Hardeep Nijjar during a protest. Vancouver Sun

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The president of Surrey’s Guru Nanak Sikh Temple said Monday he has contacted his lawyer about news reports in India suggesting he is somehow connected to the killing of Ripudaman Singh Malik last week.

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Hardeep Singh Nijjar told Postmedia that he got on well with Malik and even sent his son to the Khalsa School, of which Malik was the founder and longtime principal. However, several Indian news reports have repeated claims that Nijjar is a separatist extremist linked to crimes in India, and have cited Indian intelligence officials as suggesting a link to Malik’s murder. Nijjar’s attorney in New York, Gurpatwant Singh Pannun, said Monday that he could not yet comment on any actions he might take on his client’s behalf. However, he said Nijjar was being “vindictively targeted and accused of crimes based solely on differing political views.” “Since Nijjar is organizing the Khalistan Referendum campaign in Canada, the Indian government wants to use its resources to silence his voice,” Pannun said.

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Malik, a controversial community leader and acquitted Air India bombing suspect, was shot dead on Thursday around 9:30 am. as he arrived at the Surrey office of his firm Papillon in a plaza on 128th Street. The Integrated Homicide Investigation Team urged the public not to speculate about the motive for the high-profile murder. Multiple police agencies are investigating the shooting death of Ripudaman Singh Malik at 8236 128th Street in Surrey, BC on the morning of Thursday, July 14, 2022. Photo by Jason Payne /PNG Investigators later released video of a white Honda CRV circling the building 80 minutes earlier, with the suspected killer or killers inside. The vehicle was found in flames minutes after Malik was killed in what has become a hallmark of gangland killings in the Lower Mainland. Within a day, news reports in India speculated that Nijjar might be involved, citing Indian intelligence sources.

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India claims that Nijar is a Canadian leader of the Khalistan Tiger Force who was responsible for terrorist attacks in India. He has denied all these allegations and even wrote to Prime Minister Justin Trudeau in 2016 claiming he was being persecuted because of his support for a separate Sikh nation. Some have also suggested that Malik may have been targeted because he and his associate Balwant Singh Bhandher had arranged for the Guru Granth Sahib – the Sikh holy book – to be printed outside India without obtaining permission from the Akal Takht, the religion’s highest authority . But Nijjar said he doubted the matter had anything to do with Malik’s murder. In fact, the temple leadership was asked to collect the holy books and a printing press from Bhandher’s house almost two years ago.

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“Sri Akal Takht has already handled everything,” Nijjar said. And he said all Canadian gurdwara (temple) councils were united on the issue of holy books. “That wasn’t just my issue.” Prayer services for Ripudaman Singh Malik are being held this week at two Surrey Khalsa schools Nijjar said he has not received official notice of any extradition proceedings regarding the allegations made against him in India, despite regular Indian news reports making accusations against him. “I’ve lived here since ’97. I did not go back to India,” Nijjar said. “I work hard as a plumber and in the temple. … I’m a community worker, right?” He said Malik and his associates sometimes attended services at the Guru Nanak temple. “Everybody comes to the temple… everybody in the community.” And Nijjar said he never had any disagreements or issues with Malik, a former Sikh separatist who wrote to Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi in January to thank him for resolving some outstanding Sikh grievances and express support for a united India . He said Malik was widely respected because of his role as the founder of both Khalsa Credit Union and Khalsa Schools. Asked about his reaction to Malik’s murder, Nijjar said: “I was very shocked. He was a good figure in the community.” Prayers for Malik are held throughout the week at two Surrey Khalsa Schools. [email protected] twitter.com/kbolan

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