A leaked audio clip has surfaced in which gangster Goldy Brar allegedly claims responsibility for the killing of Khalistani terrorist Hardeep Singh Nijjar. Brar was also reportedly heard saying that Nijjar was targeted over his alleged role in encouraging drug abuse among young people.
Nijjar, who founded the Khalistan Tiger Force (KTF), was shot dead outside a Sikh cultural centre in Surrey, British Columbia, on June 18, 2023. His killing led to a major diplomatic row between India and Canada when Justin Trudeau was Canada's prime minister.
Goldy Brar admits to Nijjar’s killing?
Brar reportedly made the alleged remarks while speaking with Khalistani terrorist Paramjit Singh Pamma. HT could not independently verify the authenticity of the clip.
“Those who groomed and incited 16-to-17-year-olds to sell drugs... Those who blackmailed young people into selling drugs and becoming informants... Nijjar supported and strengthened these individuals so that he could use them when necessary,” he allegedly said, NDTV reported.
Brar reportedly claimed that Nijjar was killed by him and his associates because he was “using young people to sell drugs”.
{{/usCountry}}Brar reportedly claimed that Nijjar was killed by him and his associates because he was “using young people to sell drugs”.
{{/usCountry}}“That's why we, my team and I, had to kill Nijjar, because these people were using young people to sell drugs. Everyone has to face the consequences of their actions,” he was quoted as saying in the report.
Nijjar’s killing and India-Canada ties
Nijjar's murder soured ties between India and Canada after Trudeau alleged a possible link between the Indian government and the killing. India rejected the allegations, calling them "absurd" and "motivated."
India has consistently denied any role in Nijjar's murder. Relations between the two countries have eased somewhat since Trudeau left office.
India and Canada began talks between their law enforcement agencies last year, before Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney met Prime Minister Narendra Modi on the sidelines of the G7 leaders’ summit in Kananaskis in June last year. The appointment of High Commissioners-designate to the respective capitals has also marked progress in ties.
In July this year, Canadian investigators probing Nijjar's killing said they had found no evidence connecting Indian government officials to the murder.
"There's no evidence to suggest through this organised crime investigation and the charges and the indictment laid forward that Indian officials were charged or involved," Lisa Moreland, the deputy commissioner of the Royal Canadian Mounted Police (RCMP), said in a statement.