Hardeep Singh Nijjar

Hardeep Singh Nijjar (11 October 1977 – 18 June 2023) was a Canadian Sikh separatist leader involved with the Khalistan movement, which calls for an independent Sikh state.

Born in India, Nijjar migrated to Canada in the mid-1990s. Sikh organizations viewed Nijjar as a human rights activist, while the Indian government accused him of being a criminal and terrorist affiliated with the militant Khalistan Tiger Force, and sought his arrest. Nijjar and his supporters rejected these allegations, saying he advocated peaceful means for creation of Khalistan. Nijjar gained prominence in 2019, when he became the leader of Guru Nanak Sikh Gurudwara (temple) in Surrey, British Columbia, and became an advocate of Sikh separatism. Nijjar was also associated with Sikhs for Justice (SFJ), and spearheaded the group's Khalistan Referendum 2020 campaign.

On 18 June 2023, Nijjar was shot and killed in the parking lot of a Sikh temple in British Columbia. On 18 September 2023, Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau stated that Canadian intelligence agencies were "pursuing credible allegations of a potential link" between Indian government agents and the assassination of Nijjar. After the killing, Canada expelled an Indian diplomat from the country. India's foreign ministry denied involvement in the killing, and expelled a top Canadian diplomat in a tit-for-tat move. As of October 2023, the Canadian authorities have not yet made any arrests in connection with the murder but stated they were investigating three suspects, and Canada has provided no evidence implicating the Indian government, citing the need to protect sensitive intelligence sources and methods.