India | Many people believe Canada to be the home village of the murdered Sikh

(Bharsingpura) An old summons, addressed to the Canadian Sikh leader whose assassination is at the center of the diplomatic crisis between India and Canada, remains stuck on the family home in his Punjabi village, where many believe the accusations of ‘Ottawa versus New Delhi.

The peaceful hamlet of Bharsingpura in the state of Punjab (North) has been in turmoil since Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau asked India to “take seriously” the murder case of Hardeep Singh Nijjar and the “ credible elements” of New Delhi’s involvement mentioned Monday by Ottawa.

Accusations described as “absurd” by the Indian government which denied “any act of violence in Canada”.

But Himmat Singh, Nijjar’s uncle, does not doubt Mr. Trudeau’s words, suggesting that agents of the Research and Analysis Wing (RAW), Indian intelligence services, killed his nephew.

“I think it is the work of the Indian government. Yes, RAW agents are involved,” this frail 79-year-old farmer confided to AFP at his home.

Convinced by Trudeau

“It is impossible for the prime minister of a country to make such an accusation without any proof. I believe what Trudeau said,” underlines Mr. Singh.

Nijjar was wanted by Indian authorities for alleged terrorism and conspiracy to commit murder.

He had denied the accusations, according to the World Sikh Organization of Canada, a Canadian Sikh interest group.

Hardeep Singh Nijjar was shot dead in June in Canada by two masked men in the parking lot of the Sikh temple he led in Surrey, near Vancouver, British Columbia.

An activist for the creation of “Khalistan”, an independent Sikh state in northern India, Nijjar arrived in Canada in 1997 and was naturalized in 2015.

He was born in 1977 in the Indian state of Punjab, which is 58% Sikh. The state was rocked by a violent separatist movement in the 1980s and early 1990s, which left thousands dead.

India has often complained about the activity of the Sikh diaspora abroad, particularly in Canada, likely, according to New Delhi, to revive the separatist movement thanks to massive financial aid.

Today, the movement’s most vocal supporters come mainly from the region’s diaspora.

” Without fail ”

The large red and yellow family house, in the heart of the prosperous village, flanked by green rice fields, has been sealed since October 8, 2021, according to the warrant stuck above the doorbell, inviting Nijjar to appear on September 11, 2023, “without fail “.

Nijjar is notably accused of being the mastermind of the attack carried out in 2021 against Kamaldeep Sharma, a Hindu priest residing in Bharsingpura. Mr. Sharma was shot and injured by masked men who broke into his temple.

But Mr. Sharma refuses to believe Nijjar’s involvement.

“I had no enmity. Nijjar was not involved in the attack. I don’t know how the investigation agencies could find him guilty in my case,” Mr. Sharma, 39, is still surprised.

“In fact, Nijjar’s family helped me and paid for my treatment,” he says.

“Extrajudicial means”

Kanwar Pal Singh, secretary of Dal Khalsa, a pro-“Khalistan” organization, describes Nijjar as being a “humble Sikh,” “loved by everyone in his region.” The organization made the murdered activist a “martyr”.

“In the eyes of the Sikhs, Indian agencies are the main suspects,” he told AFP.

“India had asked Canada to hand over Nijjar. Having failed legally, she resorted to extrajudicial means,” he accuses.

In Bharsingpura, Ram Lal, chief of this agricultural village, supports the Indian government.

“Nijjar believed in violence and violence is not a solution to any problem,” he commented to AFP. “Canada is making false accusations. What evidence do they have of Indian involvement? »

Farmer Amreek Singh, however, points out that there are still many unanswered questions. “How could he carry out murders and bombings in India? he didn’t even live here. »