Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau and Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi at the G20 summit in New Delhi, September 9, 2023/Reuters
Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau said Monday that the Indian government may be responsible for the assassination of a Sikh leader on the country's territory. Hardeep Singh Nijjar, who supported the creation of an independent state for the Sikh minority, was shot dead outside a Sikh temple in British Columbia on June 18.
According to Trudeau, Canadian intelligence has identified a well-established link between his death and India. He said he raised the issue with Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi at the G20 summit hosted by New Delhi this month.
"Any involvement of a foreign government in the killing of a Canadian citizen on Canadian soil is an unacceptable violation of our sovereignty," Trudeau said in the House of Commons.
Nijjar was a prominent Sikh leader among the living community in British Columbia, and supporters said he had been the target of threats in the past because of his activism.
India has previously called him a terrorist who led a militant separatist group, but his supporters said the accusations were "unfounded."
- More on the subject:
- Canada
- India
/cloudfront-eu-central-1.images.arcpublishing.com/prisa/2XOYXUHEARDR5K5FYWZTK7SJ7U.jpg)