Newly revealed threats against Sikh activists in Canada, U.S. boost urgency to solve Nijjar's death

The high-profile killing of a Canadian citizen who advocated for an independent Sikh homeland has prompted revelations from fellow activists that police warned them of threats to their own lives in the wake of his death.

Hardeep Singh Nijjar was shot to death in Surrey, B.C., on June 18. Three months later, Prime Minister Justin Trudeau made an explosive allegation when he said Ottawa believed the Indian government had involvement in Nijjar's killing.

India publicly denied any involvement, prompting deteriorating relations between the two countries.

Since then, stories have emerged from Sikh activists in Canada and the U.S. who say law enforcement officials warned them they were in danger after Nijjar was killed. The suspected source of the threats wasn't identified.

In Canada, Gurmeet Singh Toor — described as a close associate of Niijar — was notified in late August that his life could be in jeopardy. After Niijar's death, Toor began actively campaigning to secure votes in a non-binding vote in B.C. in support of an independent Sikh state, also known as Khalistan.  

The police-delivered warning to Toor was made public by Sikhs For Justice, a pro-Khalistan activist group.

On Wednesday, Toor confirmed the information to CBC News. He said the warning has left him worried for his safety and hyper-vigilant of his surroundings.

Pritpal Singh, an activist who lives in California, received his warning in the days following Nijjar's death via a phone call from the FBI.

The call was brief and conveyed there was "a danger to your life," Singh told CBC News in a recent interview. 

He later met with two Federal Bureau of Investigation agents, who repeated the warning and advised him to keep security top of mind.

Agents did not say where the threat originated, Singh said. He added: "We have no enmity locally or anything like that." 

According to a story published by The Guardian, New York-based journalist Amarjit Singh also received an FBI warning days after Nijjar's death. 

"It was a warning. They said no travel, just keep yourself safe," he told the newspaper.

Douglas C. Ligor, a behavioural and social scientist at the RAND Corporation, said that when U.S. authorities share this type of information, they must balance national security interests with the need to protect people under threat.