Trudeau: Canada a ‘rule-of-law country’

Toronto, May 5: Canada is a “rule-of-law country” with a strong and independent justice system and a fundamental commitment to protect its citizens, Prime Minister Justin Trudeau has said, a day after three Indian nationals were charged with the murder of Khalistan separatist Hardeep Singh Nijjar. Nijjar, a Canadian citizen, was shot dead outside a gurdwara in Surrey, British Columbia, on June 18, 2023.

Karan Brar, 22, Kamalpreet Singh, 22, and Karanpreet Singh, 28, all Indian nationals residing in Edmonton have been charged on Friday with first-degree murder and conspiracy to commit murder.

All three will be brought to the Lower Mainland in Vancouver, British Columbia, for a court appearance on Monday, Global News reported. “This is important because Canada is a rule-of-law country with a strong and independent justice system, as well as a fundamental commitment to protecting all its citizens,” Trudeau said about the arrests on Saturday at a Toronto gala organised to celebrate Sikh heritage and culture.

“As the RCMP stated, the investigation remains ongoing, as does a separate and distinct investigation not limited to the involvement of the three people arrested yesterday,” Trudeau said.

Police say they are investigating whether the Indian government was involved, an allegation made by Trudeau in the House of Commons last year, resulting in strained ties between Canada and India.

He said that many in Canada’s Sikh community are feeling unsafe following Nijjar’s killing, adding: “Every Canadian has the fundamental right to live safely and free from discrimination and threats of violence in Canada.”

quoting a source familiar with the reported that Nijjar’s killing was a murder-for-hire and was believed to be tied to the Bishnoi crime group, which has been implicated in drugs, extortion and killings.

Its leader, Lawrence Bishnoi, has been imprisoned in India since 2014 but continues to operate from behind bars, said Shinder Purewal, a political science professor at Kwantlen Polytechnic University in Surrey.