Fourth Indian arrested and charged in Canada over killing of Sikh activist | Politics News

Amandeep Singh, 22, was already in custody on weapons charges before being charged with the murder of Hardeep Singh Nijjar.

A fourth Indian citizen has been arrested and charged by Canadian authorities over the killing of a Sikh separatist activist in Vancouver last year, a case that has strained diplomatic ties with India.

Amandeep Singh, 22, was already in custody on weapons charges before being charged with “first-degree murder and conspiracy to commit murder” in connection with the killing of Hardeep Singh Nijjar, the Integrated Homicide Investigation Team (IHIT) said Saturday.

Singh lived in the cities of Brampton, Surrey and Abbotsford.

Three more Indian nationals were arrested in the city of Edmonton, Alberta, earlier this month. Authorities said they were investigating whether the men had ties to the Indian government.

Kamalpreet Singh, 22; Karan Brar, 22; and Karanpreet Singh, 28, appeared in court via videolink on Tuesday and agreed to be heard in English. They were also charged with first-degree murder and conspiracy to commit murder.

Sikh leaders in North America welcomed the arrests, but allegations that the Indian government was involved fueled questions and unease.

Nijjar, 45, was shot in June outside a Sikh temple in Surrey, a Vancouver suburb with a large Sikh population. He advocated for the creation of Khalistan, an independent Sikh homeland carved out of India.

India has long been angered by Sikh separatist groups in Canada and considers Nijjar a “terrorist.”

Shortly after his death, Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau said there was evidence of possible Indian government involvement in Nijjar’s murder, prompting a backlash from India.

New Delhi dismissed the allegations as “absurd” and responded angrily by briefly restricting visas for Canadians and forcing Ottawa to withdraw diplomats.

In November, the US Department of Justice accused Nikhil Gupta, an Indian citizen living in the Czech Republic, of plotting a similar attack on US soil.

Prosecutors said in unsealed court documents that an Indian government official was also involved in plotting to kill Sikh-American activist Gurpatwant Singh Pannun.

The shocking allegations came after US President Joe Biden hosted Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi on a rare state visit as Washington seeks closer ties with India amid China’s growing influence.

U.S. intelligence agencies believed the plot was approved on U.S. soil by Samant Goel, India’s top spy official at the time, the Washington Post reported in April.

About 770,000 Sikhs live in Canada, about 2 percent of the country’s population and the largest number of the community outside India.