The vice-president of the temple has confirmed that Hardeep Singh Nijjar has died, but the police are still trying to figure out who the victim is
The president of the Guru Nanak Sikh Gurdwara in Surrey, B.C., was shot dead Sunday night in the temple’s parking lot, according to members of the province’s Sikh community.
Hardeep Singh Nijjar’s death was confirmed by the temple’s vice-president and Sikh community groups, and he is being mourned widely on social media.
Police said they’re investigating a fatal shooting outside a Sikh temple in Surrey, east of Vancouver, but have not named the victim.
A Surrey RCMP statement said officers were on scene at the gurdwara on 120 Street near 70 Avenue around 8:30 p.m. PT after a “report of a shooting in a parking lot of a temple.”
Investigators said a man was found inside a vehicle with gunshot wounds and he died of his injuries at the scene.
By 10:30 p.m., CBC News observed a heavy police presence at the scene with more than 100 people gathered near the temple, where police had blocked off both entrances.
‘Immeasurable physical loss
The vice-president of the gurdwara, Amandeep Singh Johal, told CBC News that Nijjar, 45, was an activist with the Sikh independence group Sikhs for Justice.
In 2016, CBC News reported that the government of India was seeking Nijjar’s extradition from Canada on charges related to extremism.
WATCH | The CBC explains terrorism allegations involving Hardeep Singh Nijjar in 2016:
A Canadian Press article at the time, based on reporting from the Times of India, alleged Indian intelligence agencies alerted the Canadian government that pro-Khalistan extremists near Mission, B.C., including Nijjar, planned to carry out attacks in Punjab.
Nijjar maintained his innocence at the time and denied all allegations.
Punjab is India’s only Sikh-majority state, with around 30 million people residing in the region.
There is a history of Sikhs advocating for the establishment of an independent Sikh homeland called Khalistan. Many say Sikhs face discrimination and oppression in Hindu-majority India. Indian authorities deny those allegations.
In a post on Facebook, the organization B.C. Sikhs said Nijjar was killed while exiting the gurdwara parking lot.
“The B.C. Sikh community has suffered an immeasurable physical loss,” it said.
The region’s Integrated Homicide Investigation Team (IHIT) is now working with Surrey RCMP on the killing, and is speaking to witnesses and seeking any video or other evidence.
“At this early stage of the investigation, any possible motives for the shooting are not yet known,” Surrey RCMP said in its statement. “Police are still working to determine possible suspect descriptions from multiple witnesses who were in the area.”