Prime Minister Justin Trudeau informed Canadians in the Parliament on 18^th September, 2023 of the probable involvement of Indian government in the killing of Mr. Hardeep S Nijjar, a Canadian citizen on Canadian soil in June 2023.

This act on the part of Indian government is not just wrong but an attack on the very sovereignty of Canada and its citizens and must be condemned by ALL including Indo-Canadians of all religious and ethical background.

First let me provide a small background on Mr. Nijjar as per what has been weaved out of various news articles from Canada as information about him or knowledge about him seems to be non-existent in India.

Nijjar, a 45 year old Canadian citizen who immigrated to Canada in 1997 from Punjab, India and became a Canadian citizen in 2007 was very active in the Sikh community and was the President of the Guru Nanak Singh Gurdwara- a popular Sikh temple in Surrey, British Columbia. But his role as the leader of Khalistan Tiger Force and a prominent member of a separatist group called Khalistanis was what drew Indian state’s ire.

The Khalistanis demand a separate Sikh nation out of various provinces of India. The movement has had a violent past in India more than three decades ago and was all but non-existent all these years and saw a small revival during and after the farmers struggle in Punjab to repeal three draconian farm laws brought by the Indian state.

However Khalistani sympathizers from the Sikh community who were living in various parts of the world and also those who migrated from India after a week of genocidal attack on their community following the murder of India’s then Prime Minister Mrs Indira Gandhi in October 1984, have kept the movement alive for decades. It has been mostly a fringe which operated from various small community meets and later progressed to controlling most of the Gurudwaras- the Sikh places of worship.

However in the last few years, as India has seen the rise of a fascist regime which is actively pursuing their ideology of converting a secular, inclusive nation into a militant Hindu Rashtra or state, the Khalistani movement has gained traction amongst the minds of the moderate Sikhs, especially the Sikh diaspora living in Canada.

Their argument is that when in late forties, Jews got their own nation Israel with widespread support of the West; Muslims got their own nation, Pakistan and later Bangladesh purely based on religion and India, which was committed to stay secular all these years is now being driven towards being made a Hindu nation by the current regime to set right what they perceive as a ‘historical blunder’ caused by Mahatma Gandhi to stay secular while it should have been a Hindu nation, then why can’t the Sikhs have their own nation? A question that is difficult to answer if you look at the way India is making the minorities lives on the edge in their own nation. 

And yet it is simple enough to answer as the current phase will pass and India will always remain secular. India has existed as a nation welcoming new ideas and visions for centuries and a place where all religions have co-existed peacefully. Yes there have been conflicts as the people still have a lot of medieval instincts, the laws are lax and their implementation mostly on paper and politicians and power mongers use religion as the most readily available tool to divide people for their personal gains. YET and that is what makes India unique in South Asia, it is that Indian thing to sap and enjoy the best of all and give it a unique ‘desi’ touch.  From Biryanis to Pulaos, from dosas to rotis, from rice to idly and from Kawah to filter coffee- Indians have created a unique, secular, inclusive identity in the world.

That is what is being threatened by the acts of crazies who exist on either side of the aisle- the ones who demand Khalistan or a Sikh nation and the ones who demand Arya Vratt- the Hindu nation.

In light of the above let us understand the current situation and the murder/assassination of Mr. Nijjar in broad day light, wherein credible evidences point to the Indian state’s hands.

Mr Nijjar was one of the Khalistanis and while it is impossible today to believe anything the current regime in India says about activists and people they oppose, it is possible that Mr. Nijjar’s strong support to Khalistan while was peaceful in Canada, yet he may have directed or would have been planning to direct violent acts against India in India.

However and now I would like to mention various reasons why this act was wrong even though I absolutely stand for United India and have and will continue to oppose Khalistan at all times.

FIRST this street murder was an ACT OF STREET VIOLENCE. Only terrorists, gangsters, goons, mafia, criminals, medieval or cinematic heroes and villains carry out such acts of street justice. Not the state itself and ESPECIALLY a country which still calls itself a democracy. If this is justified, then there is NO difference between a common terrorist and the state itself. The whole cause of civil society fails if anyone and I repeat anyone justifies this street killing, even of a criminal. Unless the Indian government would like to do away with all courts of justice, laws and means of civic existence and use the streets as the way to pronounce and deliver their idea of justice.

SECONDLY while the Indian government and its right wing fanatical support base is now used to justifying such acts against people they declare as “anti-India” without any judicial process, you are not entitled to deliver this street justice OUTSIDE INDIA. Any country of the world is expected to follow and respect state boundaries and international laws do not allow such acts to be carried out in other nation in clandestine. This is a direct and straight attack on Canadian sovereignty and cannot be justified in any which way.

THIRDLY this is a classic example of BACKSTABBING and BREAKAGE of a decades long trustful bond which existed between two friendly nations. It is international practice and law to get the criminals extradited through judicial process and when a country carries out such acts in clandestine, you break the basic trust which exists between two nations. Even if Mr. Nijjar was someone who was a “ Wanted criminal” for India,  by delivering their idea of justice in the way he was murdered, India has declared to the world for decades, nay centuries ahead that it is now not to be trusted for its words and that is now moving towards becoming a rogue state.

Both Canada and USA are lands of immigrants. People prosecuted in various countries, refugees and people who differ with the idea of the regimes that control their nation, come and make their homes here and lead normal lives along with other immigrants. This has been a practice for more than a century and if nations start thinking that they have the right to come here and cause harm to anyone who speaks against them, then that will be an end to the civic society.

I and many like me would never support Khalistan and yet it is the RIGHT of my Sikh brothers and sisters in Canada to raise peaceful demand for the same. Freedom of speech and expression is the basic human right and here in Canada, it is allowed what with a political party asking for separation of Quebec from Canada even having a strong presence in our parliament and the entire polity. And no government anywhere in the world gone dictatorial has the right to trample over this freedom.

This is a sad development for people of Indian origin in Canada to see the Indian government and we support Prime Minister Trudeau whole heartedly in his quest for justice for a fellow Canadian.

And yes, Mr Nijjar was a Canadian and that is what matters. To the people in India who are used to question the citizenship of Muslims and minorities who have lived in India for centuries, in Canada and USA even if we have been a citizen for a day, we have the same rights as anyone else and the state has stood up for its naturalized citizens as much as the ones by birth irrespective of their race, color, gender or religious background. So yes Mr. Nijjar, once he got his citizenship, was Canadian first and Prime Minster Truedeau is absolutely justified to defend him and to get justice for him even if means standing up to India.

At this time, we hope that the Indian government understands that they have gone on a wrong foot by this act and that they must respect the decades old friendship with Canada and also respect that Canada is home to lakhs of Indian origin people who would like the continuance of a great relationship between our nations.

Let cool minds take over and prevail and our lives return to normal.