4 Indians accused of killing Hardeep Singh Nijjar produced in court, ordered to have no contact with community members

Four Indian nationals accused of killing Khalistan terrorist Hardeep Singh Nijjar were produced in a Canadian court on Tuesday.

While three accused —Karan Brar (22), Kamalpreet Singh (22), and Karanpreet Singh (28)— were produced physically in a court in British Columbia’s Surrey, the fourth accused Amandeep Singh, 22, was produced via video conference, according to The Canadian Press news agency.

Amandeep is being held in Ontario on weapons charges unrelated to the Nijjar’s case.

Nijjar was shot dead in June 2023 outside a Sikh gurdwara in June 2023. The Indian government had designated him as a terrorist. The organisation that he headed, Khalistan Tiger Force (KTF), had also been designated as a terrorist organisation. Later, in September, Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau claimed that there were “credible allegations” of Indian government’s role in Nijjar’s killing.

“Over the past number of weeks, Canadian security agencies have been actively pursuing credible allegations of a potential link between agents of the Government of India and the killing of a Canadian citizen, Hardeep Singh Nijjar,” said Trudeau at the time in the Canadian parliament.

India rejected Trudeau’s claim as “absurd” and the episode plunged the India-Canada relationship to its lowest in decades.

Judge orders accused to avoid contact with community members

In the case of Nijjar’s death, the judge ordered the four accused to have no contact with several people in the community, as per The Canadian Press.

Richard Fowler, the lawyer for accused Karan Brar, told the Vancouver Sun that such an order was completely understandable.

“It’s completely understandable given the context why there is an enormous amount of community interest in this case. That level of community interest makes me…to ensure that those charged with these offences have a fair trial,” said Fowler.

“I have no doubt the members of East Indian community, broader Canadian community, and the international community are equally interested in ensuring that there was a fair trial, that justice is done,” said Fowler.

As the case was being heard, hundreds of local Sikhs carrying Khalistan flags and posters showed up at the court, according to the report.

Canada has been a hub of the Khalistan movement, which seeks to carve out a separate homeland for Sikhs out of India called Khalistan. The movement waged a bloody insurgency in India, primarily in Punjab, for decades and only ebbed in the 1990s. While it ebbed in India, the movement made countries like the United Kingdom and Canada its hubs. The Canadian government’s inaction over the Khalistan movement breeding on its soil has been a constant irritant in India-Canada relationship.