3 accused of killing Sikh activist to appear in B.C. court today

Three Indian nationals accused of murdering Sikh activist Hardeep Singh Nijjar are due to face court Tuesday over the killing that triggered a major diplomatic rift with India.

Karanpreet Singh, Kamalpreet Singh and Karan Brar were arrested in Edmonton last week and are scheduled to appear in Surrey Provincial Court at 9:30 a.m. PT.

Each of them are facing charges of first-degree murder and conspiracy to murder.

Nijjar, an advocate for an independent Sikh homeland and president of the Guru Nanak Sikh Gurdwara, was shot dead in his pickup truck while leaving the temple's parking lot in Surrey, B.C., last June.

• What we know about the arrests and investigation into Hardeep Singh Nijjar's killing (new window)

In September, Prime Minister Justin Trudeau told the House of Commons that credible intelligence suggested that the Indian government played a role in the killing, which it denies.

Police who announced the arrests last week said investigations about a possible connection to India's government continue.

Nijjar was a key organizer of unofficial referendums for an independent Sikh state in India and was regarded by India's government as a terrorist.

• A timeline of Canada-India tensions (new window)

Meanwhile, India's envoy to Canada is scheduled to speak publicly Tuesday for the first time since the RCMP made the arrests in Edmonton.

High Commissioner Sanjay Kumar Verma is to address the Montreal Council on Foreign Relations on the theme of current and future relations between India and Canada.

CBC News