Surrey gurdwara shooting death linked to foreign interference: Vancouver protesters

Protesters in Vancouver say many Sikh community members firmly believe the shooting death of a Surrey gurdwara president was linked to foreign interference.

However, police have not linked the shooting with the claim, adding investigators have no reasons to believe that the Sikh community in Canada is at risk.

About 200 protesters from the Canadian Sikh community gathered outside Vancouver’s Indian consulate Saturday morning, accusing the South Asian nation’s government of being involved in the death of Hardeep Singh Nijjar.

Most of the protesters are advocates for an independent Sikh state in India — Khalistan — and came from cities across Canada, including Metro Vancouver, Toronto, Montreal, and Edmonton for the protest.

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• Suspects sought in Surrey Sikh leader’s killing: IHIT

Nijjar was an outspoken activist and said to be a pro-Khalistan leader.

The Times of India (TOI) reports in 2016, Nijjar was accused of running a terror training camp in Mission, B.C., to help carry out potential attacks in Punjab. The TOI added he previously called those allegations “factually baseless and fabricated.”

Investigators have called the shooting targeted, but have yet to speak to the potential motive behind Nijjar’s death.

Protesters who knew Nijjar, who was organizing an unofficial referendum in India prior to his death, described him as a “peaceful” man who was “loved in the community.”

In connection with the death, homicide investigators are still looking to identify two witnesses in connection with the incident.

Nijjar’s funeral is on Sunday, with hundreds expected to pay their respects to the Sikh leader in Surrey.

With files from Emily Marsten and Sonia Aslam