Trudeau Accuses India in Killing of Canadian Sikh Leader

Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau accused “agents of the Indian government” of carrying out an assassination on Hardeep Singh Nijjar, a leader of the Sikh community in Canada. The attack against Niijjar was carried out in British Columbia in June. Trudeau supposedly discussed the Canadian government’s concern about the attack with Indian PM Narendra Modi at the G20 summit early in September. Trudeau’s claims are said to be based on Canadian government intelligence. Trudeau’s claims are likely going to sour relations between India and Canada and cause potential conflict. The Canadian government has already expelled an Indian diplomat and will likely expel more. Many Canadians are of Indian origin, making up 4% of the population, many of which are Sikhs. One of the most prominent Canadian politicians, Jagmeet Singh, the leader of the NDP, is a practicing Sikh. His party is keeping Trudeau’s party in power, which likely prompted Trudeau to act more expeditiously in calling out India’s supposed actions. The Indian government's hostility towards Sikhs stems from years of conflict between Sikhs and the Indian establishment, with a violent Sikh insurgency taking place in the 1980s. Nijjar was known for advocating for creating an independent Sikh nation separate from India, called Khalistan, that would include parts of India’s Punjab state. India had declared him a wanted terrorist and had an interest in stopping him from further advocacy.

Trudeau Accuses India in Killing of Canadian Sikh Leader - The New York Times

By: Ben Pienkos