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Killing of Hardeep Singh Nijjar and India-Canada diplomatic crisis, 2023-2026

The killing of a Canadian Sikh separatist leader led to mutual diplomatic expulsions and unresolved allegations of Indian state involvement.

What happened

Hardeep Singh Nijjar, a Canadian citizen and Sikh separatist leader, was fatally shot in Surrey, British Columbia, in June 2023.[1]

In September 2023, Canada alleged "credible" links between Indian government agents and the killing; India rejected the allegations and both countries expelled diplomats.[2]

Further reporting in March 2026 alleged Indian consular involvement; India again rejected the allegations, while Canadian Sikh organizations called for the investigation to extend to Indian officials.[3]

Sources for this page

Each number marks a specific claim. Notes give the source, its locator and how it relates to the claim.

  1. 1.

    Claim: Hardeep Singh Nijjar, an Indian-born Canadian citizen and a leader of a movement advocating for an independent Sikh homeland (a movement banned in India), was fatally shot outside a Sikh temple he led in Surrey, British Columbia, in June 2023.

    • Who was Hardeep Singh Nijjar and what just happened between Canada and India? (CNN) link, The Killing section. Source record
  2. 2.

    Claim: In September 2023, Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau stated there were "credible allegations" linking agents of the Indian government to Nijjar's killing, leading both countries to expel diplomats; India rejected the allegations as "absurd" while describing Nijjar as having been involved in what it characterized as terrorism. These are presented here as attributed allegations and denials, not adjudicated fact, and the matter remained the subject of ongoing criminal proceedings against several individually charged suspects as of the sources reviewed.

    • Who was Hardeep Singh Nijjar and what just happened between Canada and India? (CNN) link, The Allegations and India's Response sections. Source record
  3. 3.

    Claim: In March 2026, further reporting alleged that Indian consular officials had supplied information used in planning Nijjar's killing; India's External Affairs Ministry rejected the allegations as "baseless, politically motivated and unsupported by credible evidence," while the World Sikh Organization of Canada called the report "a grave attack on Canadian sovereignty" and urged an investigation extending to Indian government officials. These remain attributed, contested claims rather than adjudicated findings.

    • Sikh group in Canada slams India over new report into 2023 activist killing (Al Jazeera) link, Investigation Status and Sikh Community Reaction sections. Source record

Source note

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