Man charged with murder of Sikh activist arrested near site of planned Sikh gathering in Ontario

The arrest in Brampton, Ont. on Nov. 3, 2023 of Amandeep Singh — one of four men charged in connection with a killing that Ottawa has linked directly with the government of Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi — happened just one day before a wedding in that city brought together a who's-who of New Delhi's Sikh enemies list, CBC News has learned.

Singh was arrested four and a half months after Hardeep Singh Nijjar — a prominent Sikh-Canadian activist, president of the Guru Nanak Sikh Gurdwara in Surrey, B.C. and a key proponent of the Khalistani movement, which campaigns for a Sikh state independent from India — was shot dead in the parking lot of the gurdwara on June 18, 2023.

Prime Minister Justin Trudeau has said repeatedly there is credible information pointing to the Indian government's involvement in Nijjar's death.

Amandeep Singh initially was charged only with firearms, drug and breach offences. He spent six months in pre-trial detention before he was hit with an additional first-degree murder charge in the Nijjar case.

Nijjar had been warned by RCMP that his life was in danger.

The Nov. 4, 2023 wedding of the son of a prominent Khalistani activist at a gurdwara in Brampton was attended by a number of people who also have reason to believe that their lives are in danger from the government of India, including some who have received "Duty to Warn" letters from the RCMP.

The RCMP issues "Duty to Warn" letters under a B.C. law that directs authorities to notify people when they become aware of a threat to their safety. The legislation that governs such notifications says the danger "must be a risk that is likely to happen."

Sikh insiders say the community expected that the man assumed to be one of India's top-priority targets, U.S.-Canadian citizen Gurpatwant Singh Pannun, would be at the wedding as one of the oldest and closest friends of the groom's father.

According to a U.S. federal indictment unsealed in November, Indian agents already tried to kill Pannun in New York City, but made the mistake of trying to hire a hitman through a U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration confidential informant.

In any event, Pannun informed the wedding hosts shortly before the ceremony that he would not attend because of security concerns.

On Sept. 10, 2023, the group Sikhs for Justice held one of a series of referendums on Punjabi independence from India.

The symbolic referendums have been met with angry statements from officials in Prime Minister Modi's government. Pannun and Nijjar organized the referendum.

In Surrey, the polling station was overwhelmed by the high turnout and many local Sikhs were turned away without being able to cast a ballot.

A public meeting was held at the Guru Nanak Sikh Gurdwara, previously led by Nijjar, to schedule a second round of voting for Oct 29, 2023.