MONTREAL – Prime Minister Justin Trudeau on May 4 acknowledged fear in Canada’s Sikh community but underscored the “rule of law” after three arrests in connection with the killing of a Sikh separatist in Vancouver in 2023.

Canadian police arrested three men on May 3 for the murder of Mr Hardeep Singh Nijjar, which triggered a diplomatic rift between Canada and India last autumn after Mr Trudeau suggested Indian government involvement in the homicide.

Speaking on May 4 at a gala in Toronto to celebrate Sikh heritage and culture, Mr Trudeau acknowledged that many in Canada’s Sikh community are “feeling uneasy, and perhaps even frightened right now”, but urged faith in the justice system.

“Let us remain calm and... remain steadfast in our commitment to our democratic principles and our system of justice,” he said.

Mr Trudeau said the arrests were “important because Canada is a rule-of-law country with a strong and independent justice system, as well as a fundamental commitment to protecting all its citizens”.

India had vehemently rejected Mr Trudeau’s allegations as “absurd”, halting the processing of visas for a time and forcing Canada to significantly reduce its diplomatic presence in the country.

“It is their political compulsion in Canada to blame India,” the Press Trust of India news agency quoted External Affairs Minister S. Jaishankar as saying on May 4.

Three Indian nationals, two aged 22 and one 28, were arrested on May 3 on first-degree murder and conspiracy charges.

They are accused of being the shooter, driver and lookout on the day Mr Nijjar was killed.

Police said they were still investigating the ties of the suspects, “if any, to the Indian government”, and whether others might have been involved.

Mr Nijjar – who immigrated to Canada in 1997 and became a citizen in 2015 – advocated for a separate Sikh state, known as Khalistan, carved out of India.

He was wanted by the Indian authorities for alleged terrorism and conspiracy to commit murder.

On June 18, 2023, he was shot dead by masked assailants in the carpark of the Sikh temple he led in suburban Vancouver.

Mr Trudeau announced several months later that Canada had “credible allegations” linking Indian intelligence to the killing and expelled an Indian official, triggering a furious response from India.

In November 2023, the US Justice Department charged an Indian citizen living in the Czech Republic with plotting a similar assassination attempt on American soil. AFP