A demonstrator uses a microphone as others hold flags and signs as they protest outside India's consulate, a week after Canada's Prime Minister Justin Trudeau raised the prospect of New Delhi's involvement in the murder of Sikh separatist leader Hardeep Singh Nijjar, in Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada
Credit: Reuters Photo
The indictment document released by the US on Wednesday has provided new information about assassination of Hardeep Singh Nijjar in British Columbia, raising questions about who knew what and when. Canada's Prime Minister Justin Trudeau previously stated that there were credible allegations of Indian involvement in the murder, which India dismissed as absurd. The recent US indictment adds weight to Trudeau's claims, suggesting a conspiracy to kill multiple individuals.
With the document release, it has now been revealed that the White House was aware of the US investigation into the murder-for-hire plot before Trudeau publicly addressed it after the G20 summit in India. President Joe Biden too raised concerns with Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi during the summit.
It has also been reported that Canadian law enforcement had warned Nijjar about the threat to his life shortly before he was murdered.
Big target in Canada
The US Justice Department has charged Nikhil Gupta with a complex plot to assassinate a dual US-Canadian citizen in New York, allegedly directed by an Indian government employee. However, this particular plot was foiled as the hitman in New York turned out to be an undercover agent.
On 18 June, Nikhil Gupta, an Indian citizen involved in international narcotics and weapons trafficking before being recruited by an Indian government official in May 2023 to orchestrate the assassination of Sikh separatist, watched a video of a Canadian Sikh activist who was killed in his car. Gupta then shared the video with the person he hired as a hitman for murder in the US. The next day, Gupta told the person on the phone that the Canadian activist was a target on a list, the indictment document suggests.
According to the provided information, Gupta discussed a list of targets following the alleged assassination. He referred to these targets as "jobs" and mentioned the possibility of cross-border operations. On June 12th, Gupta informed a US law enforcement source about a significant target in Canada. Six days later, on June 18th, Nijjar was fatally shot outside a Sikh temple in Surrey, British Columbia by two individuals wearing dark clothes.
The Royal Canadian Mounted Police is actively investigating Nijjar's death. The US prosecutors do not accuse any of the alleged plotters of being involved in this crime, but they claim that Gupta and his Indian handler discussed it shortly after. Gupta expressed regret for not personally carrying out the killing and later identified Nijjar as the potential Canadian target he had mentioned earlier.
It appears that Nijjar's murder motivated Gupta, who urged for the prompt execution of Pannun's assassination. Additionally, court documents suggest that after Pannun's murder, Gupta allegedly planned three more "jobs" to be carried out in Canada before the end of June.
Transnational assassination Plot
The US indictment, along with Trudeau's claims, implies the possibility of multiple groups involved in carrying out targeted attacks, with one group managing to avoid detection and successfully accomplish their objective.
"India needs to take Canada's allegations seriously," Trudeau said post the US case.
To this, MEA spokesperson Arindam Bagchi said, "In so far as Canada is concerned, we have said that they have consistently given space to anti-India extremists and that is actually the heart of the issue. Our diplomatic representatives in Canada have borne the brunt of this. So, we expect the Government of Canada to live up to its obligations under the Vienna Convention on Diplomatic Relations. We have also seen interference by Canadian diplomats in our internal affairs and that is unacceptable."
India has also constituted a high-level inquiry committee to probe allegations relating to a conspiracy to kill a Sikh extremist on American soil.