How a murder in Surrey, BC spans the globe

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Jordan Heath Rawlings A murder in broad daylight is always shocking, but a targeted killing outside of a crowded temple that has left a community leader dead and geopolitical tensions rising means that reactions have gone well beyond just shock

CLIP *Audio: Protesters chanting Khalistan* Protesters waving Khalistan flags have gathered in front of Vancouver’s Indian consulate calling for justice for Hardeep Singh Nijjar who was fatally shot earlier this week.

Jordan Heath Rawlings In the weeks since his death, the murder of Hardeep Singh Nijjar has spanned the globe, raised fears of retaliation or escalated violence, sparked rumours of government involvement or terrorism links, and in general become the most complex murder case in recent British Columbia history. Who killed Nijjar and why? What’s the larger political context behind his death? How is BC’s Sikh community dealing with the murder, and what might we still learn about a mystery that could take us anywhere from here?

I’m Jordan Heath Rawlings. This is The Big Story. Sonia Aslam is a reporter with City News in Vancouver. She’s been covering this case since it happened. Hello, Sonia.

Sonia Aslam Hello.

Jordan Heath Rawlings Can you take us back to last Sunday, a Sikh temple in Surrey, BC? What happened?

Sonia Aslam So we know at about 8:30 in the evening. So broad daylight, a man named Hardeep Singh Nijjar was leaving the Gurdwara in Surrey as you mentioned. This was a targeted hit. He got in his car and then was shot shortly after. So our partners at OMNI news heard from a friend who was with him at the time and he said, you know, we left. We walked out. He got in his car, I got in mine. And then almost instantly he was gone. He was shot, he was killed. So the integrated homicide investigation team, also known as IHIT, they are the lead on this file. And the last update we had from them was that they were looking for two suspects believed to be wearing, face coverings, and they think they are the ones who are responsible for this killing. They have yet to be found. But that same friend I mentioned says that surveillance video from the area suggests there was more than two suspects. Now, IHIT says it’s not gonna comment on any specifics, but that it is an active investigation and they are, considering all theories, which really just means we may know something, but we can’t tell you anything right now.

Jordan Heath Rawlings Right. And before we get into what we do and don’t know, and what this has done to the community, tell me about the scene. Like as I understand it, this was a packed house?

Sonia Aslam It was a packed house. It was broad daylight. You know, I think people forget 8:30 at night is still sunlight right now. So there’s a lot of people milling around. There’s a lot of people in the area and that’s what’s so confusing about, did no one see what happened or heard maybe how many gunshots went off or anything like that? And I think that’s really the focus for the police right now is if anyone saw anything, please tell us, because that’s their whole thing is we’re not going on rumour and speculation about what may have happened or who maybe was behind it. It’s what do you know when you have to come forward, because that’s the way that they’re trying to handle this. But you’re right, it’s, it’s a busy area. It’s a busy time of day and it’s busy at the temple. A man’s been shot and killed in the parking lot and we still don’t know what happened. That’s really weird.

Jordan Heath Rawlings So tell us about, Hardeep Singh Nijjar. Who was he? Does he leave behind a family? What kind of role did he play in this community? And then maybe afterwards we will talk about why, why this might have been targeted.

Sonia Aslam So he did leave behind a family. He was married, he had two kids, and his role in the community here was pretty big. He was the president of the Gurdwara where he was shot. He was respected by many people, and we’ve seen that in the outpouring of grief since his death. I mean, his funeral was held a week after his shooting, and there were hundreds and hundreds of people, so many people showed up that traffic stopped. And where this temple is in Surrey is a busy thoroughfare. It’s a major road in Surrey. And having that shut down, is a big deal, obviously for more than one reason. So many people were crying. Emotions are running high. Many people had their faces and their hands bent over weeping. Weeping very loudly. And the other thing to keep in mind here is he was pretty young. He was 45. So definitely his death has really struck a chord with people, especially those who attend services at the Temple. You really get the sense of just how close knit everyone is. People looked up to him, and the loss that’s being felt is coming across as huge it, it’s a huge hole that’s been left behind and people also rallied at the Indian Consulate in Vancouver the same day of his funeral. So it’s not something that’s just being felt in one community. It’s not just being felt in Surrey. It’s being felt across the lower mainland and probably very much in other parts of the world.

Jordan Heath Rawlings So this is still a relatively young man, a family man. Somebody who is, as you said, you know, meant a ton to the community, was, appears to be well loved. Why might somebody have targeted him?

Sonia Aslam I mean, he has a very controversial past. He was a well-known activist. He was pro Khalistan and he was a wanted man by the Indian government, and I know that police are being really clear once again, stressing over and over again. Every time we ask them for an update, they’re not willing to do a deep dive into any of the rumours and speculation and just what we’re hearing from people in the community. They’re not willing to go there. They’re really just saying, we’re gonna stick to the evidence. But he was a wanted man by the Indian government, as I mentioned, reports out of that country say that a reward was posted to capture him in connection to actually commit terrorist acts in India. He was on a wanted list over there we have another report that says, back in 2016, while in BC he was accused of running a terror training camp just outside of Metro Vancouver. And this was in a bid to carry out a potential attack overseas back in in India. So he was adamant that those allegations were not true, and apparently he wrote a letter. He reached out to Prime Minister Justin Trudeau asking to, Hey, can you please help clear my name? Because all these things are being said and I’m adamant that they’re not true. He was also associated with a separatist organization called Sikhs for Justice, which has been banned in India since 2019. So was there, a group of people who did not like him? Absolutely. But on the flip side of that, there was also a lot of supporters or people who are also, pro Khalistan, who, believed in what he was saying and were following what he was saying. So that’s also one of the reasons why it’s so high profile, as you’ve seen in the coverage in the last week.

Jordan Heath Rawlings I think you touched on a couple of things there, that need a lot more context before people can understand just how meaningful or, or how critical the investigation might be. So first of all, just the basics. You mentioned he’s pro Khalistan. For those who don’t know, what does that mean and why might that be important?

Sonia Aslam Yeah, I guess in a nutshell it’s a, it’s a separatist movement in the Punjab region of India that looks to create, I’m gonna say a homeland for lack of a better term, for Sikhs. And like most separatist movements, you know, we’ve seen them in this country as well. The government doesn’t like them, and this is no exception. So the movement is completely outlawed in India and it’s considered something of a national security threat. You know, if you’re for this, we don’t like you. And this is a problem and we’re gonna make sure that you know about it. So him being very vocal about it really was problematic for the government. And again, it made it very divisive. And that’s the other factor about his killing. His views as a leader were followed by so many people. His beliefs were followed by so many people, but he also upset a lot of people along the way, and that is why his killing has caused, such an uproar and backlash in some areas because of what he believed in.

Jordan Heath Rawlings How controversial is the Khalistan independence movement? Maybe not just with the Indian government, but, but in terms of the diaspora in general.

Sonia Aslam Yeah. And I don’t even know if I can fully grasp just how big of a, of a deal it is. I think, again, just going back to any separatist movement, you know, you have two sides. You are either for or against it. And you, you know, it, it’s really sad because following his killing, there was a lot of rhetoric on social media. There was a lot of comments of people saying they were happy. That he’s a terrorist and he’s been killed. And there was the other side of it, you know, emotions in this killing are running so high. And we’ve covered, I’ve covered so many homicides and so many crimes and I’ve never seen something like so charged like this is, people are so angry. And then you kind of get the feeling that it becomes less about. The crime itself, and then you sort of get lost in the backstory. His past as we were just talking about, that then becomes the overshadowing focus of what’s really happened here. And what’s happened here is a 45 year old man, father of two, has been shot and killed in his car.

Jordan Heath Rawlings So in a minute we can get into the investigation. I know it’s ongoing. I know there will be some things that the mounties won’t talk about, but how are they grappling with, the substantial, I guess, geopolitical angle of this case? Are they confronting it? Is it changing what they are doing? What do we know about that?

Sonia Aslam I don’t know if it’s changing what they’re doing because as we know with typical police investigations in this country, they don’t tell us a lot. So even if there is something happening in the background on a, on a larger international scale, we’re sort of kept in the dark about that. We have to get that information on the side and from sources and so forth. What they have confirmed and told us is they are willing and will be likely working with a number of agencies, including CSIS. Because of his controversial past. And that is something that is very interesting. We don’t often have a homicide in this region connected to CSIS or to another country and so forth and so forth. So the fact that IHIT, as I mentioned earlier, they are the lead on this. They are willing to engage with a bunch of other agencies, including CSIS. That’s a really big deal. And I think for them it’s just trying to keep their cards as close to their chest as they can. So because there’s been so much outpouring of both support and anger and frustration, it’s best if I think, from their point of view to just keep the updates to a minimum. And we’ve had one update. It was, again, very emotionally charged. Police were pretty blunt, you know, they called the killing disgusting and appalling. It’s in a busy place of worship. This should not be happening to this community or to any community for that matter. But for them, it’s just begging for witnesses to come forward and they are really, really clear in their language, which kind of gives you an idea of just how much they’re unwilling to put forward, which is the same answer every time we ask about what about this theory. What about, you know, his background and his past and these allegations. And the fact that the Indian government is, you know, he’s a wanted man over there and this, and all these different things that we’re hearing and we’re learning about him now that he’s gone. They just keep saying, we’re gonna stick to the evidence. We’re not gonna worry about the speculation and the rumours, which really means that they could be looking into it. We just don’t know. And like any police organization, you follow every lead you get or you should be. And I, I don’t doubt that’s happening here, but are we getting those updates in real time? No. Their message is the same. If you saw anything, if you know anything, tell us. Otherwise we’re doing our job.

Jordan Heath Rawlings Since you just mentioned rumours and speculation, obviously we’re not, saying that any of these theories are true, but tell me a little bit about what the discussion has been like, in the community and online around what might have happened. And, you know, I understand BC Premier found it necessary to, to comment on this because such is the level of, wild discussion out there.

Sonia Aslam Yeah. And I think that’s probably why he did. It’s. Because it’s been so high profile, it’s garnered such a reaction. You know, not just coverage here in BC and across Canada a little bit, but overseas it’s getting a lot of attention and it puts us on the map for all the wrong reasons. So David Eby is the premier. He was asked about it and he was pretty blunt. He admitted, yeah, seeing this level of violence, you know, a homicide at a place of worship is worrying. He said that the shooting sparks concerns about safety. And that’s a really unsettling thing to hear from the premier. He’s admitting right up front, this is a problem. What happened is not okay, but it is really, really concerning. He did also say that getting those responsible is a top priority, which is obvious. And he does also mention the geopolitical tensions that we talked about, but not just at a homegrown level. He mentioned that there were concerns about geopolitical issues coming to Canada. Given the magnitude of the killing. And he said he wants to be really sure that the fallout from the shooting doesn’t lead to any instances of hate, of racism. He doesn’t want any reactionary violence to come of this. And I think that’s a warning we don’t often get. But it also does kind of make you think, is there a concern of a retaliation here? Is there going to be another shooting? Is there gonna be another act of violence? And I think that’s concerning for a lot of people.

Jordan Heath Rawlings As the details start to come out, sort of in, in dribs and drabs, as is usually the case, for most murder investigations, probably especially so for one like this. What kinds of stuff are we learning about whether or not Nijjar may have been, warned ahead of time or, or might have suspected that he might be targeted? I’ve seen reports that, CSIS may have warned him that something was up.

Sonia Aslam That was one of the questions that was taken to, IHIT and to investigators that if CSIS was already involved and you knew of these warnings, why was nothing done? Because oftentimes, and I don’t know if everyone knows this, when we have, say, a gang shooting and the, the person who’s killed is targeted. Oftentimes police know this person is next. Or is among those who could be killed. And steps are taken to warn that person. And it’s on them whether or not they wanna leave the region or what, whatever they wanna do. But again, investigators haven’t told us how much was known, how much wasn’t known, and what he knew what was being done about it. Was there extra security? To my knowledge, I don’t think there was extra security at the temple. Right and I can’t speak obviously, whether or not he had his own extra security on hand, but I’ve seen those same reports that this wasn’t a sudden thing. There were people in the know who knew this was coming.

Jordan Heath Rawlings Do we expect that there may be, or I guess already have been diplomatic conversations between Canada, and India based on this killing, you know, has it risen to that level where, you know, senior government officials have to discuss it?

Sonia Aslam I don’t know if there’s been, a discussion necessarily between the Canadian government and between the Indian government. I do know that on the day of his funeral, we did get word that there has been a meeting with the federal public Safety Minister, Marco Mendicino and the Sikh Liberal Caucus. They wanted to talk about this because what they’re calling a very tragic killing, and I think that also puts them in touch with the community on the front lines. You know, his funeral again had hundreds and hundreds of people, they need to be tapped into what’s going on here. This does have international, potential consequences. So the fact that Marco Mendicino is involved in these meetings and it has risen to that level again, I think speaks volumes about just the gravity of the case that we’re dealing with.

Jordan Heath Rawlings So last question then. In terms of the investigation itself, I know police are, you know, quote unquote pursuing everything, tight-lipped, investigations, ongoing, all of that. What are we waiting for next? I know obviously everyone wants to know who did it and see if anyone will be charged, but what other questions are out there that, that we don’t have answers to yet?

Sonia Aslam I mean, I think the theme of our conversation so far has been why? Is it his past? Is it something else? Is it the stuff he stood for or his beliefs? Is there something else that’s going on in the background that isn’t public just yet? So, and I, I know we so often get the motive very rarely at the beginning of an investigation, and this is not very long and we’re only a week in. But that is a big one, is why was he killed? And I think once investigators get that, it will also help figure out what could potentially happen next. And I mentioned retaliation. I don’t think, honestly that that’s out of the realm of possibility. I think that is something that is definitely on the table, for RCMP, for, IHIT that because something like this happened and this is such a big deal. That is our next concern, while also trying to find those responsible. Could those who are responsible be planning another hit? Is there something else that could be coming down? And I think once you start to get those pieces slowly coming together, other pieces of this puzzle will fall into place. But, This investigation from what we can tell so far, it definitely, definitely looks like it’s going to be a very long one.

Jordan Heath Rawlings Sonia, thank you, for helping explain this really complicated story.

Sonia Aslam Thank you

Jordan Heath Rawlings Sonia Aslam reporting for City News Vancouver. That was The Big Story. For more, you can head to TheBigStorypodcast.ca and as always, get in touch with us if you have anything to say, positive, negative suggestions, questions, whatever. You can find us on Twitter @TheBigStoryfpn. You can write to us hello@TheBigStorypodcast.ca. We’ll get you in my inbox and you can call us (416)-935-5935. Thanks for listening. I’m Jordan Heath Rawlings. We’ll talk tomorrow.