Hardeep Singh Nijjar (1977–2023), known simply as Nijjar, was an Indian-born Canada-based Khalistani extremist who was the chief of the Khalistan Tiger Force (KTF), a Sikh extremist terrorist group. He was one of the most wanted terrorists in India. He died on 18 June 2023 in Canada.
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Wiki/Biography
Hardeep Singh Nijjar was born on Tuesday, 11 October 1977 (age 45 at the time of death) in Bhar Singh Pura village, Jalandhar, Punjab. His zodiac sign is Libra.
Physical Appearance
Height (Approx): 5′ 6″
Hair Color: Salt and Pepper
Eye colour: dark brown
Family
Hardeep Singh Nijjar belonged to a Sikh family from Jalandhar, Punjab, who migrated to Canada in 1996.
parents and siblings
His father’s name is Piara Singh.
wife and children
There is not much information about his marital status.
Religion
Hardeep Singh Nijjar followed Sikh religion.
Address
He lived at 12551 89-A AVE, Surrey, BC-1A9, Canada.
Participation in Khalistani movement
According to sources, after Hardeep Singh Nijjar moved to Canada with his family, he used to earn his living by working as a plumber. Hardeep Singh was one of the masterminds involved in the 2010 Satyanarayan Temple bomb blast in Patiala, in which several people were injured. In 2013-14, Nijjar went to Pakistan, where he met Jagtar Singh Tara, the then Commander in Chief of Khalistani Tiger Force (KTF). On January 23, 2015, the Indian government issued a Look Out Circular (LOC) against Nijjar, following which the Indian government asked the Canadian government to extradite him to India.
Hardeep getting photographed with AK-47
In December 2015, Indian intelligence agencies informed the Canadian government about a small arms training camp organized by the Nijjar-led KTF in British Columbia, but Canadian authorities took no action against Hardeep, citing lack of evidence. Nijjar rejected the Indian government’s claims in an interview and said,
I am a Sikh nationalist who believes in and supports the right of the Sikhs to self-determination and independence of Indian-occupied Punjab through a future referendum. I have never believed in, supported or engaged in any violent activity. For the last several years I have been actively highlighting human rights violations against Sikhs in India. Some of my activities include campaigning for recognition of the 1984 anti-Sikh violence as genocide; To raise awareness about atrocities and extrajudicial killings of Sikhs by Indian security forces; and, as mentioned above, advocacy of the right to self-determination of the Sikhs in Indian-occupied Punjab.”
On 14 March 2016, the National Investigation Agency (NIA) issued a Red Corner Notice (RCN) against him. In April 2018, he was taken into custody by Canadian law enforcement agencies; However, he was released after some time due to lack of actionable evidence. After this Nijjar became the President of Guru Nanak Sikh Gurdwara in Surrey, Canada. It was reported that he did this by pressurizing the Gurdwara committee to elect him as president. Subsequently, he collaborated with the banned Canadian organization Sikhs for Justice (SFJ) and played an important role in organizing Referendum-2020 in Brampton, Canada.
A photo of Hardeep Singh Nijjar taken during Referendum-2020 in Brampton, Canada
The same year, the Captain Amarinder Singh-led Punjab government confiscated property in Nijjar’s native village. It was told that the government has confiscated 11 kanals and 13.5 marlas of land. In July 2020, the NIA designated him as an individual terrorist. In 2022, NIA announced a reward of Rs. A fine of Rs 10 lakh was imposed on Hardeep Nijjar after a charge sheet was filed against him for the murder of Kamaldeep Sharma, a Hindu priest in Jalandhar, Punjab.
A snapshot of the charge sheet filed by the National Investigation Agency (NIA) against Nijjar
The same year, he was chargesheeted by the NIA for conspiring to murder Ripudaman Singh Malik, one of the accused in the 1985 Air India bombing. Subsequently, he was appointed as the director of Sikhs for Justice (SFJ). According to sources, Nijjar played a key role in organizing and carrying out the anti-India protests outside the Indian Embassy in Canada in 2023. Hardeep allegedly worked with Lawrence Bishnoi by providing logistics to his gang members posted outside India. Additionally, Nijjar was also affiliated with the Khalistani group Babbar Khalsa International (BKI).
Death
On June 18, 2023, at around 8.27 pm, Hardeep Singh Nijjar was shot dead by two unidentified gunmen at the Guru Nanak Sikh Gurdwara complex in Surrey, Canada. According to sources, Nijjar was murdered due to the infighting between various Khalistani organizations in Canada.
Facts/General Knowledge
- According to sources, Nijjar was considered to be the next key figure of the banned separatist group Sikhs for Justice (SFJ) after Gurpatwant Singh Pannun, one of the key leaders of the Khalistan movement.
- It is reported that Hardeep Singh Nijjar joined terrorism after joining Babbar Khalsa International (BKI).
- In 2012, Nijjar presented a petition with over 20,000 signatures at the United Nations General Assembly (UNGA) in Geneva, Switzerland, demanding an independent investigation into the 1984 anti-Sikh riots in India.
- According to reports, Nijjar had conspired to murder Baba Bhaniyara, a religious leader, in 2014.
- According to some sources, he trained a gangster, Mandeep Singh Dhaliwal, in a training camp held in Canada in 2015.
- Nijjar reportedly joined hands with Canada-based gangster named Arsh Dalla in November 2020. According to police officials, they were involved in the murder of Dera Sacha Sauda follower Manohar Lal, which took place in Lal’s office in Bhagat Bhai Ka. Punjab, in 2021.
- In 2021, he received the Radical Desi Medal of Courage for his contribution to the Khalistani movement.
- According to reports, more than 10 FIRs were filed against him for his involvement in activities like identifying, linking, training and funding Khalistani cells in India.
- In September 2023, Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau expelled an Indian diplomat after he accused India of using its intelligence agency, RAW, to murder Nijjar. In retaliation, the Indian government also expelled a senior Canadian diplomat, following which the Canadian government clarified that the purpose of expelling the Indian diplomat from Canada was not to provoke India, but to ask them to handle the matter appropriately and without violence. Had to request for solution.
- In the same year, Congress MP Ravneet Singh Bittu had claimed that Justin Trudeau’s party had received funds from many terrorists including Nijjar. Bittu further alleged that Nijjar came to Canada from India in 1993 and was the right-hand man of the killers who killed his grandfather Beant Singh in 1995.
- In 2023, Canadian politician Jagmeet Singh pledged to seek justice for Nijjar; He expressed his dedication to the cause through a post on social media following Justin Trudeau’s remarks. Jagmeet Singh stressed that he will leave no stone unturned, even if it means holding Prime Minister Narendra Modi accountable in the process. The post read,
Today we learned of allegations that agents of the Indian government murdered Hardeep Singh Nijjar – a Canadian citizen murdered on Canadian soil. I will leave no stone unturned in the pursuit of justice, including holding Narendra Modi accountable.
- In 2023, the US Justice Department accused an Indian named Nikhil Gupta of plotting the murder of Gurpatwant Singh Pannun, a lawyer and Khalistani terrorist in New York. The indictment released by the US Department of Justice revealed that Nikhil, who planned the assassination in collaboration with an Indian agent known as CC-1, had once told an alleged ‘hitman’ that Hardeep Singh Nijjar was also a target; Nikhil had initially contacted the hitman to kill Pannun; However, he later turns out to be an undercover American law enforcement officer.
Categories: Biography
Source: vcmp.edu.vn