The Sikh separatist whose killing in British Columbia this summer has suddenly set off a major diplomatic dispute between Canada and India was a prominent advocate of the creation of an independent nation, Khalistan, that would include parts of India’s Punjab State.
Decades later, the Indian government declared him a terrorist, accusing him of plotting a violent attack in India linked to his advocacy.
And in June, two masked assailants killed him in front of a Sikh temple in Surrey, British Columbia, a city on the border with Washington.
Mr. Nijjar was born in the district of Jalandhar in the North Indian state of Punjab.
In Canada, he married, had two sons, worked as a plumber and became the president of the Guru Nanak Sikh Gurdwara, a temple in Surrey, in 2020.
Persons:
Hardeep Singh Nijjar, Nijjar, Nanak
Locations:
British Columbia, Canada, India, India’s Punjab State, Surrey, Washington, Jalandhar, Punjab