Canadian police announce the arrest of a fourth Indian suspect in connection with the murder of a Sikh activist

VANCOUVER, British Columbia – A fourth Indian citizen living in Canada has been charged in the killing of a Sikh separatist leader last June, which has been the subject of a diplomatic dispute with India.

British Columbia’s Integrated Homicide Investigation Team said in a news release late Saturday that 22-year-old Amandeep Singh was already in the custody of Peel Regional Police in Ontario on unrelated firearms charges.

“IHIT investigated the evidence and gathered enough information for the British Columbia Crown Prosecution Service to charge Amandeep Singh with first-degree murder and conspiracy to commit murder,” the police statement said.

Police also confirmed that Singh is an Indian citizen who splits his time in Canada in Brampton, Ontario; Surrey, British Columbia; and Abbotsford, British Columbia.

According to investigators, no further details of the arrest can be released due to ongoing investigations and legal proceedings.

Earlier this month, police arrested three Indian nationals – Karan Brar, Kamalpreet Singh and Karanpreet Singh – in Edmonton and charged them with first-degree murder and conspiracy to commit murder in the death of Hardeep Singh Nijjar, who was shot in the parking lot of the Sikh temple in Surrey, British Columbia, where he was president.

Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau sparked a diplomatic feud with India in September when he said there were “credible allegations” of Indian involvement in Nijjar’s killing.

India had accused Nijjar of links to terrorism but angrily denied involvement in the killing. In response to the allegations, India last year asked Canada to withdraw 41 of its 62 diplomats in the country. Tensions remain, but have since eased somewhat.

A spokesman for the Guru Nanak Sikh Gurdwara did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

Temple protesters gathered outside Surrey provincial court last Tuesday as the three men charged in the case appeared via video link.

The arrests have heightened scrutiny of Canada’s approval process for international students after it was revealed that a video posted online in 2019 by an India-based immigration consulting firm showed Brar saying his “study visa had arrived” while a photo showed him doing something held up what looked like a study permit visa.

When asked about the suspects’ immigration status, Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada said it could not comment on ongoing investigations or individual cases.