Three charged over killing of Sikh separatist leader in Canada – in incident which sparked diplomatic spat with India | World News

Three suspects have been charged by Canadian police over the killing of a Sikh separatist leader in Vancouver last June, in an incident that sparked a diplomatic spat between Ottawa and New Delhi.

Three suspects have been arrested and charged over the killing of 45-year-old Hardeep Singh Nijjar by masked gunmen in Surrey, outside Vancouver.

Royal Canadian Mounted Police assistant commissioner David Teboul said police could not comment on the nature of the evidence or the motive.

“This matter is very much under active investigation,” Teboul said.

Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau sparked a diplomatic feud with India when he said in September that there were “credible allegations” of Indian involvement in the killing.

India angrily denied involvement.

The three suspects – Kamalpreet Singh, Karan Brar and Karampreet Singh – were arrested in Edmonton, Alberta, the Royal Canadian Mounted Police said.

Superintendent Mandeep Mooker said: “This investigation does not end here. We are aware that others may have played a role in this homicide and we remain dedicated to finding and arresting each one of these individuals.”

Mr Nijjar, an Indian-born citizen of Canada, was a leader in what remains of the Khalistan movement – a once-strong group calling for the creation of an independent Sikh homeland. He had denied allegations of ties to terrorism.

The Khalistan movement has lost much of its power but is still supported by some in the Punjab state in northwestern India and in the Sikh diaspora overseas.

A violent, decade-long Sikh insurgency shook north India in the 1970s and 1980s and was ultimately crushed in a government crackdown which saw thousands of people, including prominent Sikh leaders, killed.

In more recent years, the Indian government has repeatedly warned that Sikh separatists were trying to make a comeback.

Canadian PM Trudeau sparked a row that saw one of his country’s diplomats expelled from India when he claimed there were “credible allegations” Narendra Modi’s government was behind Mr Nijjar’s death.

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