist Hardeep Singh Nijjar was in touch with Canadian Intelligence Agency before he was shot dead. In addition to this, Nijjar, who was involved in anti-India activities, was also regularly briefed and assisted by Canadian authorities.
Nijjar advised to ‘stay at home’
According to a local media in Canada, the Canadian intelligence officers informed Nijjar about the threats to his life and therefore was advised to "stay at home”. Informing the Canada-based news network, Balraj said that his father received hundreds of threatening messages telling him to stop his advocacy for Sikh independence over the recent years.
Nijjar’s son further informed that he even accompanied his father in one of his meetings with the Royal Canadian Mounted Police (RCMP) last year, where he came to know about the threat to his father’s life.
Diplomatic row over Nijjar’s death
Hardeep Singh Nijjar was a vocal supporter of the Khalistan movement, who advocated for a separate Sikh homeland in India's Punjab region. He was shot dead by two masked men in the parking lot of Surrey's Guru Nanak Sikh Gurdwara, where he was serving as the president.
The diplomatic row escalated after Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau in the country’s Parliament alleged the involvement of the Indian government in the killing of Khalistani leader Hardeep Singh Nijjar. However, India rejected the charge as “absurd and motivated”.
10:25 IST, September 22nd 2023