A public inquiry into India’s violence in Canada is the only way to ensure full transparency and restore broken trust

੩੦ ਸਾਵਣ, ਨਾਨਕਸ਼ਾਹੀ ੫੫੭

(New Westminster, BC: 30 Saavan, Nanakshahi 557 | August 14, 2025 CE) – Sikhs across Canada continue to reiterate calls for an independent inquiry into India’s transnational repression and violence as lawyers for the four men accused of murdering Bhai Hardeep Singh Nijjar appeared before the Supreme Court of British Columbia this morning.

The Sikh community’s long-standing demand for an independent public inquiry into the assassination of Bhai Hardeep Singh Nijjar and India’s broader campaign of transnational repression in Canada is a crucial next step while the criminal matter slowly proceeds through the courts. Canadians deserve to know the details of how a Sikh leader and a Canadian citizen was murdered in broad daylight outside his Gurdwara, in an operation that Canadian authorities themselves have linked to agents of the Indian State.

This operation was part of a well-documented pattern of foreign interference, disinformation, and targeted repression carried out by Indian intelligence networks operating under diplomatic cover. Canadian intelligence agencies have confirmed this. And yet, successive governments have failed to act decisively. Instead, they have buried evidence, redacted intelligence assessments, and shielded India’s culpability from public scrutiny in the past—choosing foreign policy expediency over democratic accountability.

The situation is made worse by Prime Minister Mark Carney’s decision this June to invite and host Narendra Modi at the G7 Summit in Alberta, followed by an agreement to reappoint HighCommissioners and resume diplomatic services—without any acknowledgement of India’s role in Bhai Hardeep Singh's killing, nor any cooperation secured from Indian officials. The restoration of diplomatic ties with India, who is behind the politically motivated assassination of Bhai Hardeep Singh Nijjar, creates an ongoing threat to security, justice, and the rule of law in Canada.

Sikhs in Canada call on the Government of Canada to commit to establishing a fully independent public inquiry into the assassination of Bhai Hardeep Singh Nijjar and India’s broader campaign of transnational repression in Canada. This process must publicly disclose the nature and scope of India’s clandestine activities, including how Canadian agencies and decision-makers responded to these threats prior to the June 2023 assassination.

Bhai Moninder Singh, National Spokesperson of the Sikh Federation (Canada) commented:

“While a successful prosecution of the culprits will bring a measure of limited closure to the Sikhcommunity in Canada, criminal proceedings are not the only nor the most effective means to ensure transparency, accountability, and the safety of the community against ongoing threats from the Government of India and their agents. In October 2024 the RCMP clearly stated that a wave of violence in the form of threats, extortions, and assassinations was the work of agents of the Government of India and that threat to Canada and Canadians remains very real today. A public inquiry is necessary to objectively and transparently disclose all of the relevant facts in order to effectively protect Canadians from India and their campaign of violence on Canadian soil.”

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please contact: info@sikhfederation.ca.