India-Canada row: Hardeep Nijjar supporters want Indian consulates closed

India-Canada row: Representatives of a gurdwara in British Columbia and a Sikh separatist group linked to Hardeep Nijjar raised their demands after India and Canada expelled each other's top diplomats

Supporters of slain Sikh separatist Hardeep Singh Nijjar are demanding the closure of Indian consulates in Vancouver and Toronto, claiming that their communities will continue to feel threatened otherwise, according to local media outlet CBC News.

Representatives of a gurdwara in British Columbia and the Sikh separatist group Nijjar was involved with raised these demands after India and Canada expelled each other’s top diplomats over the ongoing controversy linked to the probe into Nijjar’s killing. Nijjar, who served as president of the Guru Nanak Sikh Gurdwara in Surrey, British Columbia, and was chief of the Khalistan Tiger Force (KTF), was shot dead outside the Surrey gurdwara in June 2023. His killing has led to plummeting diplomatic ties between India and Canada over the past year.

Jatinder Singh Grewal, a member of Sikhs for Justice, stated that Canada had previously expelled an Indian diplomat in September last year, following which the Royal Canadian Mounted Police (RCMP) indicated an increased threat to Sikhs in Canada. Sikhs for Justice is a banned separatist group led by wanted terrorist Gurpatwant Singh Pannun.

India expels Canadian diplomats

On Monday, India recalled its six diplomats from Canada, including High Commissioner Sanjay Verma, after Canada labelled them as “persons of interest” in the murder probe. In response to what it termed as the “baseless” targeting of Indian officials, New Delhi also expelled top Canadian diplomats, including Stewart Wheeler.

Following this, Canada also expelled Verma and others. Prime Minister Justin Trudeau stated that it was necessary to “disrupt the chain of operations that go from Indian diplomats here in Canada to criminal organisations.” India condemned Trudeau’s actions, describing them as “preposterous imputations” and part of the political agenda of his government.

The RCMP claimed on Monday that it has compelling evidence of Indian diplomats targeting pro-Khalistan supporters in Canada using organised crime links. The RCMP also alleged that Punjab-based jailed gangster Lawrence Bishnoi’s gang was involved and asserted that India was refusing to cooperate in the probe.

India’s foreign ministry dismissed the charges, stating that Canada has not shared a “shred of evidence” and condemned Trudeau’s long-standing hostility towards New Delhi.