Canada must commit to transparency in criminal prosecution of Indian nationals charged with Bhai Hardeep Singh’s murder

(Ottawa, ON: 8 Phagun, Nanakshahi 557 | February 19, 2026 CE) – Sikhs across the country are expressing grave concern about reports that the Attorney General of Canada has applied to the Federal Court to withhold relevant evidence in the criminal prosecution of four Indian nationals charged in the muder of Bhai Hardeep Singh Nijjar in June 2023. 

Citing concerns that disclosure “would be injurious to international relations and national security,” the Department of Justice is seeking to prohibit disclosure of relevant information related to the murder. While the Canada Evidence Act does allow for such applications to be considered by the courts, the Government of Canada must consider the significant public interest in understanding the breadth and depth of India’s involvement in orchestrating this murder in Canada. 

Past government practice has used these same justifications to scrub any mention of India’s clandestine operations from the public record. This raises concerns that the Attorney General’s application may seek to once again withhold evidence of Indian government involvement in this case while the government continues to court India for trade deals. 

Alongside maintaining confidentiality and security of national security information, the Government has a fundamental responsibility to ensure public transparency regarding the targeted assassination of a Sikh leader in Canada by the agents of a foreign government which has been followed by an ongoing wave of terror and violence in Sikh communities across the country. If the government chooses to withhold important information about the assassination, it will be repeating the mistakes of successive Canadian governments by choosing to protect Indian officials rather than the Canadian communities that are being targeted.

There is evidence on the public record that Canadian agencies knew about Indian clandestine operations targeting the Sikh community for decades. This information was repeatedly and consciously suppressed from public discourse until 2023. Public reports document that Canadian agencies knew about increasingly aggressive Indian intelligence networks in Canada as early as 2016 but government officials directed CSIS not to take threat reduction measures against them due to potential adverse impacts on trade deals and PM Trudeau’s trip to India in 2018. Ironically, a 2019 NSICOP report—purportedly created to provide public oversight and transparency over national security issues, was intentionally redacted to scrub out every single reference to India’s nefarious activities.

National Spokesperson of Sikh Federation, Bhai Moninder Singh, stated:

This continued prioritization of trade over Charter rights and domestic security has led to restrictions on public transparency and therefore created a vulnerable landscape where Indian intelligence operations have been able to flourish without adequate response or public education. The implications of such a decision are profound and have led to the Government of Canada actually facilitating Indian violence in Canada by shrouding Indian operations in secrecy and creating an environment in which foreign actors can operate with impunity. The assassination of Bhai Hardeep Singh Nijjar has become the focal point of India’s long-standing campaign to intimidate and eliminate Khalistan voices abroad. If Canada hides the truth, it sends a message that foreign governments can commit violence here and expect protection rather than prosecution. 

For media inquiries, please contact: info@sikhfederation.ca.