Indian national accused of Nijjar murder attacked in Canadian detention centre

An Indian national detained in connection with the killing of pro-Khalistan activist Hardeep Singh Nijjar was reportedly attacked in a detention centre in Canada, local media reported.

According to a report in the Indo-Canadian Voice, one of the three accused was “assaulted at the Surrey Pretrial Centre” and the incident most likely occurred in the gymnasium.

Police had arrested three of the four accused in connection with Nijjar's murder, which is believed to have taken place in Surrey, British Columbia, on June 18, 2023. The trio are currently in custody while the cases against them are pending trial.

According to The Voice, British Columbia's Ministry of Public Safety and Attorney General neither confirmed nor denied that the incident occurred, nor released information related to the incident, citing “privacy laws and security considerations.”

Police arrested 22-year-old Karan Brar, 22-year-old Kamalpreet Singh and 28-year-old Karanpreet Singh in Edmonton, Alberta on May 3.

The fourth defendant, 22-year-old Amandeep Singh, was charged with Nijjar's killing on May 11 while he remained in custody after being arrested by Peel Regional Police in November 2023 on unrelated weapons and drug charges.

All four appeared before a judge in Surrey Provincial Court on August 7, but their trial was adjourned until October 1.

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The four defendants were accused of having deliberately acted against the perpetrator and of having been involved in the commission of murder.

The deputy director of the federal police program in the Pacific, David Teboul, said on May 3 that “separate and independent investigations are underway,” including “investigating links to the Indian government.”

The Canadian Integrated Homicide Investigation Team (IHIT) is investigating the case.

(With contributions from agencies)