In a major breakthrough in the Hardeep Singh Nijjar murder case, the Canadian police have arrested three people who are members of an alleged hit squad. As per a report by a Canadian media house, the names of those involved are Kamalpreet Singh, Karanpreet Singh and Karan Brar, all Sikh names.
The report also mentioned that the three are members of a group linked with Lawrence Bishnoi and Goldy Brar gangs along with several other gangsters have close links with the proscribed Babbar Khalsa International (BKI) and various other pro-Khalistani outfits.
This points to a possibility that the murder of the pro-Khalistani terrorist was the result of an inter-gang rivalry among Khalistanis and not the work of the Indian government as alleged by the Justin Trudeau government. However, the Canadian media house claimed that they were tasked by the government of India to kill Hardeep Singh Nijjar without citing any evidence for the same.
As per the report by the Canadian media broadcaster, the three persons were arrested on May 3, 2024 in police operations in at least two different provinces. Sources say investigators identified the alleged hit squad members in Canada, some months ago and have been kept under strict surveillance, the report said.
According to the police, the members of the hit squad could be involved in at least three other murder cases including the shooting of an eleven-year-old boy in Edmonton. Kamalpreet Singh, Karanpreet Singh and Karan Brar have been charged with first degree murder and conspiracy charges in the Nijjar murder case as per documents submitted to the court by the police. The police are expected to release as statement later in the day.
The three accused are Indian citizens who went to Canada after 2001 and some of them used student visas. However, neither of them has enrolled in any educational institutions after arriving in Canada and none of them had permanent residences in the country. Hardeep Singh Nijjar the head of the Guru Nanak Sikh Gurudwara Sahib was a wanted Khalistani terrorist was shot dead in Surrey, British Columbia.
On September 18, 2023, the Canadian PM Justin Trudeau blamed India for the murder, causing diplomatic relations between the two countries to nosedive. India categorically rejected the claims and urged the Canadian government to take strict action against anti-India elements operating on Canadian soil. Since then, the Trudeau government has been maintaining that Hardeep Singh Nijjar was killed on the orders of the Indian government without evidence.
