Call for police, feds to protect places of worship in Brampton following killing of Canadian Sikh activist

Allegations that India was involved in the killing of a Sikh activist in B.C. with ties to Brampton has city council calling on police and Ottawa to ensure places of worship are kept safe.

Prime Minister Justin Trudeau said Monday (Sept. 18) that there are “credible allegations” that agents of the Indian state were linked to the killing of a Canadian citizen Hardeep Singh Nijjar.

Nijjar was gunned down on June 18 outside a Sikh cultural centre in Surrey, British Columbia. A prominent member of a movement to create an independent Sikh homeland known as Khalistan, Nijjar was reportedly involved in promoting the Khalistan referendum in Brampton last September.

Coun. Gurpartap Singh Toor said the prime minister’s statement wasn’t a surprise to the Sikh community, but rather “brings validation to the decades of Canadian voices that have always spoken about the presence of foreign interference and intelligence reporting by the government of India.”

“Hardeep Singh Nijjar was the president of the largest gurdwara in Canada, and he was murdered at the same gurdwara – a place of worship,” Toor said. “His murder was a direct attack on Sikhs and an attack on Canada’s values of providing a safe and welcome space to those minority communities who have endured unjust persecution around the world.”

“Know that we are unafraid to speak the truth,” he added, pointing his comments to the Sikh community. “Every effort to undermine and suppress our voices only furthers our resolve to seek justice. We are not afraid, and we live here.”

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Brampton is home to one of the largest populations of Sikhs outside of India, including those who came to Canada seeking political asylum. City Council unanimously threw its support behind a letter to the Minister of Public Safety requesting an investigation into any potential foreign interference in the killing of Nijjar.

Council went a step further on Wednesday, unanimously voting in favour of a motion calling on police and law enforcement agencies to ensure Canadians are safe at places of worship.

“This is a time for Canadians to stick together and protect our integrity,” Toor said, adding residents should “pay close attention to and be aware of foreign interference in our country and our politics.”

For years, India has said Nijjar, a Canadian citizen born in India, has links to terrorism, an allegation he denied.

Canada has yet to provide any evidence of Indian involvement in the assassination of Nijjar, and on Wednesday India advised its citizens to be careful when travelling to Canada as a rift between the two nations widens further.

The foreign ministry in New Delhi issued an updated travel advisory, urging its nationals and especially those studying in the North American country to be cautious because of “growing anti-India activities and politically condoned hate-crimes.”

Trudeau’s announcement was followed by Canada expelling an Indian diplomat in Ottawa. New Delhi responded by rejecting Trudeau’s accusation as “absurd and motivated” and later expelling a Canadian diplomat.

Mayor Patrick Brown called Trudeau’s statement “shocking” and “unprecedented,” and validated concerns he’s heard from members of Brampton’s Sikh community “wondering if they’re on a list.”

Brown said he wants to see police and all orders of government ensure “every precaution be taken to make sure Sikh residents feel safe.”

Concerns around safety at places of worship in Brampton is not unique to the Sikh community, with priests at a temple which has been defaced multiple times calling on Trudeau to take action against what they call “anti-India” and “anti-Hindu” activities.

Tensions with India also rose following a video of a parade in Brampton that included a float that portrayed the 1984 assassination of prime minister Indira Gandhi by her two Sikh bodyguards.

In June, Trudeau’s national security adviser Jody Thomas said India was among the top sources of foreign interference in Canada, a public designation Ottawa has largely limited to authoritarian states.