Canadian Court Sees First Appearance of Three Indian Nationals Accused of Killing Khalistan Separatist

Three Indian nationals accused of killing Khalistan separatist Hardeep Singh Nijjar in 2023 appeared before a Canadian court for the first time via video link. Karan Brar, Kamalpreet Singh, and Karanpreet Singh, all residents of Edmonton, were charged with first-degree murder and conspiracy to commit murder. The court granted a no-contact order, preventing the accused from communicating with seven individuals, including Nijjar’s son Balraj Nijjar.

Meanwhile, External Affairs Minister S. Jaishankar emphasized that the incident was due to Canada’s internal politics and not related to India. India’s relations with Canada have been tense since Prime Minister Justin Trudeau’s allegations of Indian involvement in Nijjar’s killing, which India dismissed as baseless.