The Nijjar Killing: A Year of Diplomatic Strain between Canada and India
How has the Khalistan movement, rooted in Sikh history, led to the current tense diplomatic relationship between Canada and India?
On June 18, 2023, Hardeep Singh Nijjar was fatally shot outside the Sikh temple where he served as chief in British Columbia, Canada. As he exited the temple and drove onto the main road, a pickup truck intercepted his path. Two masked assailants emerged and fired multiple rounds on him, killing him instantly. The assassination of Mr. Nijjar has created a severe diplomatic crisis between India and Canada
In addition to being active in the Sikh religious community, Nijjar was a prominent Sikh separatist leader. Born in Indian Punjab, he migrated to Canada in 1997. Although his followers insist that Nijjar always believed in peaceful methods to secure the rights of Indian Sikhs, the Indian government charged him with multiple terrorism cases and issued a $1.2 million bounty for any information about his activities and whereabouts.
Three months after the incident, on September 18, the Canadian prime minister stated that police had found credible allegations that Indian agents were involved in the killing. New Delhi outright denied the claim, calling it “absurd”. However, Canada immediately expelled a top Indian diplomat, and India responded in kind.
Tensions escalated further on October 14, 2023, when Prime Minister Trudeau claimed that the Royal Canadian Mounted Police had found “clear and compelling” evidence that Indian agents were involved in Nijjar’s killing. Canada expelled six more Indian diplomats, including the Indian High Commissioner. In a tit-for-tat response, India did exactly the same and stated that, “It had lost all faith in Canada’s government”.
The Sikh Separatist Movement
Sikhism, a religion influenced by both Hinduism and Islam, originated in northern India in the 15th century. Today, it constitutes nearly 2% of India’s total population and 60% of the population of Indian Punjab.
When British India was divided between Hindu-dominated India and Muslim Pakistan, the dream of a separate Sikh state came to prominence in Indian Punjab. Sikhs dreamed of ‘Khalistan’, Sikh for “land of the pure”. The idea gained traction in the 1970s and 1980s as Punjab became one of the wealthiest states in India, owing to an agricultural revolution.
Soon, the Sikh independence movement turned violent. The decades-long Khalistan insurgency has killed many civilians, especially Hindus. Indian authorities have also been accused of grave human rights violations in response.
The conflict reached its worst point when the Indian military stormed the Golden Temple in Punjab in 1984, Sikhism’s holiest shrine as well as the Khalistani stronghold. The raid killed between 400 and 1,000 including many pilgrims and civilians, according to different accounts.
This led to the assassination of Prime Minister Indira Gandhi by her two Sikh bodyguards. Her assassination triggered violent riots, killing some 3,000 people—predominantly Sikhs. The next year, pro-Khalistani militants blew up an Air India flight, killing 329 passengers.
Over time, the movement has gradually become less appealing within India—due in large part, critics argue, to government suppression. Today, the separatists no longer have significant appeal, even in the Sikh heartland. A 2021 Pew Research Center survey in Punjab found that 95% of Sikhs were “very proud” to be Indian, while 70% agreed that a person who disrespects India cannot be a Sikh.
India’s Concern on Khalistan
Although the separatist movement has dried up in Punjab, the still-active Sikh diaspora in the West occasionally catches global attention.
In May 2023, Sikh protesters pulled down the Indian flag at the Indian high commission in London and smashed the building’s windows to protest the arrest of a separatist leader. In San Francisco in March 2023, they skirmished with Indian embassy workers. During that same year, Sikh separatists and Hindu Indians clashed with each other in Australia.
The Khalistan movement in Canada can be traced back to the 1980s. The aforementioned Air India bombing was carried out by Canadian Sikhs. Canada has repeatedly denied Indian demands for the extradition of Sikh separatists.
In early 2023, Indian anger flared up as Canadian Sikh separatists held a float parade depicting and glorifying the assassination of Indira Gandhi.
Another serious concern is the Khalistani non-binding secession referendums, which are held on a regular basis in Canada. In Ontario in 2022, out of 160,000 Sikhs, around 100,000 participated in such a referendum, voting for secession.
Although India claimed the referendum was an attack on their sovereignty, Canada considered it to be an expression of their citizens' freedom of speech. The angry Indian Foreign Minister asked,
“Would [Canada] like external support for Quebec separatists? Of course not."
Mr. Nijjar was also planning such a referendum at the time of his death. Hours before he was killed, he gave a speech calling for participation, arguing that it would send India a strong message.
Many argue that the Indian government could easily ignore these non-binding referendums held on foreign soil, since Sikhs in Punjab are no longer interested in separation. However, the Modi government has consistently emphasized the Khalistani threat to divert attention from domestic affairs.
Why Canada Stands Firm
Diaspora politics stand at the core of Canada’s strong pro-Sikh stance. Canada has long been the fertile ground for diasporic movements
There are 1.6 million Indian diaspora members in Canada, of whom 48% are Sikh. Currently, Canada hosts the largest Sikh population outside India.
Crucially, they are an extremely organized diasporic community, comparatively. Dr. Nader Hashemi, a Canadian professor at the School of Foreign Service at Georgetown University, noted that:
“Justin Trudeau’s Liberal Party heavily relies on Sikh voters. Especially in the Western province of British Columbia, Sikhs are their main voter base. Thus, Trudeau cannot ignore the killing of a prominent Sikh leader on Canadian soil.”
Although Sikhs constitute roughly 2% of the total Canadian population, their share in the parliament is 4%. Punjabi is the third most spoken language in Canada after English and French.
Failing to win a majority in the 2021 election, Trudeau formed a minority government with the support of the New Democrats , whose leader, Jagmeet Singh, is the most prominent Sikh political figure in Canada
In 2018, when Canadian intelligence listed Khalistanis as a terrorist threat, the government faced so much backlash that they soon removed the group from the terror list.
However, focusing solely on domestic factors risks overshadowing the complexity of the crisis, Dr. Avinash Paliwal, professor of international studies at SOAS University of London, says:
"If your intelligence agencies have gathered credible information that another country, even if it is an ally, was involved in a covert operation [killing of Nijjar] on your soil, you're bound to act on that."
Caught Between Allies: The West’s Dilemma in the Crisis
Both Canada and India are very close allies of the Western powers. Canada is a member of Five Eyes, an exclusive intelligence cooperation network of Western countries, and India is regarded as key in countering Chinese influence in Asia.
As the relationship between Canada and India has reached its lowest point, the Western powers face an uncomfortable situation. So far, the U.S. has maintained a precarious balance. It has assisted Canada in cracking down on the so-called “Indian-run criminal networks” operating on Canadian soil, simultaneously backing New Delhi against accusations of complicity during the G20 summit hosted by India just a few days after Nijjar’s killing.
However, this balancing act will be very difficult to maintain if Canada continues to take strong measures against India, forcing allies to choose a side. If this happens, the West would be wise to choose India over Canada.
The rise of China poses the greatest threat to the West in the post-Cold War era. Western leaders need India to balance Chinese influence in the Global South. Just as the West overlooked Saudi involvement in the killing of Jamal Khashoggi in service of an alliance, it will likely do the same in Nijjar’s case.
Does this mean total impunity for India? Professor Hashemi believes that, “India, being a big and influential country and having strong relations with the Western superpowers, might get away with this. However, Canada’s strong reaction will make India think twice before doing anything similar again, if it really has done so.”
For China and its allies, this is a moment of celebration. Director of the Wilson Center’s South Asia Institute, Michael Kugelman, says:
"Beijing does not want to see India broaden and deepen relations with like-minded countries keen to push back against China. So, in that regard, this may be seen as a strategic benefit for Beijing. Russia may be perfectly happy to see Canada bogged down in this crisis."
The killing of Hardeep Singh Nijjar has deepened tensions over the Khalistan movement and exposed the fragile Canada-India relationship. It also highlights the complexities of transnational issues shaped by domestic priorities. Amid this diplomatic fallout, 600,000 Indian students in Canada are the worst victims who regularly need consular support, showing again the common people’s cost of such disputes.
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