New Delhi: Sikh activist Hardeep Singh Nigar, whose June 2023 killing near his home in Vancouver sparked a diplomatic storm between India and Canada, has long been a campaigner for a separate homeland for people of his faith.
Najjar was shot dead at the age of 45 by masked gunmen outside the temple he headed after he was wanted by Indian authorities on charges of alleged terrorism offenses and conspiracy to commit murder, charges Najjar denied.
India described the allegations regarding its involvement in his assassination as “ridiculous.”
Born in 1977 in the Indian state of Punjab, Najjar grew up during the violent insurgency that ended in the late 1990s as extremists sought to establish a Sikh state known as Khalistan.
Punjab is the spiritual stronghold of the Sikhs, with nearly 60% of the population following the religion.
Settled in Canada
In 1997, Nigar, then nearly 20 years old, arrived in Canada, which is home to about 770,000 Sikhs — about 2% of the country's population and the largest Sikh community outside India.
He became a Canadian citizen in 2015, running a plumbing business as well as serving as rector of a Sikh temple near his home in Surrey, British Columbia.
But he also became involved in campaigning for a Sikh homeland.
Najjar was reportedly involved in organizing Sikh referendums in Canada to show their support for Khalistan.
New Delhi accused him of sponsoring attacks and killings in India.
News outlet India Today He said that Al-Najjar is accused of involvement in the 2007 bombing that killed six people and injured 42 others in the city of Ludhiana in Punjab.
India classified him as a “terrorist” and offered a reward of one million Indian rupees ($12,000) for information leading to his arrest.
New Delhi has often complained to foreign governments, including Canada, about the activities of Sikh militants in the diaspora. She claims that they are trying to revive insurgency in Punjab.
Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau visited Punjab in 2018, where the state's chief minister demanded action against Najjar and eight other Sikh separatist leaders.
The World Sikh Organization in Canada said that the spy agency in Ottawa had warned him of threats against him.
Members of the Canadian Sikh community accused India of carrying out the killing.
In September 2023, Trudeau told Parliament that his government had “credible allegations” linking Indian agents to Najjar’s killing.
The two countries have exchanged harsh criticism since then, culminating in the expulsion of each other's ambassadors and five other senior diplomats in both countries on Monday.