B.C. court date set for 3 accused of murdering Sikh activist Hardeep Singh Nijjar

Three suspects accused of murdering British Columbia Sikh activist Hardeep Singh Nijjar last year are scheduled to appear in court in Surrey on Tuesday.

Indian nationals Karanpreet Singh, Kamalpreet Singh, and Karan Brar are due to face charges of first-degree murder and conspiracy to murder at Surrey Provincial Court.

Their arrests in Edmonton were announced on Friday in the killing of Nijjar in June last year outside the Surrey gurdwara where he was president.

The killing of Nijjar, who campaigned for a separate Sikh homeland known as Khalistan, threw Canada's relationship with India into disarray after Prime Minister Justin Trudeau told the House of Commons that credible intelligence suggested India's government was behind his death.

Indictments for the three suspects allege that from May 1 last year they conspired in Surrey and Edmonton to kill Nijjar, while the murder counts say all three used a firearm in the killing.

India has repeatedly denied involvement in the death of Nijjar, who was shot dead in his pickup truck as he left his temple's parking lot.

India's foreign affairs minister accused Canada over the weekend of welcoming criminals from his country.

Speaking in response to the arrests, Subrahmanyam Jaishankar said "wanted criminals" from India and "people with organized crime links from Punjab" had been let into Canada.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published May 6, 2024.