Khalistan Tiger Force (KTF) chief Hardeep Singh Nijjar, a wanted terrorist in India, was reportedly shot dead by unidentified assailants outside a gurdwara in British Columbia, Canada. Nijjar, who was based in Canada, had been designated a “terrorist” by India under the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act in July 2020. The incident occurred on June 18, 2023, at around 6 am IST.
Nijjar, 45, had been presiding over the Guru Nanak Sikh Gurdwara in Surrey for the past four years. There were speculations that funds from the shrine were being misused to finance terrorist activities in Punjab. His involvement in such activities led to the attachment of his property in India by the National Investigation Agency (NIA) in September 2020. Nijjar had also been subjected to a temporary house arrest by the local police in Surrey in 2018 due to suspicions of his terrorist connections.
The killing of Nijjar is the latest in a series of incidents where terror leaders have been targeted outside India. In May, another wanted Khalistani terrorist, Paramjit Singh Panjwar, was shot dead in Lahore, Pakistan. Panjwar, who headed the Khalistan Commando Force-Panjwar group, was also designated a terrorist by India under the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act.
Born in Jalandhar, Punjab, Nijjar had been associated with Khalistan militancy since his migration to Canada in 1995. Initially a member of Babbar Khalsa, he was involved in prominent terrorist cases, including the Shingar Cinema bomb blast in Ludhiana in 2007 and the assassination of Rashtriya Sikh Sangat President Rulda Singh in Patiala in 2009. Nijjar later joined the Khalistan Tiger Force after meeting its Pakistan-based leader, Jagtar Singh Tara, in 2011. Officials claim that Nijjar provided financial support to Tara and facilitated his relocation from Pakistan to Thailand in 2014.
In recent years, Nijjar had reportedly collaborated with Surrey-based Punjabi gangster Arshdeep Singh Gill, also known as Arsh Dala, to engage in organized financial crimes in Punjab and Canada for funding his terror plans. This involvement is believed to have made Nijjar a target for rival criminal gangs operating in the Surrey-Delta area.
Nijjar had also been actively involved in the “Referendum 2020” campaign in Canada, initiated by the US-based organization Sikhs For Justice (SFJ). He participated in demonstrations, car rallies, and other events organized by SFJ, frequently engaging in anti-India activities such as desecrating the Indian national flag outside the Indian Consulate in Vancouver.
During the incident, when Canadian police were moving Nijjar’s body, a group of Sikhs reportedly raised pro-Khalistan and anti-India slogans. The incident follows the recent death of prominent pro-Khalistani activist Avtar Singh Purba, who was involved in an attack on the Indian High Commission in London. Purba had been suffering from terminal blood cancer.
The killing of Nijjar adds to a series of targeted attacks on declared terrorist leaders. In February, Bashir Ahmad Peer, a self-styled commander of the terror outfit Hizbul Mujahideen, was shot dead in Rawalpindi, Pakistan. Additionally, Syed Khalid Raza, a former commander of the Pakistan-based terrorist group Al Badr, was killed outside his residence in Karachi. Aijaz Ahmad Ahanger, also known as Abu Usman Al-Kashmiri, a Kashmir-born terrorist who had joined the Islamic State (IS), was reportedly killed in Afghanistan’s Kunar province.
Authorities are continuing their investigations into the killing of Nijjar to ascertain the motive behind the attack and identify the assailants.
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The Chenab Times News Desk
