Parliamentary Committee Notes: Indian Transnational Repression
On the U.S. indictment against an Indian national:
- The greatest responsibility of any Government is to keep its citizens safe.
- The Government of Canada remains unwavering in its commitment to protect the safety and security of Canadians and will continue to take appropriate action to counter threats to Canada, its citizens and its interests around the world.
- While we cannot comment on ongoing investigations, Canadian security, intelligence, and police agencies have been working in close collaboration with U.S. and international partners on this matter and will continue to do so.
- Canada is committed to working with India to preserve rules-based international order and to advance domestic security.
On Canada’s Ongoing Investigation into the Nijjar Murder:
- All Canadians deserve to feel safe in their communities, and that is a top priority of our government.
- The RCMP’s investigation continues and I therefore cannot comment on specifics of an ongoing police investigation.
- I can assure the Sikh community and all Canadians that the Government of Canada and its law enforcement are working together to protect public safety.
Background:
Killing of Hardeep Singh Nijjar
On Sunday, June 18, 2023, prominent Sikh leader, Hardeep Singh Nijjar, was shot and killed outside Surrey’s Guru Nanak Sikh Gurdwara. An investigation is being led by the Integrated Homicide team at RCMP. On September 18, 2023, the Prime Minister made an announcement in the House of Commons that “Canadian security agencies have been actively pursuing credible allegations of a potential link between agents of the Government of India and the killing of a Canadian citizen, Hardeep Singh Nijjar.”
U.S. indictment against an Indian national charged with a murder plot
On November 29, 2023, United States (U.S.) federal prosecutors filed a new indictment against an Indian national, Nikhil Gupta. Gupta is charged with paying a hit man in June to kill the alleged Sikh separatist, Gurpatwant Singh Pannun, who is both a U.S. and Canadian citizen, as well as the general counsel for the New York-based Sikhs for Justice, a group that advocates the creation of an independent Sikh state called Khalistan within India.
The murder-for-hire plot charges against Nikhil Gupta include that he allegedly conspired with a number of others, at least one of whom is alleged to be an official in India.
The scheme was foiled in June by the Drug Enforcement Administration, shortly after Hardeep Singh Nijjar was assassinated in Canada. Czech authorities arrested and detained GUPTA on June 30, 2023, pursuant to the bilateral extradition treaty between the United States and the Czech Republic.
The charges against Gupta will build on a bare-bones indictment, filed in mid-June and unsealed in July, which alleged that Gupta coordinated a $15,000 advance payment to a purported hit man’s associate. That document gives no indication of who the intended victim was; additional details will be contained in what is known as a superseding indictment.
Canada-Based Khalistani Extremism
Canadian-based Khalistani extremists use Canada as a base to support pro-Khalistani extremism as well as attack targeting in India. As such, the activities of CBKEs constitute a threat to the security of Canada. However, at present, it is assessed that CBKEs do not have the intent to conduct an attack here in Canada.
In Canada, two key Sikh organizations, Babbar Khalsa International (BKI) and the International Sikh Youth Federation have been identified as being associated with terrorism and remain listed terrorist entities under the Criminal Code.
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