In Canada on Monday (October 21, 2024), two gangsters pleaded guilty to the murder of Ripudaman Singh Malik in July 2022. Along with this, the charge was brought by Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau against India last year. Trudeau tried to blame India for the murder of Khalistan terrorist Hardeep Singh Nijjar. India has previously said that it is making such allegations due to vote bank politics.
There is a mutual rivalry and gangster connection between the murders of Malik and Nijjar, accused in the Air India Kanishka bombing case promoted by the Trudeau government. Nijjar was murdered in a Gurudwara parking lot in June 2023, and Trudeau blamed India for it without any concrete evidence.
RCMP investigation into Malik’s murder
The Royal Canadian Mounted Police (RCMP) has also been investigating India’s alleged role in Malik’s murder. On October 21, two gangsters, Tanner Fox and Jose Lopez, pleaded guilty to Malik’s murder in the Supreme Court of British Columbia. Neither of them are of Indian origin. Investigators say the gangsters were not directly employed by Indian diplomats.
Ripudaman Singh Malik, who was acquitted in the 2005 Kanishka bombing case, later turned pro-India. In 2022, Malik wrote a letter to Prime Minister Narendra Modi, thanking him for bringing justice to the Sikh riots in 1984 and opening the Kartarpur corridor. This pro-India thinking of Malik has irritated Khalistan supporters, especially Hardeep Singh Nijjar.
Malik-Nijjar dispute over printing of holy book
There was also a dispute between Malik and Nijjar over the printing of Sri Guru Granth Sahib. Malik obtained the rights to print the Guru Granth Sahib in Canada, which infuriated Nijjar and another Khalistan leader, Moninder Singh Boyle. According to a September 2023 Hindustan Times report, Nijjar and Boyle campaigned against Malik and described him as a “traitor to the community”.
Gang-Khalistani connection
Nijjar had links with Khalistan gangsters and terrorists Arshdeep Dalla and Lakhbir Singh Sandhu. India has designated both of them as terrorists. India has long warned Canada about the Punjabi gangs, but the Trudeau government ignored it.
Trudeau government accused of voting on banking policy
The Sikh population in Canada is 2%, but this has an impact in many places. The Trudeau government is dependent on the support of New Democratic Party (NDP) leader Jagmeet Singh. Jagmeet is considered a Khalistan supporter. Malik’s family believes his murder was a “contract killing” and has called for the perpetrator to be punished as well. “Tanner Fox and Jose Lopez were hired to commit this murder.
Is Nijjar’s murder a revenge for Malik’s murder?
According to former Canadian national security adviser Jody Thomas, Nijjar’s murder may have been a revenge for Malik’s murder. “The initial investigation into Nijjar’s murder indicated that it may have been in retaliation for Malik’s murder,” Thomas said.
When Trudeau accused India of involvement in Nijjar’s murder in 2023, he had no concrete evidence. Despite India reaching out to Canada for evidence several times, nothing was forthcoming. The charges brought against India by the Trudeau government are an attempt to shift the blame to India in a case based on gang warfare.
