In Winnipeg, Canada, Sukhdool Singh, also known as Sukha Duneke and a prominent Sikh leader advocating for Khalistan, was tragically gunned down. Singh had been sought by the Indian government, as the National Investigation Agency (NIA) had issued warrants for his arrest.
This unfortunate incident occurred shortly after Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau accused India of involvement in the assassination of Sikh leader Hardeep Singh Nijjar, which took place in June of the same year. During a parliamentary session on Monday, Trudeau asserted that Canadian intelligence agencies had uncovered a “credible” connection between Nijjar’s death and the Indian government.
The Prime Minister disclosed that he had discussed Nijjar’s assassination with Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi during the recent G20 summit in New Delhi. Trudeau emphasized that any foreign government’s participation in the killing of a Canadian citizen on Canadian soil constituted an unacceptable infringement on their sovereignty. He underscored that such actions contradicted the fundamental principles upheld by free, open, and democratic societies.
On the same day, Canadian Foreign Minister Melanie Joly announced the expulsion of an Indian diplomat named Pavan Kumar Rai in connection with the case.
Hardeep Singh Nijjar met a tragic end on June 18 when two masked assailants shot him in his vehicle in a bustling parking lot outside the Guru Nanak Sikh Gurdwara in Surrey, a city in British Columbia. In response, India reciprocated by expelling a Canadian diplomat in a retaliatory move.
Prior to these developments, the Canadian government had issued a travel advisory urging its citizens to exercise a high degree of caution while in India due to the ongoing threat of terrorist attacks across the country.
