Surrey temple president denounces reports accusing him of link to Malik murder
VANCOUVER — The president of Surrey’s Guru Nanak Sikh temple said Monday that he has contacted his lawyer about Indian news reports speculating that he is somehow linked to last week’s murder of Ripudaman Singh Malik.
Hardeep Singh Nijjar told Postmedia News that he got along with Malik and even sent his son to Khalsa School, of which Malik was a founder and long-time director.
Yet several Indian news reports have repeated allegations that Nijjar is a separatist extremist linked to crimes in India, and quoted Indian intelligence officials suggesting a link to the Malik murder.
Nijjar’s New York lawyer, Gurpatwant Singh Pannun, said Monday that he couldn’t yet comment on any actions he might take on his client’s behalf.
But he said Nijjar “is being vindictively targeted and accused of crimes solely based on dissenting political opinions.”
“Since Nijjar is organizing the Khalistan Referendum campaign in Canada, the Indian government wants to use its resources to shut down his voice,” said Pannun.
Malik, a controversial community leader and acquitted Air India bombing suspect, was shot to death Thursday about 9:30 a.m. as he arrived at the Surrey office of his Papillon company in a plaza on 128th Street.
The Integrated Homicide Investigation Team has urged the public not to speculate about a motive in the killing.
Investigators later released video of a white Honda CRV circling the building 80 minutes earlier, with the suspected killer or killers inside. The vehicle was found in flames minutes after Malik was killed in what has become a hallmark of gangland slayings on the Lower Mainland.
Within a day, news reports in India speculated Nijjar might have been involved, quoting Indian intelligence sources.
India has alleged Nijjar is a Canadian leader of the Khalistan Tiger Force that has been responsible for terrorist attacks in India. He has denied all such allegations and wrote to Prime Minister Justin Trudeau in 2016 claiming he is being persecuted because of his support for a separate Sikh nation.
Some have also suggested Malik may have been targeted because he and associate Balwant Singh Bhandher had arranged to have the Guru Granth Sahib — the Sikh holy book — printed outside of India without obtaining permission of the Akal Takht, the religion’s highest authority.
But Nijjar said he doubted the issue had anything to do with Malik’s killing. In fact, his temple leadership was asked to pick up the holy books and a printing press from the home of Bhandher almost two years ago.
“The Sri Akal Takht already handled everything,” Nijjar said. And he said all the Canadian gurdwara [temple] councils were united on the issue of the holy books. “That was not my issue only.”
Nijjar said he has received no formal notice of any extradition proceedings related to the allegations made against him in India despite regular Indian news reports levelling accusations against him.
“I am living here since ’97. I did not go back to India,” Nijjar said. “I’m working hard as a plumber and at the temple. … I’m a community servant, right?”
And Nijjar said he has never had any dispute or issue with Malik, a former Sikh separatist who wrote to Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi in January to thank him for resolving some outstanding Sikh grievances and to voice support for a united India.
Prayer services for Malik are being held all week at two Surrey Khalsa Schools.