Canada is a rule-of-law country with a strong and independent justice system, Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau said in his first reaction to the arrest of three Indian nationals in connection with the murder of Khalistani terrorist Hardeep Singh Nijjar in June last year.
“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,” Justin Trudeau was quoted as saying by CBS on Saturday.
“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,” the Canadian prime minister added.
His remarks came hours after the Royal Canadian Mounted Police (RCMP) said that authorities in the Integrated Homicide Investigative Team (IHIT) and the Federal Policing Program Pacific Region had arrested three Indians in connection with the Nijjar killing.
In a statement, the RCMP said, “The work doesn’t end here and, as the investigation continues, I will underscore that there are separate and distinct investigations ongoing.”
The arrested Indian nationals have allegedly played different roles as shooters, drivers and spotters on the day Nijjar was killed at the parking lot of Guru Nanak Sikh Gurdwara in Surrey, British Columbia.
The Canadian media identified the arrested persons as Kamalpreet Singh, Karanpreet Singh and Karan Brar.
The police have charged them with first-degree murder and conspiracy in the Nijjar case but the charges have not been tested in the court.
Reacting to the arrests, External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar said that the suspects apparently are “Indians of some kind of gang background” but added New Delhi will wait for the police to share details in this regard.
“We’ll have to wait for the police to tell us,” Dr Jaishankar said, according to Reuters.
“But, as I said, one of our concerns which we have been telling them is that, you know, they have allowed organised crime from India, specifically from Punjab, to operate in Canada,” the minister added.
The murder of the Khalistani terrorist had become a major flashpoint in the diplomatic relations between India and Canada last year after Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau alleged the Indian government’s hand in it.
Trudeau told the country’s Parliament that Ottawa has “credible allegations” of the involvement of Indian government agents in Nijjar’s killing.
New Delhi vehemently rejected his allegations, terming them “absurd” and “politically motivated”. India also demanded evidence from Canada to back Trudeau’s claim, but they failed to provide any.