Canadian police have arrested members of an alleged hit squad investigators believe was tasked by the government of India with killing prominent Sikh separatist Hardeep Singh Nijjar in Surrey, last June.
According to CBC News, the alleged hit squad members are said to have fulfilled various roles, including shooters, drivers, and spotters, during the day of Nijjar's murder at the Guru Nanak Sikh Gurdwara in Surrey.
The arrests were made during coordinated police operations in multiple provinces, with authorities having identified the alleged hit squad members several months ago and closely monitoring them since.
Kamalpreet Singh, Karanpreet Singh, and Karan Brar have been charged with first-degree murder and conspiracy in connection to Nijjar's case, as per documents filed in a Surrey court.
While, further details of the investigation are expected to be shared by the police in due course.
A few months later, Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau said the country’s security agencies were investigating “credible allegations of a potential link” between Indian government agents and Nijjar’s killing.
Meanwhile, his comments spurred a fierce response from India, which rejected the allegations as “absurd” and politically motivated.
Moreover, at the time of Nijjar’s killing, there were increasing tensions between Canada and India because of a Sikh campaign in India's Punjab region for a separate state called Khalistan.
