- Sunday, May 19, 2024
Both Brar’s family in India and the local police said they learned about the alleged involvement of the youth in the murder through the media.
By: Twinkle Roy
OF THE three Indian men arrested by the Royal Canadian Mounted Police (RCMP) in connection with the killing of Sikh separatist leader Hardeep Singh Nijjar’s in Canada’s British Columbia last June, Karan Brar belongs to Kot Sukhia village near Kotkapura town of Faridkot district of the northern state of Punjab.
The 22-year-old had moved to Edmonton in Canada with a student visa four years ago and has no criminal charges against him in his home country, reports said.
Jasmeet Singh, superintendent of police of Faridkot confirmed that Brar has no criminal case against him and that they came to know about his alleged involvement in the Nijjar murder case through the media, Hindustan Times reported.
The RCMP on Saturday (4) released pictures of Brar, Kamalpreet Singh and Karanpreet Singh, saying the trio were arrested in Edmonton city and charged with first-degree murder, besides conspiracy to commit the Sikh leader’s assassination. The police also unveiled a picture of a Toyota Corolla car, which it said the suspects had used while targeting Nijjar, who was a Canadian citizen.
Read: India foreign minister reacts to Canada arresting 3 men over Nijjar murder
Brar is the only son of his parents. His father Mandeep Singh alias Bansa Brar, a small-scale farmer, passed away last month and his mother Ramandeep Brar, who had gone to Singapore over a year ago, had returned following the demise of her husband. She fell ill after hearing about the arrest of Brar and has been hospitalised, Times of India reported.
Brar had not returned to India even after the death of his father.
According to Brar’s grandfather Balbir Singh Bar, the former had never involved himself in any criminal activities. He also said that the family came to learn about his grandson’s arrest from the media.
Read: Nijjar murder arrests, report on ‘meddling’ puts India under scanner in Canada
The Canadian police are reportedly investigating the link of the Indian trio to the Lawrence Bishnoi gang, which was allegedly involved in the murder of Punjabi singer-turned-politician Sidhu Moose Wala in Punjab in 2022.
Sources in Punjab Police sources said the Bishnoi gang has a strong network in Faridkot district with a number of teenagers pushed into criminal activities, the Hindustan Times report added.
Nijjar, who was the chief of the banned Khalistan Tiger Force, was designated a terrorist by the Indian authorities in 2020.
In September last year, Canadian prime minister Justin Trudeau alleged involvement of Indian agents in the killing of Nijjar – a charge that New Delhi vehemently denied and the incident led to a serious diplomatic row between the two countries, affecting their people-to-people and economic ties.
