Nijjar killing: Khalistani activities over the years on Canadian soil

Hardeep Singh Nijjar, a Khalistani leader, was shot on June 18 outside a gurdwara in Surrey

Canada's Prime Minister Justin Trudeau on Monday said that Canada was investigating allegations that the Indian government agents were involved in the murder of a Canadian citizen in Surrey, B.C., earlier this year.

"Any involvement of a foreign government in the killing of a Canadian citizen on Canadian soil is an unacceptable violation of our sovereignty. It is contrary to the fundamental rules by which free, open, and democratic societies conduct themselves," Trudeau said in an emergency session of the parliament.

Hardeep Singh Nijjar, a Khalistani activist, was shot on June 18 outside a gurdwara in Surrey. He was wanted in India for being the "mastermind" of the Khalistani Tiger Force, a designated terror group in India. The Indian government has denied any role in the murder. 

Nijjar's killing has brought public attention to Khalistani activities in Canada. 

What is Khalistan?

Khalistan is a Sikh homeland the separatists want created out of Punjab and surrounding Indian territory. Cities like Brampton and Mississauga, West of Toronto, and Surrey in B.C. — with large Indo-Canadian populations — are hubs of the separatist movement.

The Indian government has banned the Khalistan movement, which views the movement and its affiliates as threatening national security.  But the movement still has some support in countries like Canada and the United Kingdom, which have sizeable Sikh diaspora populations.

Canada has long been seen as a place where Khalistan supporters can live and operate without fear of persecution. Sikhs are the country's fastest-growing religious group, accounting for 2.1 per cent of Canada's population. Canada has the largest population of Sikhs in the world after India.

Here is a brief history of major incidents involving Khalistani separatists in Canada:

Kanishka bombing

On June 23, 1985, a bomb exploded on Air India Flight 182, flying from Montreal to London, with New Delhi being the final destination, killing all 329 people on board, most of whom were Canadians. It was a Boeing 747 plane named "Emperor Kanishka" after the Indian emperor of the Kushan dynasty. The Air India bombing remains the deadliest terrorist attack in Canadian history.

A bomb was placed in a suitcase and checked into cargo during a stopover in Vancouver on Air India Flight 182. When the plane was cruising at 31,000 feet over the Atlantic Ocean in Irish airspace, the bomb exploded, killing all 329 people on board,

About an hour before Flight 182 went down, a bomb exploded inside the terminal building at Tokyo's Narita airport. The bomb was placed in a bag that had been checked onto a Canadian Pacific Airlines flight in Vancouver and was intended to be placed on Air India Flight 301 headed to Bangkok.

Two Japanese baggage handlers were killed in the explosion at Narita airport. Investigations determined that the two bombings were connected, and together, they became known as the "Kanishka case."

Investigations by Canadian and Indian authorities concluded that the Air India bombings were carried out by Khalistani separatists based in Canada in collusion with militants based in Punjab. The investigators said that the bombings were executed by the militant group Babbar Khalsa as revenge for Operation Blue Star, a military operation by the Indian Army to eject militants led by Jarnail Singh Bhindranwale from the Golden Temple in Amritsar in 1984

Unofficial Khalistan referendum in 2022

In 2022, a pro-Khalistan organisation called Sikhs for Justice (SFJ) held a non-binding referendum on Khalistan in Brampton, Ontario, Canada, which has the largest Sikh population in the country. The organisers claimed that over 100,000 people voted in favour of Khalistan.

The Indian government strongly condemned the referendum and asked Canada to curtail any "anti-India activities". Additionally, the Indian government also asked Canadian authorities to designate as terrorists all those individuals who were so designated in India.

Attack on India's consulate in San Fransico

In July last year, India's consulate in San Francisco came under an attack from Khalistan supporters who tried to set the diplomatic facility on fire. Kurt Campbell, the United States National Security Council's coordinator for Indo-Pacific affairs, said, "First of all, let me say that these are deeply regrettable events. We take very seriously the safety and security of diplomats that are living in the United States. We have been in close contact with Indian authorities, with local law enforcement."

Khalistani rally outside Indian consulate in Canada

In July this year, violence broke out at an anti-India rally outside the Indian consulate in Canada's Toronto. About 250 pro-Khalistani protesters gathered across the street from the building housing India's consulate. The protest, backed by the secessionist group Sikhs for Justice or SFJ, had been publicised by circulating the infamous "Kill India" posters online, which targeted India's seniormost envoys in Canada. The pro-Khalistan group was countered by a pro-India group, who faced off against them across the street. Two of the protesters were apprehended by the police.

India-Canada tensions

The rise in diplomatic tensions between the two countries saw Canada postpone a trade mission to India last week, which was scheduled to take place in October. The development came days after Prime Minister Narendra Modi rebuked Trudeau at the G20 summit in Delhi over Khalistani secessionist activities in Canada.