Representative image of late Sikh leader Hardeep Singh Nijjar,
Credit: Reuters File Photo
Hardeep Singh Nijjar, whose June assassination has sparked a diplomatic dispute between India and Canada, departed India in February 1997 under the alias 'Ravi Sharma,' using a counterfeit passport as per a report by The Tribune.
Upon arriving in Canada in 1997, Nijjar applied for asylum, claiming himself to be a victim of police harassment in India. His subsequent marriage to a Canadian woman granted Nijjar Canadian citizenship along with a passport.
In April 2018, Nijjar was briefly detained but released without charges in Canada. Just a few months later, in January 2019, he was elected unopposed as the leader of Surrey's Guru Nanak Sikh Gurdwara, one of Canada's largest Sikh organizations.
This period coincided with Canada's 2018 Annual Report on the Threat of Terrorism, which for the first time mentioned 'Khalistani extremism' as a risk factor. The inclusion of this term led to protests, prompting Prime Minister Trudeau to pledge to address and remove the reference to 'Khalistan' from the report while promising to engage with concerned communities.
With regard to the present row, Indian sources have highlighted that Canada has not provided direct evidence of Indian authorities involvement in Nijjar's murder. They also point to the recent murder of Canadian citizen Ripudaman Singh Malik, who had been acquitted of charges related to the 1985 Kanishka plane bombing, as part of the broader context, according a report by the The Tribune.
Nijjar in 2013-2014 traveled to Pakistan, where he met with Jagtar Singh Tara of Babbar Khalsa International, who was accused of assassinating former Punjab Chief Minister Beant Singh. According to The Tribune, Pakistan's ISI allegedly recruited Nijjar and assisted him in organizing training camps for extremist groups affiliated with the Khalistan movement.
Nijjar was actively involved with the Sikhs for Justice movement, led by Gurpatwant Singh Pannu. In July 2020, Nijjar was designated as an "individual terrorist" under the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act.
Prior to this, in response to a request from Punjab Police, Interpol had issued a red corner notice against him in 2016. Additionally, the National Investigation Agency (NIA) announced a reward of Rs 10 lakh for information leading to his capture in July of the previous year.