Canada-India tensions weigh on members of Winnipeg's Sikh community

Some members of Winnipeg’s Sikh community are growing uneasy over rising tensions between the Canadian and Indian governments, as Canadian authorities investigate what they allege is the involvement of Indian government agents in violent incidents on Canadian soil.

Sources told CBC News that there may be a connection between three men charged in the June 2023 killing of a Sikh separatist leader in British Columbia and the homicide of another man in Winnipeg last year.

Among those concerned is Inderjeet Singh Brar, a Canadian citizen originally from India, who lives in northwest Winnipeg near where 39-year-old Sukhdool Singh Gill was found dead inside a home on the morning of September 20, 2023.

"We were very concerned about that," Brar said. "It happened early in the morning when kids were heading to school. I don't want things like this happening in our community."

A local resident previously told CBC they heard around 11 gunshots on the morning of Gill’s death. Winnipeg police have confirmed the incident is being treated as a homicide, though they have not disclosed how Gill was killed. No arrests have been made so far, and police recently issued another public request for tips to help with their investigation.

According to sources, police are actively exploring possible links between Gill’s death and the killing of Hardeep Singh Nijjar, a Canadian Sikh separatist leader, who was shot in Surrey, B.C., in June 2023. Kamalpreet Singh, Karanpreet Singh, and Karan Brar have been charged with first-degree murder and conspiracy in Nijjar’s death. None of the charges have been tested in court.

Gill, who was also known as Sukha Duneke, was allegedly involved with India’s Bambiha gang, according to Indian police documents. He had been accused of extortion, arranging funds for gang members to buy weapons, and was linked to multiple murders in India. Just a day before his death, Gill’s name and photo appeared on a list of 43 individuals suspected of terrorism released by India’s National Investigation Agency (NIA), which tied him to the separatist Khalistan Tiger Force. India had previously made similar allegations against Nijjar.

Diplomatic Fallout

Tensions between Canada and India escalated last year after Prime Minister Justin Trudeau told the House of Commons that Canadian authorities had evidence linking Indian agents to Nijjar's murder. India has denied these claims.

Sources told CBC that investigators have also been examining whether three other suspicious deaths — including those of an 11-year-old boy and his father in Edmonton last November — may be connected to Nijjar’s killing. Police suspect these deaths could also be tied to gang rivalries and revenge killings.

On Monday, RCMP Commissioner Mike Duheme publicly accused Indian government agents of being involved in "widespread" violence across Canada, including homicides. In response, Canada expelled six Indian diplomats. India, denying the accusations, retaliated by expelling six Canadian diplomats.