Hardeep Singh Nijjar: How arrests will impact Canada-India tensions

We begin with the murder case that’s put tremendous pressure on Canada’s diplomatic relationship with India. In a highly unusual move, last fall the Prime Minister blamed agents at the Indian state for the murder of a Canadian. And tonight, three men, all Indian nationals, are in custody. We’ve got the story covered for you from multiple angles. Tonight, we’re going to begin with Jeff Semple, who’s in Surrey, BC. Jeff What do we know about the links to the Indian government? Afar Hardik Major was shot and killed in the parking lot of his Sikh temple here behind me, and sources close to the investigation say they believe India’s foreign intelligence agency may have been responsible. It’s the news Hardeep Niger’s friends and family have been waiting a year to hear. So I think there’s a a mixed feeling, one of relief, but also one of concern as to what will Canada do to kind of curb this issue of public safety that we’re facing. Niger was president of one of Canada’s largest Sikh temples with 10s of thousands of members. The murder sent shock waves across this community and triggered an international firestorm. Today I’m rising to inform the House of an extremely serious matter. The Prime Minister accused Indian government agents of Niger’s murder, but Justin Trudeau provided no details or evidence to support that claim, which India furiously denied. Today, the RCMP backed up that allegation. Thank you all for joining us. Today, police arrested three Indian nationals in Edmonton accused in the murder and released these photos and videos of their vehicles. Sources say the alleged hitman entered Canada on student visas but are actually suspected members of organized crime, and sources believe they may have been acting on orders from India’s foreign intelligence agency, which reports directly to India’s Prime Minister. There are separate and distinct investigations ongoing into these matters, certainly not limited to the involvement of the people arrested today. And these efforts include investigating connections to the Government of India. Under the Modi government, India has just become much more assertive and aggressive. Nidger was a high profile member of the International Kalistan movement, campaigning for an independent 6 state in India’s Punjab region. From the Indian government’s perspective, they have sort of viewed now what we would call activists as extremists as threats to their national security. For years, the Indian government had called for Niger’s arrest, claiming he was the leader of an armed separatist group launching attacks in India, including this one targeting a cinema. But sources say Indian officials provided no credible evidence to support those claims. Sources say the evidence points instead to a covert campaign by Indian officials to silence prominent Sikh separatists abroad. They think they can get away with it simply because history has proven that perpetrators and states are really held accountable for acts of transnational repression. This international law expert points to the United States, where a similar alleged assassination plot against this Sikh activist was thwarted last year. These threats are continuous. India reportedly blamed rogue intelligence officials and unlike Trudeau, the US downplayed the Indian government’s involvement. Considering the growing importance of India and Modi is being received in the West, you know, with open arms and the red carpet is being rolled out, she says. Indian officials may have sought to insulate themselves by hiring contract killers, but not without risk. They need to reach out to some unsavory characters. And then there’s the security of the operation isn’t very good because it could already be compromised by Western intelligence. Or who knows? You get someone who’s indiscreet. But even if the RCMP has evidence of Indian government involvement, its consular officials are protected by diplomatic immunity. The uncomfortable truth is that a foreign diplomat who might have participated in a serious crime cannot be charged. They cannot be detained or arrested. Publicly, the RCMP refused to comment on India’s role in Niger’s killing, but said Indian officials haven’t exactly been helpful. Well, I’ll be frank. I’ll correct characterize that collaboration as rather challenging and difficult for the last several years. And representatives from Surrey’s Sikh community held a press conference here late today. And they called the arrests an important first step, but said that they will not rest or feel safe here until those responsible for orchestrating this attack, in their view, representatives of the Indian government are finally brought to justice.