On September 19th, the diplomatic relationship between India and Canada took a significant and unfavorable turn. While the two countries had strained ties, Tuesday’s incident escalated their bilateral relations into a more contentious phase. Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau alleged that India was involved in the state-sponsored assassination of Khalistani terrorist Hardeep Singh Nijjar. Despite the absence of concrete evidence, the Canadian PM expelled an Indian diplomat from Canada. In response, the Indian government reciprocated by expelling two Canadian diplomats, further intensifying the situation. This regrettable diplomatic incident stirred significant attention in the global geopolitical arena, with Western media outlets interpreting and portraying the events according to their respective narratives. Notably, some Western media referred to Hardeep Singh Nijjar, labeled as a Khalistani terrorist, as an activist.
Canadian and Western media commonly describe Nijjar as a “Sikh leader,” “Sikh activist,” or “Sikh community figure.” In their portrayal, Nijjar is seen as a peaceful and religious leader within the Sikh community, who sustained his livelihood through plumbing services.
Here I will list some of the claims made by the Western media concerning Hardeep Singh Nijjar. The vox wrote, “The killing of Sikh activist Hardeep Singh Nijjar in Canada has exposed a big problem for US foreign policy.”
The media outlet Al Jazeera, which at times exhibits a biased perspective against India, did not hesitate to label a Khalistani terrorist as an activist. Al Jazeera wrote, “ Canada investigating possible link between India, killing of Sikh activist.”
Toronto City News downplayed the involvement of Nijjar in terrorism and called him a mere plumber. Toronto City news reported, ‘He owned a plumbing business. Nijjar also served as president of a Sikh temple or gurdwara in suburban Vancouver. In a 2016 interview with the Vancouver Sun, he responded dismissively to reports in Indian media that he was suspected of leading a terrorist cell.’
The New York Times identified Nijjar as a Sikh figure who “ advocated separatism.”
The Financial Times, wrote, “In Surrey, Nijjar, a plumber who was 45 when he was killed, is remembered as a tireless campaigner and fatherly figure, who would lay out chairs for worshippers at the gurdwara, scrub the kitchen, arrange accommodation for students arriving from India and tile rooms with his own hands.”
In addition to foreign media outlets with questionable impartiality, certain left-leaning Indian online news platforms, who had previously expressed sympathy and pean for terrorists, also referred to Nijjar as a Sikh activist. The Wire wrote, “ The killing of Sikh activist Hardeep Singh Nijjar in Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada on June 19 has gained renewed significance after Prime Minister Justin Trudeau claimed that his country’s security agencies had “credible” intelligence that the Indian government was behind the murder. The Indian government has rejected the allegation.”
The accounts presented by BBC and The Washington Post align closely with those previously mentioned. Virtually every Western media outlet has, whether deliberately or inadvertently, overlooked the true facts and narrative surrounding Hardeep Singh Nijjar. However, our platform, which leans pro-Indian, is committed to deconstructing the narrative woven by foreign fabricators.
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Fact Check
We will commence by presenting concrete and irrefutable evidence against Hardeep Singh, facts that will serve to reinforce the assertions made by the Indian government regarding Nijjar’s unequivocal involvement in terrorism.
Modern History of Nijjar
As per exclusive recent reports from Hindustan Times, in 2022, the Indian government issued an Interpol notice for Nijjar’s extradition. However, the Canadian government downplayed this request. In addition, the HT reports also emphasize numerous Khalistani terrorists have found refuge in the safety of Canada.
Moreover, Hardeep Singh Nijjar led a Khalistani terrorist group known as the Khalistan Tiger Force, an organisation involved in all sorts of criminal and terror activities. Therefore, in 2022, the National Investigation Agency offered a reward of 1 million for any information leading to Nijjar’s capture. The Hindu reported, “ The NIA declared a reward of ₹10 lakh for information on Canada-based KTF chief Hardeep Singh Nijjar. He was accused of involvement in the conspiracy to kill a Hindu priest in Punjab’s Jalandhar.”
Medieval History of Nijjar
Canadians may not always be fully aware of events occurring abroad, which could indeed be a valid observation. However, it’s important to emphasize that Canadians are far from naive and certainly not lacking in intelligence. In 2016, the Canadian news agency Vancouver Sun ran a story that brought to light the grave terrorism charges against Nijjar, underlining that they were well-informed on such matters.
Vancouver Sun reported, “He is wanted in India in connection with a blast at a cinema in Ludhiana in the Punjab province, where six people died in 2007. The report alleges that Nijjar has been training at least four Sikh youths on how to use AK-47s for the purpose of carrying out attacks in India. On top of that, the training took place in a (rifle) range near Mission where they were made to fire for four hours daily. One of the trainees, Mandeep Singh, was arrested two weeks ago. Singh arrived in India in January from Canada and is accused of being involved in a terrorist plot. Besides that, the report claims Singh was on a reconnaissance mission and that Nijjar was to arrange weapons from Pakistan.”
Following the publication of the story by the Vancouver Sun, which raised concerns about Nijjar’s potential involvement in terrorism, the Indian government formally requested his extradition. In a manner reminiscent of Jaish-E-Mohammad writing to the Pakistani PM, Nijjar sought assistance directly from the Canadian Prime Minister, Justin Trudeau. This incident exemplifies the concept of a safe haven for terrorists. The Vancouver Sun verified Nijjar’s communication with the Canadian PM in 2016.
The Vancouver Sun published the excerpt from the Nijjar’s letter. He wrote, “ Because of my campaign for Sikh rights, it’s my belief that I have become a target of an Indian government campaign to label my human rights campaign as terrorist activities.”
Moreover, Global News, in a 2016 report, disclosed that the Indian government had leveled serious terrorism charges against Nijjar, prompting extradition requests. However, Canadian officials declined to comment on the matter. It is notable that Nijjar had previously penned a letter seeking refuge. When considering these elements together, it appears to be a straightforward deduction: India requested Nijjar’s extradition, Nijjar corresponded with Trudeau seeking protection, and subsequently, Canadian officials opted not to address the issue. This sequence raises concerns about potential links to terrorism, conspiratorial actions aimed at protection, and possible obstruction of justice.
Hardeep Singh Nijjar resurfaced in 2020 during a rally advocating for the Khalistan referendum. Global news outlets shared an undated photograph of Nijjar standing before a Khalistan referendum display. The report also made reference to Talwinder Singh Parmar, one of the suspects involved in the 1985 Air India bombing. Posters of Parmar were prominently exhibited at a Gurudwara in Surrey, British Columbia. Intriguingly, it was noted that Nijjar was a resident of Surrey, BC, where these events took place.
As previously emphasized, North American authorities are not naive. To provide context, it’s worth noting that in response to receiving an Interpol notice from India, Canada took the step of placing Nijjar on its no-fly list. Similarly, reports from Rolling Stone magazine confirm that the United States of America took a similar precautionary measure. Both North American countries were evidently aware of the potential risks posed by Nijjar and took proactive steps in response.
This scenario strongly suggests that the Canadian Prime Minister possessed knowledge of Nijjar’s involvement in dubious activities. However, in a bid to safeguard his own reputation, he opted not to comply with extradition requests, subsequently contributing to a situation where a terrorist has been depicted as a martyr.
Furthermore, backed by substantial and well-documented evidence of Nijjar’s infamous activities, we present here a collection of images and videos for reference.
To sum it all up, it cannot be denied that Nijjar stood as a wanted terrorist, serving as the leader of the Khalistani Tiger Force. India had charged him with the task of rekindling Khalistani extremism. He was actively engaging in the radicalization and recruitment of terrorists within Canada. Furthermore, it was known that he visited his associates in Pakistan and allegedly deployed them for acts of violence and unlawful activities in India. The act of Western media selectively minimizing the actions of a notorious terrorist reflects a clear double standard, and it is essential to bring attention to this. A terrorist remains a terrorist, without exception. Finally, I rest my case by saying, that Hardeep Singh Nijjar was a terrorist to India, as Osama Bin Laden was for the United States and Mario Bachand was for Canada.
| Claim | Hardeep Singh Nijjar was a Sikh activist and a plumber |
| Claimed by | Western media and The Wire |
| Fact Check | Misleading |
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