Three suspects have been charged by Canadian police for the murder of a Sikh separatist leader in Vancouver last June, in an incident that sparked a diplomatic row between Ottawa and New Delhi.
Three suspects have been arrested and charged with the murder of Hardeep Singh Nijjar, 45, by masked gunmen in Surrey, near Vancouver.
Royal Canadian Mounted Police Deputy Commissioner David Teboul said police could not comment on the nature of the evidence or the motive.
“This matter is under very active investigation,” Teboul said.
Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau sparked a diplomatic row with India when he said in September that there were “credible allegations” of Indian involvement in the killing.
India angrily denied any involvement.
The three suspects – Kamalpreet Singh, Karan Brar and Karampreet Singh – were arrested in Edmonton, Alberta, the Royal Canadian Mounted Police said.
Superintendent Mandeep Mooker said: “This investigation does not stop here. We are aware that others may have played a role in this homicide and we remain committed to finding and arresting each of these individuals.
Mr. Nijjar, a Canadian citizen of Indian origin, was a leader in what remains of the Khalistan movement – a once-strong group calling for the creation of an independent Sikh homeland. He had denied allegations of links to terrorism.
The Khalistan movement has lost much of its power, but it is still supported by some in India’s northwest state of Punjab and by the Sikh diaspora abroad.
A violent, decade-long Sikh insurgency shook northern India in the 1970s and 1980s and was ultimately crushed by a government crackdown that saw thousands of people, including prominent Sikh leaders, killed.
In recent years, the Indian government has repeatedly warned that Sikh separatists are trying to make a comeback.
Canadian Prime Minister Trudeau sparked a row that saw one of his country’s diplomats expelled from India when he claimed there were “credible allegations” that the Narendra Modi government was behind Mr. Nijjar’s death.
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