Front Burner - What's behind the murder of a Sikh leader in B.C.?

Episode Date: June 27, 2023

Hardeep Singh Nijjar, a Gurduwara leader and Khalistani separatist advocate, was gunned down in his car just outside his temple last week after evening prayers. Now, as investigators search for two suspects and a possible motive, some in the Sikh community are saying they think the Indian government could have been behind it. The killing comes after similar murders of Sikh leaders over the past year in Canada and abroad. Independent journalist Gurpreet Singh joins us to talk about who Nijjar was, why he was afraid for his life and how this incident could impact the separatist movement and the greater Sikh community. For transcripts of this series, please visit: https://www.cbc.ca/radio/frontburner/transcripts

In the Dragon's Den, a simple pitch can lead to a life-changing connection. Watch new episodes of Dragon's Den free on CBC Gem. Brought to you in part by National Angel Capital Organization, empowering Canada's entrepreneurs through angel investment and industry connections. This is a CBC Podcast. Hi, I'm Saroja Coelho. This is the sound of a funeral procession in Surrey, B.C. Thousands of people have gathered in the streets to pay tribute. There is a persistent rumor in the crowd that the man lying dead inside this wooden coffin

wasn't killed by the two suspects the police are now looking for. At least, not really. The real murderer in this case might be the Indian government. Hundreds of people packed the temple in Surrey to air their safety concerns following Sunday's deadly shooting. And we asked that anybody who was in the area who was dash cam video, please check that as soon as possible. We love the Jamo Fover community.

Everybody is feeling this loss and this attack very, very personally. Just over a week ago, on a Sunday night, Hardeep Singh Najjar was leaving the Guru Nanak Sikh Gurdwara in Surrey, British Columbia. That is a place of worship. He was the president there. It was 8.30 p.m. at night, and he was in a parking lot that was busy with other worshipers who had just attended evening prayers. Najjar got into his gray truck. He got ready to leave.

And this is when police say that two heavyset men with face coverings had been waiting for Najjar for at least an hour and approached. They fired multiple bullets into Najjar and he died on the scene. The suspects fled and it's likely that they ran to a getaway car that was parked just a few blocks away. Police say that no one has been arrested and that they don't have a motive. But supporters of Najjar say that for weeks he had been warning that there was a target on his back. This assassination needs to be investigated thoroughly. It's not just the people who pressed the trigger,

it's the ones who ordered it. So we have, once again, strong suspicions that this is foreign interference in Canada. strong suspicions that this is foreign interference in Canada. Hardeep Singh Najjar was a longtime activist for a separatist state for six in the Punjab region of India. That state would be called Khalistan. India considered Hardeep a terrorist. They accused him of involvement in the murder of a Hindu priest and had asked Canada to extradite him. But his supporters disagree. They say Nijar was simply practicing freedom of speech in his newfound home in Canada.

We've lived in this country for a century now. There needs to be action taken to protect the Canadian Sikh community. We don't want to see any more Hardeep Singh Nijar situations. Gurpreet Singh is an independent journalist based in Surrey, B.C. His books include Terrorism, Punjab's Recurring Nightmare, and Fighting Hatred with Love, Voices of the Air India Victims' Families. He knew Hardeep Singh Nijar well and spoke with him recently about the threat that Nijar believed he was facing.

was facing. Hi, Gurpreet. Hi, how are you doing? I'm well. I'm interested in this story. I want to begin with who Hardeep Singh Nijjar was. Hardeep Singh Nijjar was the president of Sari Delta Gurdwara. And he was also associated with Six Four Justice, which have been campaigning for a referendum for Khalistan. And how did you meet him? I first met him in 2016, I guess, when the Indian media reported that he's running a terrorist training camp in Mission. So I interviewed, I couldn't interview him because he wasn't available to do that. So it was Gurpatwan Singh Pannu and Chitender Singh Garewal, his lawyers who spoke on his behalf. But I had a meeting with him at one of these vigils that was held shortly afterwards.

So since then, we started seeing each other a number of times at different public events. And I had an access which really helped me in interviewing a number of times at different public events. And I had an access which really helped me in interviewing a number of times. So that's how the conversation began. It goes back to the time when he was branded as a dangerous terrorist and he was accused of running a training camp in Mission. You've been following this story also, including the funeral that just happened. Thousands of people gathered to mourn his death and also to protest. What do you understand at this point about what happened on the Sunday night at the Gurdwara? It was a very scary event. I mean, there were a lot of people around when this violence happened. was anticipating this. He has been publicly saying that, you know what, anything can happen to me.

I'm on the hit list of the Indian government and I've been cautioned by the Canadian authorities to remain vigilant. So this incident happened against the backdrop of what he has been saying publicly. So when this incident happened, everybody was shocked. Everybody was outraged. The incident happened, everybody was shocked, everybody was outraged and they came out in big number to mourn his death. The brazen act of violence has shocked Suri's Sikh community. People outside the temple were reluctant to comment, citing both concerns for personal safety and for family in India. Everyone is feeling so sad here because he was so good guy. A huge loss for, I want to to say for the Canadian Sikhs.

And since then we have seen another protest taking place outside the Indian Consulate in Vancouver. More than 200 people joined. So yesterday was no different. Yesterday at the viewing ceremony and the funeral ceremony, thousands of people came and they were raising slogans for Khalistan, describing Niger as a martyr, asking for some answers, accusing the Indian government for being involved.

You're describing the movement for Khalistan there. And I just want to open that up for people. This is a separatist movement with supporters here in Canada that seeks a separate state in Punjab for six. Maybe you could tellatist movement with supporters here in Canada that seeks a separate state in Punjab for Sikhs. Maybe you could tell us a little bit more about that. Yeah, so basically a section within the Sikh community is asking for a separate homeland of Khalistan. This movement has been there since 1980s. Although when Operation Blue Star happened in 1984, the Golden Temple was stormed by the

Indian troops. Before that, this demand was coming from a fringe section of the community, and not many people used to pay attention. And of the people who got really involved with that movement included Hardeep Singh Nijjar. Why was it so important to him? Because there are Sikhs who feel that we are alienated because of Operation Blue Star and the police successes. And the only thing we need is an independence. So that was a feeling within the section of a Sikh community. As I mentioned earlier, not all the Sikhs on the same page. But there are Sikhs who believed that, you know what, the only thing we need is an independence.

We need to be free. We need to be free. We need to be sovereign. So that's why they were inclined to ask for Khalistan. And Hardeep became a very important part of that movement. How was he engaged and what did he want? Hardeep Singh Nijer, as far as I know, he was part of Six for Justice, which is a group active in US and Canada.

And it was recently banned by the Indian government. So, Hardeep Singh Nijer was inclined to have Khalistan through referendum. He has been insisting that we don't believe in violence. What we want is the Khalistan through peaceful means. So, that's why he was insisting on referendum. But meanwhile, the movement for a Khalistan state has waned in India. So the Indian government says that it is most active, and you're describing this as well, among diaspora communities around the world, especially in Canada, UK, and in the United States. And I'm wondering just how big and how committed that movement for Khalistan is here in

Canada. You see, it's not that strong even in Canada. I mean, it's a perception. It's only a perception because at this end of the day, any movement, even abroad, can only survive if there is enough support on the ground. The ground realities in Punjab are totally different. We have seen over the years that Congress Party, which was primarily involved for what happened in 1984 It has been repeatedly elected by the people of Punjab So in a way people of Punjab have really moved on But this small section of the Khalistan supporters they continue to campaign for their movement and for their cause

39th anniversary of Operation Blue Star and the demand of Khalistan is still alive. A large number of people have gathered here having the placards in their hands with the demand of Khalistan. In Canada, they get little bit of freedom as against India because Indian state is very selective. I will be very blunt on this.

For instance, right now, we have a right-wing Hindu nationalist government in New Delhi and whose supporters are openly saying that we are going to transform India into a Hindu theocracy. But nobody is going after them. When it comes to the Muslims or the Sikhs, all the minorities, they are being persecuted. So that's why this sense of alienation is there. And when people in Canada, US and UK, they feel they can easily articulate themselves.

So it becomes very obvious that they will work more aggressively. But with the Indian government, what they're trying to do is, they're trying to create the process of othering this minority group, to polarize the Hindu majority, and to create a false fear or false realm of the Khalistan movement, which has died a long time back. It's interesting that you would say it was dying, it was died a long time ago, because it sounds to me like the Indian government is still taking this very seriously. From what I'm reading, the Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi is cracking down on the Khalistani movement,

that the entire thing has the potential for being quite violent. And yet what you're describing is a relatively fringe movement that isn't much of a threat. So why doesn't India simply tolerate it? Well, India has always been an intolerant state when it comes to the movement of Khalistan or even sovereign Kashmir. That's always been the case. That is the huge problem. I mean, the Indian government right now continues to say that we have a big threat from Khalistan. But the real threat is from within, from the Hindu nationalist forces,

which are now occupying the political main stage in New Delhi. But nobody is going to point that out. So they are trying to other the Sikh community and try to polarize the Hindu majority to sustain power that's why we are hearing this kind of narrative which is not not based on any kind of reality I have been in Punjab I have worked as a journalist in Punjab and I can tell you from my own experience that Khalistan movement has long died it it's not there anymore and even here within Canada it's not as strong as it is being seen or being perceived by the mainstream media, whether in India or in Canada.

I want to make sure that I'm really understanding you, Gopreet. What you're saying is that while the movement has died out, it is politically advantageous for the government to create this narrative of fear around it to assemble people behind a right-wing agenda? Absolutely. That's what their intentions are. I mean, I'll give you one example. In Punjab, people have moved on. And in Punjab, any kind of leadership is aware that if we really have a referendum on Khalistan, it's going to be rejected.

Despite that, they continue to come after these youngsters who are what we say blasting posters for referendum in different cities and they are being arrested 6-4 justice has been banned because they want to convey to the Hindu majority that you are safe these are some people who are creating trouble In the Dragon's Den, a simple pitch can lead to a life-changing connection. Watch new episodes of Dragon's Den free on CBC Gem. Brought to you in part by National Angel Capital Organization, empowering Canada's entrepreneurs through angel investment and industry connections.

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podcast, Money for Couples, I help you and your partner create a financial vision together. To listen to this podcast, just search for Money for Cops. to murder a Hindu priest. Earlier, some years ago, India also accused him of running a terrorist training camp in Mission, British Columbia. Was he involved in acts of violence or sending money to support acts of violence? Well, let's face it. Hadeep Singh Lijar was never convicted by any court of law for these kind of activities or because of these allegations.

He has been saying consistently that I'm not involved in any kind of warrant activity. There has been no charges against him in Canada. And in India, he has never been convicted. So basically, these are all claims and counterclaims. I mean, on what basis we can just believe what the Indian government is saying, unless those charges have been proven in the court. You had a conversation with Hardeep

Singh Najjar just a few weeks ago, and he was at that time very worried. Can you take me through that conversation? Yeah, the context was there was a murder of Paramji Singh Panjwar that happened in Pakistan recently. Paramji Singh Panjwar was a very senior Khalistani leader. So he was assassinated, and Hardeep Singhijer and his group, they made a statement. They not only denounced the murder, they also claimed that this is the handiwork of the Indian intelligence. Probably Panjwad has been killed by hired hitmen who were given money by the Indian intelligence. And they also apprehended this can happen in Canada. Indian intelligence.

And they also apprehended this can happen in Canada. So it was in that context that I had Hardeep Singh Nijjar on air to talk about it because they were going to organize an event for Paramjit Singh Panjwari at the Saraswati Temple, which happened a few days later. So in that interview, he said that I am getting a lot of threats through the, I've been told by the Canadian intelligence that I should be very, very vigilant. It's a very frightening scenario that you're describing to be targeted like that. We've been looking into the official response to some of what you're describing, and we have yet to confirm this, but Nijar's lawyer says that he also had a phone call with

Nijar along the lines that you're describing, and that CSIS had also called Nijar to warn him that he was at risk. I'm going to take you back in time to a similar case that's connected here, and you've sort of been looking at some of these international links. Almost a year ago in July, another prominent Sikh leader, separatist leader, Rupudaman Singh Malik, was gunned down in a very similar attack. He was sitting in his vehicle. He was outside his business in Surrey. Who was he? Malik was a very controversial figure. He was a Sikh millionaire. He was the, you can say, founder of the Satnam Education Society, which runs Khalsa School. Then he was also instrumental behind Khalsa Credit Union. He was a successful businessman and he did something good for the community. That's why he had a tremendous respect. But at the same time, he was also

involved in the Air India conspiracy. Air India Flight 182 was en route from Vancouver to London and India on June 23, 1985. It exploded in the skies over Ireland. in the skies over Ireland. The suspects seek extremists hoping for an independent homeland in India. He was described as the financier. Although he was acquitted by the court of law due to lack of evidence, he claimed his innocence.

I want to just make sure that everybody's on the same page here because when you talk about what happened with Air India, this is the attack that happened in June 1985. 329 passengers and crew, most of them Canadian, killed when a bomb went off on the flight. So this continues to have incredible repercussions here in Canada. If we go back to the story of Rupuraman Singh Malik, he was acquitted of murder and conspiracy charges in 2005. And Vancouver Sun crime reporter Kim Boland spoke to people who knew him and said he had many enemies for a variety of reasons. As you were describing, he was very embattled character. What were his views on Khalistan and how had they changed in

the months leading up to his death? The interesting part is that he never supported Khalistan. He never ever endorsed Khalistan openly or publicly. All he used to say was, you know what, I am a practicing Sikh. I love my community. I will always stand up for everyone. I interviewed Malik once he was acquitted and I asked him a very pointed question that how come you gave money to Tarvinder Singh Parmar who was the leader of Babarkhalsa the banned terror organization how do you defend that and you know what his answer was he said when I gave money to Parmar and Babarkhalsa Babarkhalsa wasn't banned at all I was doing community service and I was happy to give money to anyone. That was his answer. So he was very clever that way. He knew how to save his skin and how to keep a balance, how to remain on the middle of the road.

And that's why I personally feel that it was easy for him to shift his gears. Two men were eventually charged in Malik's death. There were people who pointed out that this murder looked a lot like a gangland murder in Metro Vancouver, masked shooters escaping in a getaway car. The car is then found stashed and burnt. So at this point, we've got two murders on our hands. They look a little bit similar to each other, both in British Columbia, both of prominent Sikh leaders, both connected to the Khalistani movement. So there are a lot of commentators who are trying to connect these two things.

However, the police have not done that. Police are saying that they cannot find a motive in these killings, or at least, at the very least, in the killing for Harib Singh Najjar. So why do you think these two people were killed? And as an observer to this, are you seeing a connection?

You see, I just don't want to confine my conversation to these two murders. I just want to go back a little bit. Let's start talking about the Air India. 329 people were killed. What happened to that case? What happened to that case? We only have one conviction in Darjeet Singh Riyadh and that also for manslaughter. In Malik's case, luckily, we do have two suspects. But Nijar's case just happened, so we have to wait. But the broader issue is that for until now, people from the South Asian community are getting killed just like that, including the Air India passengers. And what are our police doing? We are still grappling with these questions.

We are still unable to figure out what could be the real motives. So we still are dealing with these mysteries, which leads us nowhere. Gurdip, as a journalist, I'm going to turn to you and just ask you to take that step back and give us a bird's eye view here because it's a very complicated story that you're describing. We have a separatist movement on the other side of the world connected to groups in Toronto,

groups in Vancouver. And you're saying that that movement has faded in many ways. At the same time, we have the legacy of Air India. And that also has led to many complicated grudges and bad feelings, a lack of justice that you're describing. So as you take a step back and look at this shooting that happens in a parking lot in Vancouver, what is the connection here? What are we actually seeing? Because what you're describing to me sounds like it could be the Indian government interfering in Canada. And that is a very serious allegation for us to be making. No, definitely it's a serious allegation.

And I'm not saying that this is the only angle the police should be looking into. And I'm sure police is not just looking into this angle. Police will be looking into all possible angles. That's the job of the police. But this angle should not be brushed aside because Hardeep Singh Nijal has been saying it again and again, out and out, that I am under threat. I'm on the hit list of the Indian intelligence.

So I just want to move back one step away from each of the individual cases and look at the Khalistani movement itself just for one more moment. You talked about how this movement is teetering, that it's fading, that it has a lack of relevance in Punjab right now. But what is the impact of these murders on that movement for an independent Sikh state, both in Canada and in India? Well, if yesterday's gathering was any indication, Hardeep Singh Nijar's death is going to fuel more support for Khalistan. If really the Indian agencies are involved, I mean, I don't know. I don't have the crystal ball. I can only quote

Hardeep Singh Nijar from his interview. Based on that, I would like to ask the police to look into this possibility. I mean, they are doing their professional job. They will be looking into all the possibilities, which is fine. But this possibility cannot be ruled out because he was seeing this coming. He was saying that again and again. So his murder, if at all, it is found that somehow the Indian interest was involved, is going to fuel the support for Khalistan. It's going to create more problems. And you will not be able to stop people from asking for referendum or becoming Hardeep Singh's supporter. In death, he has now

become a martyr. Thank you so much, Gopreet. It's a very complicated case. And in the meantime, your community continuing to mourn and to discuss next steps. Thank you for spending some time with us. Thank you so much for having me. Take care. And that brings us to the end of this edition of FrontBurner. I'm Saroja Coelho. Thanks for listening.