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Canadian police make arrests in prominent Sikh activist’s killing

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A mural features the image of late Canadian Sikh leader Hardeep Singh Nijjar, who was killed on the grounds of the Guru Nanak Sikh Gurdwara temple in British Columbia in June 2023 (Aljazeera)

Police in Canada have made arrests in the fatal 2023 shooting of prominent Sikh-Canadian activist Hardeep singh Nijar, months after authorities accused Indian government agents of being involved in the killing.

The Royal Canadian Mounted Police (RCMP) in Canada’s westernmost province of British Columbia said on Friday afternoon that three people were arrested as part of an ongoing investigation into Nijjar’s killing.

The three individuals — all Indian nationals — were arrested in Edmonton, Alberta, and charged with first-degree murder and conspiracy to commit murder, RCMP Superintendent Mandeep Mooker told reporters.  “This investigation does not end here. We are aware that others may have played a role in this homicide, and we remain dedicated to finding and arresting each one of these individuals,” Mooker said.

He added that police are “investigating if there are any ties to the government of India”.

“However, as I said, it’s an ongoing investigation and I don’t have any information to provide on that matter at this time.”

Nijjar was fatally shot on June 18, 2023, outside a Sikh temple in Surrey, British Columbia, spurring widespread condemnation.

A few months later, Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau said the country’s security agencies were investigating “credible allegations of a potential link” between Indian government agents and Nijjar’s killing.

“Any involvement of a foreign government in the killing of a Canadian citizen on Canadian soil is an unacceptable violation of our sovereignty,” Trudeau said in an address to Canada’s parliament in September of last year.  “In the strongest possible terms, I continue to urge the government of India to cooperate with Canada to get to the bottom of this matter.”

His comments spurred a fierce response from India, which rejected the allegations as “absurd” and politically motivated. New Delhi also accused Canada of not doing enough to stem anti-India activism and “Sikh extremism”.

But Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s government has long faced allegations of targeting political opponents, journalists and religious minorities, including Muslims and Sikhs, in what rights groups have said is a continuing effort to stifle dissent.

At the time of Nijjar’s killing, tensions had been growing between Canada and India over a Sikh campaign for a sovereign state in India’s Punjab region. Known as the Khalistan movement, the campaign has supporters in Canada.

Nijjar served as president of the Guru Nanak Sikh Gurdwara, the temple where he was killed. He was among those advocating for Khalistan.

Asked to comment on Friday’s reports that arrests were made in the case, Canada’s Public Safety Minister Dominic LeBlanc referred reporters’ questions to the RCMP.

“You’ll understand that the developments with respect to the murder of a Canadian citizen, Mr Nijjar, are part of an ongoing police operation. This operation started today. It is still an active police operation,” LeBlanc said in Ottawa.

The RCMP identified the three men arrested on Friday as Kamalpreet Singh, Karanpreet Singh and Karan Brar.

Mooker, the police superintendent, said all three were non-permanent residents of Canada and had been in the country for between three to five years.

CBC News reported earlier in the day that, according to unnamed sources, “members of the hit squad are alleged to have played different roles as shooters, drivers and spotters” on the day Nijjar was killed.

“Sources said investigators identified the alleged hit squad members in Canada some months ago and have been keeping them under tight surveillance,” the Canadian broadcaster said.

The High Commission of India in Ottawa did not immediately respond to Al Jazeera’s request for comment on Friday afternoon.

Nijjar’s killing continues to raise questions around allegations of Indian foreign interference, particularly within Sikh diaspora communities in Canada, the United States and other countries.

In September, Moninder Singh at the BC Gurdwaras Council told Al Jazeera that he was among five Sikh leaders — including Nijjar — who were warned by the RCMP’s national security division in 2022 about threats against their lives.

On Friday, Danish Singh, president of the World Sikh Organization of Canada advocacy group, welcomed the arrests in Nijjar’s case but said they also raise new questions.

“While the arrest of the hit squad is important, what’s even more important is identifying and bringing to justice those who directed these operations,” Singh said in a statement,  accusing the Indian government of being involved.

Reports of an alleged plot to kill another prominent Sikh separatist leader in the US have also emerged following Nijjar’s death. In late November, the US Department of Justice announced charges against a 52-year-old Indian national, Nikhil Gupta.

Gupta was accused of being part of a foiled attempt to assassinate US citizen Gurupatwant Singh Pannun,  in coordination with an Indian government employee and others.

The Washington Post reported earlier this week that US intelligence agencies determined that the operation to target Pannun was approved by the then-head of India’s foreign intelligence agency, known as RAW.

The Indian government rejected those allegations as “unwarranted” and “unsubstantiated”, according to media reports.

On Monday, White House spokesperson Karine Jean-Pierre described the Washington Post report as “a serious matter”.

“The government of India has been very clear with us that they are taking this seriously and will investigate — and we expect that accountability from the government,” Jean-Pierre told reporters during a news briefing.

She added that Washington would continue to raise concerns with New Delhi.

(Aljazeera)

 

 



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Scores of whales to be euthanised after mass stranding in Australia

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Australian authorities are euthanising about 90 false killer whales which survived a mass stranding on a remote beach in Tasmania.

A team of experts at the site said complex conditions have made it impossible to save them.

They are part of a pod of 157 whales that had beached near Arthur River, in the island’s north west. The rest had died shortly after the stranding.

Tasmania has seen a series of mass whale strandings in recent years – including the country’s worst-ever in 2020 – but false killer whales haven’t mass stranded there in over 50 years.

False killer whales are technically one of world’s largest dolphin species, like their orca namesakes. They can grow up to 6m (19ft) and weigh 1.5 tonnes.

Authorities on Wednesday said the pod had been stranded at the site for 24 to 48 hours, and the surviving animals were already under extreme stress.

Local resident Jocelyn Flint told the Australian Broadcasting Corporation she had travelled to the site on Wednesday morning after her son noticed the pod while out shark fishing overnight.

“There are babies… There’s just families of them. Their eyes are open, they’re looking at me, like ‘help’.”

“It’s just absolutely horrific.”

The site – about 300km (186 miles) from the city of Launceston – is extremely difficult to access and transport any rescue equipment to, marine biologist Kris Carlyon told media.

“This is possibly the trickiest location I’ve seen in 16 years of doing this role in Tasmania,” he said.

“We’re talking a very rough, steep, single lane road into the site. We can get four-wheel drives in there, but not a lot else.”

Rough conditions meant returning the animals to the sea at the location they stranded was impossible, so an expert team tried to relocate two and refloat them, but were unsuccessful.

“The animals just can’t get past the break to get out. They just keep turning around and coming back towards the beach,” said Shelley Graham, from Tasmania’s Parks and Wildlife Service.

With conditions for the next two days forecast to be similar, expert wildlife veterinarians made the “tough” and “confronting” decision to euthanise the remaining whales.

“The longer these animals are out stranded, the longer they are suffering. All alternative options have been unsuccessful, euthanasia is always a last resort,” Dr Carlyon said.

That grim task – which involves shooting the animals – is expected to begin on Wednesday but continue on Thursday.

Authorities are still working out how to dispose of the carcasses. The site has important cultural heritage for Aboriginal people so a department spokesperson earlier suggested “it may be a case of… letting nature run its course”.

Authorities have asked members of the public to avoid the site, with bushfires burning nearby and limited road access.

More than 80% of Australian whale strandings take place in Tasmania – often on its west coast.

Around 40 pilot whales were stranded further south at Macquarie Harbour in 2020 and about 350 of them died despite rescue efforts. Another 200 became standed in the same harbour in 2022.

Whales are highly social mammals and are well known for stranding in groups because they travel in large, close-knit communities which rely on constant communication.

There are a range of theories for why beachings occur. Some experts say the animals can become disoriented after following fish they hunt to the shore.

Others believe that one individual can mistakenly lead whole groups to shore.

[BBC]

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Pope Francis has pneumonia in both lungs, Vatican says

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Pope Francis has developed pneumonia in both his lungs and his condition remains “complex”, the Vatican says.

The 88-year-old has been suffering from a respiratory infection for more than a week and was admitted to Rome’s Gemelli hospital on Friday.

“The follow-up chest CT scan which the Holy Father underwent this afternoon… demonstrated the onset of bilateral pneumonia, which required additional drug therapy,” the Vatican said.

It said lab tests, a chest X-ray and the Pope’s clinical condition “continue to present a complex picture”.

Despite this, the Vatican said the pontiff remained in “good spirits” and spent the day “reading, resting and praying”.

Pope Francis also expressed his gratitude to well-wishers and asked them to “pray for him”.

Before his admission last week, the Pope had bronchitis symptoms for several days and had delegated officials to read prepared speeches at events.

He had been due to lead several events over the weekend for the 2025 Catholic Holy Year which runs through to next January, however all public events on the Pope’s calendar have been cancelled through to Sunday.

On Monday, the Vatican said that doctors had changed the Pope’s drug therapy for the second time during his hospital stay to tackle what at the time was thought to be a “polymicrobial infection of the respiratory tract”.

The Pope is especially prone to lung infections due to developing pleurisy as an adult and having part of one of his lungs removed at age 21.

During his 12 years as leader of the Roman Catholic church, the Argentine has been hospitalised several times including in March 2023 when he spent three nights in hospital with bronchitis.

[BBC]

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US government struggles to rehire nuclear safety staff it laid off days ago

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The National Nuclear Security Administration is part of the Department of Energy [BBC]

The US government is trying to bring back nuclear safety employees it fired on Thursday, but is struggling to let them know they should return to work, NBC News has reported.

The National Nuclear Security Administration workers were among hundreds of employees in the energy department who received termination letters.

An email obtained by NBC said the letters for some NNSA employees “are being rescinded, but we do not have a good way to get in touch with those personnel”.

The terminations are part of massive effort by President Donald Trump to slash the ranks of the federal workforce, a project he began on his first day in office, less than a month ago.

Last week, nearly 10,000 federal workers were let go, according to multiple US outlets.

That figure was in addition to the estimated 75,000 workers who have accepted an offer from the White House to leave voluntarily in the autumn.

The nuclear security officials who were laid off on Thursday helped oversee the nation’s stockpile of nuclear weapons. That included staff who are stationed at facilities where the weapons are built, according to CNN.

Attempting to reach the workers, the email, which was sent to current employees, said: “Please work with your supervisors to send this information (once you get it) to people’s personal contact emails.”

Trump is working to slash spending across the board, abroad and at home, and going so far as to call for eliminating the education department. He is getting help from the world’s richest man, Elon Musk, who, through an effort called Doge for Department of Government Efficiency, has sent workers to comb through data at federal agencies and helped implement the “buyout” offer.

Last week, the Trump administration ordered agencies to fire nearly all probationary employees, those who had generally been in their positions for less than a year and not yet earned job protection. That included the NNSA staff members.

Altogether, the move could potentially affect hundreds of thousands of people.

Several of the Trump administration’s efforts to shrink the government’s size and spending have been met with legal challenges.

More than 60 lawsuits have been filed against the Trump administration since the president was inaugurated on 20 January.

[BBC]

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