An associate of Khalistan supporter Hardeep Singh Nijjar, who was killed last year, also narrowly escaped a deadly attack.
Nijjar’s close aide Satinder Pal Singh Raju was fired upon several times when the car he was travelling in was in the US. However, he escaped.
Raju was one of the main organisers of the so-called Khalistan referendum in Calgary recently. An attempt was made to kill him on August 11 this month.
His pick-up truck was travelling on a national highway in California when it came under heavy gunfire.
The shooters fired a barrage of bullets
A day before this, the residence of the former president of the gurudwara was also shot at in Surrey, British Columbia. Let us tell you that before his death, Nijjar was also the president of this gurudwara.
Talking about Raju, he is associated with the separatist group Sikh for Justice (SFJ). SFJ Advocate General Gurpatwant Singh Pannu has described Raju as a “close associate” of Nijjar and an “active organiser” of the Khalistan referendum. Pannu said that Raju “survived a deadly attack. The truck in which he was travelling was showered with bullets by shooters.”
Raju helps in conducting the so called referendum
Raju’s truck was hit by ‘4-5 rounds of bullets’ while it was in a woodland in Yolo County. Our partner Hindustan Times has seen the incident report filed by the California Highway Patrol.
According to Pannu, after Nijjar’s murder in Surrey, Canada on June 18 last year, Raju camped in that city until October and helped organise the referendum held there in 2023 as well as the one held in Calgary, Alberta on July 28 this year.
Pannu has accused the Indian government of targeting Raju. She said India is “violently suppressing the global Khalistan referendum campaign.” At present, no arrests have been announced by US police in connection with the incident and no motive has been ascertained.
Several shots were fired at Raghbir Nijjar’s house
Meanwhile, on August 10, the home of Raghbir Nijjar, former president of the Guru Nanak Sikh Temple in Surrey, was shot at multiple times.
Although police have not revealed the identity of the homeowner, the Surrey detachment of the Royal Canadian Mounted Police (RCMP) said in a release on August 13 that the incident occurred around 3.10 a.m.
“Evidence consistent with gunfire was found at the scene, as well as evidence of an attempted arson,” the release said.
It also said that “it is believed that this incident may be linked to an extortion case.”
It is being said that there have been several such shootings in Canada over the past year targeting Indo-Canadian businesses and individuals.
A person familiar with the developments told Hindustan Times that Raghbir Nijjar is from the same village as Hardeep Nijjar and they are believed to be relatives. He is trying to become the president of the gurdwara again, the person said.
It is noteworthy that there has been serious tension in the relations between the two countries since Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau in September last year accused the ‘possible’ involvement of Indian agents in the murder of Nijjar.
India had rejected Trudeau’s allegations as “absurd”. India has consistently said that the main issue between the two countries is that Canada is not curbing pro-Khalistan elements operating from its soil.
This year, Canadian police arrested four Indian nationals in connection with Nijjar’s murder. However, they have not yet provided evidence of an Indian connection. At present, this aspect is under investigation.
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