Members of the Sikh Community from British Columbia crowded a Surrey courtroom on Tuesday as three Indian nationals accused of Sikh separatist leader Hardeep Singh Nijjar’s killing made their first court appearance by video, according to Globe and Mail, a Canada-based news website.
As the trio, dressed in orange jumpsuits, appeared before court, pro-Khalistani protesters chanted slogans and held placards, outside the Surrey provincial court, blaming India’s government for the killing.
Judge Delaram Jahani questioned the three suspects, Karan Brar, Karanpreet Singh, and Kamalpreet Singh, in brief.
Through their attorneys, Brar and Karanpreet Singh decided to appear again on May 21.
The court, however, is yet to decide on a new date for Kamalpreet Singh who has sought legal counsel, the Globe and Mail reported.
The three men were taken into custody in Edmonton last week on Friday and are accused of first-degree murder and murderous conspiracy in connection with the June 2023 shooting of Nijjar, which severely damaged Canada’s relations with India.
India and Canada are dealing with an unprecedented diplomatic crisis, after the Canadian Prime Minister accused agents of the Indian government of killing Nijjar. However, India has dismissed the accusations as “absurd” and “motivated.”Nijjar was shot and killed after he stepped out of a gurdwara in Surrey, in Surrey a suburb in Vancouver, in June last year.
A video clip of his killing reportedly surfaced in March this year, purportedly showing Nijjar being fatally shot by assailants, in what was claimed to be ‘contract killing’.
Canadian police, last week, released photographs of all three persons arrested in the killing of India-designated terrorist, Nijjar last year amid an ongoing probe into alleged connections of the Indian government.
Along with photographs of the three accused, the Canadian police also released the photographs of the car believed to have been used by the suspects in the time leading up to the homicide, in and around the Surrey area.