Muslim, Sikh leaders in Canada call for security for their communities

Leaders urge Canada to ensure justice, improve protection for Sikhs, Muslims and reconsider intelligence sharing with India

OTTAWA, Canada – Considering suspicion surrounding the murder of a prominent Canadian Sikh leader is pointing toward India, Sikh and Muslim leaders have called on the government to improve security measures for their communities.

Sikh leader Hardeep Singh Nijjar was shot dead outside a Sikh temple in British Columbia in June.

Canada is currently investigating possible links between India and this tragic event.

Prime Minister Justin Trudeau has stressed the seriousness of the allegations against India, which, if true, would mean involvement of a foreign government in a murder on Canadian soil.

India, however, has strongly denied these allegations, calling them “absurd” and countering claims that Canada harbors Sikh extremists.

Relations between the two countries have suffered a setback that has led to the expulsion of diplomats from both sides.

This event has revived a decades-old Sikh secessionist movement that has its roots in the 1947 partition of India and Pakistan.

The demand for a separate Sikh nation, Khalistan, in Indian Punjab has been a point of contention for years.

Trudeau recently disclosed during his G20 meeting with Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi that he had passed on information about possible links between Nijjar’s death and Indian agents.

Nijjar, who has been classified as a “terrorist” by Indian authorities, had ties to Sikhs for Justice”, a group that advocates for an independent Sikh state in India.

The World Sikh Organization of Canada warns that this incident could be just the beginning.

It has called on Canada to ensure justice, improve protection for Sikhs, review India’s diplomatic activities in Canada, and reconsider intelligence sharing with New Delhi.