Three men to appear at Surrey court accused of murdering Sikh leader

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Three Indian nationals are scheduled to appear in Surrey provincial court on Tuesday charged with first-degree murder and conspiracy in the shooting death of Sikh activist Hardeep Singh Nijjar last year.

The court appearance, a chance to consult with lawyers, will likely be the first of many for the men, all Edmonton residents.

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The accused are Karan Brar and Kamalpreet Singh, both 22, and Karanpreet Singh, 28.

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Nijjar, who was a leading advocate of creating an independent Sikh homeland known as Khalistan in India, was shot dead as he left Surrey’s Guru Nanak Gurdwara after afternoon prayers on June 18. Sikhs for Justice members immediately blamed the Indian government because Nijjar played a key role in the Sikh separatist movement.

The three men briefly appeared before a judge on Saturday for a provisional court release hearing, after which they remained in custody.

His next step would be for his lawyers to apply for bail, said Surrey criminal and immigration lawyer Affan Bajwa, who has no connection to the case.

Bajwa said his chances of being released on bail would depend on whether his lawyers could present a strong case to the judge.

“I think it may be difficult for them to be released on bail because of the potential flight risk and risk to public safety,” he said.

Bajwa also said that if the case goes forward, the men would be tried in Canada and if convicted of first-degree murder would have no chance of parole for at least 25 years.

If they are foreign citizens or permanent residents, as soon as they are released, they will face a deportation hearing before the Canada Border Services Agency, he said.

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If they are found not guilty, they could still be deported, according to a September Supreme Court of Canada ruling in which the nine justices unanimously ruled that a foreign national could be deemed inadmissible to Canada on security grounds under the Act. of Immigration and Refugee Protection of “being a danger to the security of Canada”, according to Canadian Lawyer magazine.

RCMP Deputy Commissioner Dave Teboul told reporters last week that there are several investigations into the case, including one looking into any links by the Indian government to Nijjar’s murder.

The case has strained relations between Canada and India after Prime Minister Justin Trudeau said last September that there was credible intelligence linking the Indian government to Nijjar’s murder. India has denied any connection to the murder, calling the claim “absurd”.

RCMP did not provide any details about the immigration status of the accused, whether they had ties to an Indian gang headed by Lawrence Bishnoi or whether they might have been sleeper agents for the Indian government because the case is before the courts.

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Postmedia News sources confirmed that the accused killers arrived in Canada on student visas and have some ties to both the Bishnoi group and British Columbia-based gangs.

The RCMP and the Integrated Homicide Investigation Team confirmed the possibility of more arrests and more suspects in the notorious murder.

Meanwhile, India’s Foreign Minister accused Canada of welcoming criminals from India.

Subrahmanyam Jaishankar also called Ottawa the number one driver of what he described as a violent movement of Sikhs trying to carve their own country out of India.

“It’s not so much a problem in the United States. Our biggest problem right now is in Canada,” Jaishankar said Saturday during remarks at a forum for intellectuals in India.

Jaishankar said the federal Liberals and other unspecified political parties “pander” to Sikh separatists to get votes and “have given this type of extremism, separatism and advocates of violence some legitimacy in the name of freedom of expression.”

Last year’s protests against Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s government after Nijjar’s death included posters calling on people to “kill India” and offering cash rewards for addresses of Indian officials.

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Jaishankar said he had asked External Affairs Minister Melanie Joly about “attacks or threats” on Indian diplomatic missions and staff in Canada.

“I tell the Foreign Minister (Joly) saying: ‘Suppose it happened to you, if it were your diplomat, your embassy, ​​your flag, how would you react?’” he said.

Jaishankar also reiterated his ministry’s insistence that Ottawa is allowing criminal elements to operate in Canada and affiliate with Sikh separatists.

“Someone may have been arrested; The police may have done some investigation. But the fact is that a number of underworld people, a number of people with ties to organized crime in Punjab, have been welcomed into Canada,” he said, referring to the Indian region that the Khalistan movement wants to take over.

“These are wanted criminals from India, they have been given visas… and yet they are allowed to live there.”

With files from Kim Bolan and Canadian Press

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