"Brazen act of violence": Surrey temple leader gunned down in busy parking lot (VIDEO)
Homicide teams have confirmed the man killed last night outside a Sikh temple in Surrey was Gurdwara president Hardeep Singh Nijjar.
The 45-year-old was gunned down in a vehicle in the parking lot of the Guru Nanak Sikh Gurdwara just before 8:30 pm and homicide teams say there were many people in the area at the time.
First responders rushed to the scene at 70 Avenue and 120 Street along the Surrey Delta border, but despite efforts, he died on scene.
Sukhwant Dhillon/AM 600 Sher-E-Punjab Radio
RCMP said officers were speaking to witnesses in the area and appealing for information from the public.
“Last night’s homicide was a brazen act of violence outside a place of worship. many community members were present following evening prayers at the Gurdwara, this was a shocking and very public act of violence against a well-known community member, and gurdwara president,” said Assistant Commissioner Brian Edwards, Officer in Charge, Surrey RCMP.
Nijjar’s death has led to shock within the community, as well as questions surrounding the motive.
The shooting appears to be targeted, IHIT Timothy Pierotti said. At this time, they are collecting the facts in this case and will determine the motive that way.
The BC Sikh community has suffered an immeasurable loss tonight at the hands of spineless cowards. Bhai Hardeep Singh Nijjar, fearless activist and tireless president of @SurreyGurdwara has been shot dead, in his truck exiting the Gurdwara parking lot, by two gunmen. #SurreyBC pic.twitter.com/pf0smWs53b
— The Sikh Community of ‘BC’ / Salish Land (@BCSikhs) June 19, 2023
Nijjar was a plumber as well as a prominent member of Surrey’s Sikh community, and was publicly connected to the campaign for Khalistan.
Khalistan is a movement to create a separate Sikh nation in India’s Punjab state.
However, the movement has been condemned over its military extremist ties. According to reports from India, Nijjar was wanted in the country and declared a terrorist.
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In 2016, Nijjar had spoken out that he had never endorsed violence of any kind, and that he had been wrongfully branded by the Indian government over his human rights campaign.
“Mr. Prime Minister, I want to bring it to your attention that the Indian government’s campaign to label me a terrorist started when I actively participated in a campaign to collect signatures on a complaint to the United Nations Human Rights Council,” a letter he wrote to Prime Minister Trudeau reads in part.
“I am a Sikh nationalist who believes in and supports Sikhs’ right to self-determination and independence of Indian-occupied Punjab through a future referendum.”
Guru Nanak Sikh Gurdwara in Surrey on June 19, 2023. (Daily Hive/Nikitha Martins)
On behalf of IHIT, Pierotti said the team could not speak to his background during the Monday briefing.
“In terms of whether there were threats to Mr. Nijjar in the past, that’s certainly something that we’ll be looking into. We’ll be working with all of our partners to determine the history here,” Pierotti said, adding that he would consider Canada’s spy agency as a partner but would not confirm allegations that threats were made against him.
The World Sikh Organization of Canada posted a statement on social media Monday condemning authorities over what they claim was a failure of intelligence agencies to protect Nijjar.
“The assassination of Hardeep Singh Nijjar is gravely alarming for Sikhs in Canada. Nijjar openly and repeatedly stated that he would be targeted by Indian intelligence and this was made known to CSIS and law enforcement,” the Tweet reads in part. Adding, “The role of foreign interference from India must be thoroughly investigated and those responsible for this crime must be brought to justice.”
Anyone with information or dashcam footage from the area is asked to contact the IHIT Information Line at 1-877-551-IHIT (4448) or by email at [email protected].
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With files from Amanda Wawyrk
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