NDP Leader Jagmeet Singh is calling on Minister of Public Safety Marco Mendicino to investigate the killing of Hardeep Singh Nijjar, a prominent member of the Sikh community in Surrey, B.C., amid reports he was warned by Canadian intelligence officials that his life was in danger prior to his death.
Nijjar, president of the Guru Nanak Sikh Gurdwara, one of the largest Sikh temples in Canada, was found with multiple gunshot wounds in a vehicle at the Gurdwara Sunday evening.
"Following this brazen act of violence, the Sikh community feels even more worried and unsafe than they had previously," to Minister of Public Safety Marco Mendicino. "As Public Safety Minister, you have the responsibility to do everything in your power to ensure every Canadan feels safe."
He said he was calling on Mendicino's department to "do everything within your power to get to the bottom of this murder" and to investigate allegations that recently surfaced in media reports, "which come just a few weeks after the National Security Advisor to the Prime Minister described India as one of the top sources of foreign interference targeting Canadians.鈥�
New York based lawyer Gurpatwant Singh Pannun said in a statement Tuesday that he had spoken to Nijjar the day before he was killed. The Canadian Press reported that Pannun said Nijjar told him he had been organizing an unofficial Khalistan referendum vote seeking a separate Sikh state, and that he had received threats to their safety in relation to a reward being offered by the Indian government for Nijjar's arrest.
According to Pannun, Nijjar said that "gangsters" told him they were both on a hit list. Nijjar also said that the Canadian Security Intelligence Service (CSIS) had reached out to him to warn him about being targeted for assassination by "mercenaries."
CTVNews.ca has reached out to Mendicino's office for comment, but has not yet received a response.
Pannun is general counsel to the advocacy group Sikhs for Justice, and said he believes the killing of Nijjar was ordered by Indian officials.
The Indian government has alleged that Nijjar was involved in "violent or criminal activities in India or elsewhere." India's counterterrorism organization, the National Investigation Agency (NIA), announced in 2016 a cash reward of roughly C$16,000 for anyone who could give them information that could lead to the arrest of Nijjar, accusing him of terrorism and conspiring to murder a Hindu priest in India. The NIA have not responded to The Canadian Press鈥� request for comment.
Nijjar was attacked when he was leaving the parking lot of Guru Nanak Sikh Gurdwara on 120th Street in Surrey around 8:30 p.m., police say. Hundreds attended a vigil for Nijjar in Surrey on Monday.
Surrey Centre MP Randeep Sarai said on Twitter on Tuesday that he was "saddened and shocked" by the shooting.
"While this is an active RCMP investigation, I encourage anyone who knows anything about it to contact the RCMP as they take steps to ensure those responsible are brought to justice."
Police have said they are aware of speculation surrounding the motives for the attack, but are relying on evidence to direct the case.
With files from The Canadian Press
