THE CBC reported early Friday morning that Canadian police have arrested members of an alleged hit squad investigators believe was tasked by the government of India with killing Khalistan advocate Hardeep Singh Nijjar in Surrey last June.
CBC reported: “Members of the hit squad are alleged to have played different roles as shooters, drivers and spotters on the day Nijjar was killed at the Guru Nanak Sikh Gurdwara in Surrey, according to the sources.”
“The men were arrested Friday during police operations in at least two provinces. Sources said investigators identified the alleged hit squad members in Canada some months ago and have been keeping them under tight surveillance.”

Kamalpreet Singh, Karanpreet Singh and Karan Brar face first-degree murder and conspiracy charges in the Nijjar case, according to documents filed in a Surrey court.
Police were expected to announce the arrests and share some details of their investigation later Friday.

MEANWHILE, the World Sikh Organization said in a statement: “According to reports, the individuals arrested today belong to the “Bishnoi gang” based out of India.  The gang’s leader, Lawrence Bishnoi, has been incarcerated in Indian prisons since 2014.  He has recently appeared on Indian news media and declaring himself an Indian nationalist and vowing opposition to those who support Khalistan.  The Bishnoi gang has been implicated in an expansive extortion network targeting businesses in Canada in at least six different cities.  Lawrence Bishnoi also took responsibility for the murder of Punjabi rapper Sidhu Moosewala in May 2022.  Moosewala, a former Brampton resident, had begun to speak publicly about Khalistan and discrimination faced by Sikhs in India.”

IN an editorial titled: “A murder plot that cannot be ignored: India must come clean at last,” The Washington Post on Tuesday, noting that last November , the U.S. Justice Department unsealed an indictment containing the charge that an Indian government official led a conspiracy to assassinate Gurpatwant Singh Pannun, a U.S. citizen who is the general counsel for the New York-based Sikhs for Justice, said: “Now, that charge has become even more grave with The Post’s revelation that U.S. officials have identified the plotter as Vikram Yadav, an officer in India’s spy agency, the Research and Analysis Wing (RAW), and have concluded the operation was approved by the RAW chief at the time, Samant Goel.”

The editorial said: “It appears those who hatched the conspiracy were working for the highest levels of the government of Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi. … The Post reports that U.S. spy agencies have tentatively assessed that Mr. Modi’s national security adviser, Ajit Doval, was probably aware of RAW’s plans to kill Sikh activists, but officials said no proof has emerged.”

It pointed out: “According to the indictment, the plotters hired Nikhil Gupta, an associate in India who has been involved in weapons and narcotics trafficking, to “orchestrate the assassination,” including hiring a killer in the United States. At the request of the United States, Mr. Gupta was arrested while traveling to Prague at the end of June and has been charged with murder for hire, which he denies. The killing was not carried out.”

The editorial then noted: “The plot was unfolding just when another Sikh separatist leader, Hardeep Singh Nijjar, was killed outside a Sikh temple in British Columbia. Nijjar was an associate of Mr. Pannun. According to the indictment, on June 20, two days before Mr. Modi spoke at the White House, the chief plotter, now identified as Mr. Yadav, sent Mr. Gupta a news article about the Canada murder and told him the assassination of Mr. Pannun is a “priority now.” Prime Minister Justin Trudeau announced in September that Canada had “credible evidence” of India’s involvement in Nijjar’s death.”

The editorial accuses the Biden administration of treating the India case with kid gloves, noting that while CIA Director William J. Burns and other officials have demanded accountability, no expulsions, sanctions or other penalties have been imposed against India.

The editorial said that the United States needed stronger laws and other measures to fight transnational repression, adding that the U.S. Congress is considering legislation and should act.

It pointed out: “How the India case is handled will also send an important signal. If it turns out that India’s security officers plotted to murder on these shores and then escape accountability and punishment for doing so, others will be encouraged to kill with impunity. The United States cannot let this happen.”