Presence of Indian diplomat in Surrey sparks protest following murder of prominent Sikh leader
CTV
Dozens of members of the Lower Mainland’s Sikh community gathered to protest the presence of an Indian diplomat in Surrey on Friday night.
Dozens of members of the Lower Mainland’s Sikh community gathered to protest the presence of an Indian diplomat in Surrey on Friday night.
India’s High Commissioner to Canada Sanjay Kumar was the keynote speaker at a Surrey Board of Trade event inside Guildford’s Sheraton Hotel.
But outside, hundreds of protesters were accusing him of the high-profile murder of Hardeep Singh Nijjar, a prominent pro-Khalistan activist who was shot dead outside of the Surrey gurdwara where he served as president last summer.
"From day one, we were saying India is behind this,” said Bhupinder Hothi, the general secretary of Guru Nanak Gurdwara.
In September, Prime Minister Justin Trudeau told the House of Commons that there was credible intelligence suggesting India was involved.
The comments sparked serious tensions between the two governments.
“If our own prime minister is telling us these are the allegations, this is what’s happening, then why wouldn’t we all believe him?”
