(Vancouver) The British Columbia Gurdwara where a Sikh separatist leader was shot dead has launched an investigation into how a U.S. newspaper was able to view security camera footage of the June killing.
Gurkeerat Singh, who said he was the spokesperson for the Guru Nanak Sikh Gurdwara in Surrey, said it was unclear how the Washington Post was able to see the video of the death of Hardeep Singh Nijjar.
“The video was not intended for the media or public as this is an ongoing investigation. This video should not be released to anyone,” he said.
While Mr. Singh refused to allow The Canadian Press to review the video captured at the temple of the shooting, he confirmed the reports from Washington Post.
He himself has seen the 90-second video several times, he said.
Mr. Singh said the video shows Mr. Nijjar leaving the temple parking lot in his gray pickup truck. A white car drives in parallel, then cuts in front of the pickup and stops, preventing Mr. Nijjar from leaving.
Two gunmen then stepped out of camera range to shoot the victim, Mr. Singh said, adding that surveillance footage shows the shooting was “pre-planned and well-orchestrated.”
The shooters obviously knew Mr. Nijjar’s driving habits and routine, he reiterated.
“It wasn’t something done randomly. These people have been watching Hardeep Singh’s movements for a while and they knew in which direction he was going and how he came out of the gurdwara,” Mr. Singh said.
“It was just an explosion”
Mr Nijjar’s death sparked an escalation in diplomatic tensions between India and Canada after Prime Minister Justin Trudeau announced in Parliament that Canadian intelligence services were investigating “credible” information about “a potential link” between the Indian government and murder.
Mr. Nijjar was a staunch supporter of the Khalistan movement which advocated a separate Sikh homeland in Punjab. He was one of the organizers of the unofficial referendum in several countries calling for a separate homeland for Sikhs.
The independence movement has angered the Indian government, and Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi expressed to Trudeau his “deep concerns” about Canada’s handling of the movement.
Malkit Singh was the goalkeeper during a soccer match with friends on a field near the gurdwara on June 18 when he heard what sounded like fireworks.
“Someone said ‘it’s not fireworks, it’s gunshots,’” he said in an interview translated from Punjabi. It was just an explosion, bursts of gunfire, over and over again. Then we saw two men running away, so me and a few players chased after them. And two other people ran towards the gurdwara to see what was happening. I was barefoot because that’s how I tend towards the goal. »
“The two men, who were running so fast, were wearing black hoodies and black pants, and their heads were covered with pieces of light fabric. They did not wear turbans. We just couldn’t catch them before they disappeared,” the witness said.
Malkit Singh said that two days later, a friend showed him surveillance video on his phone from the gurdwara parking lot of a light-colored car following Mr. Nijjar’s truck, then stopping the pickup at the exit . He and his friend were part of a committee led by Mr. Nijjar, he said, so they had access to the video.
Mr. Nijjar knew he was a target, Malkit Singh said.
Another witness described seeing another vehicle drive over Mr. Nijjar’s body.
Ongoing investigation
Sergeant Timothy Pierotti of the Integrated Homicide Investigation Team said Wednesday it was an active investigation and the team could not release further details. There is no indication why police did not tell the media that a second vehicle was involved in the killing.
THE Washington Post also reported that it took police between 12 and 20 minutes to respond after the shooting.
The RCMP released a statement Tuesday to correct the “homicide file.”
“The first 911 call regarding this incident was received at 8:27 p.m. and the first officers arrived on scene within four minutes, with additional officers arriving on scene shortly thereafter,” the release states.
THE Washington Post did not immediately respond to an email seeking comment.