A prominent Khalistani leader Hardeep Singh Nijjar has been shot dead in Canada. Nijjar was killed by two unidentified assailants near the Guru Nanak Sikh Gurdwara in Surrey, Canada. Hardeep Singh Nijjar was the president of the Guru Nanak Sikh Gurdwara and the main face of the extremist organization Sikhs for Justice (SFJ) in Canada. Nijjar was also the chief of the Khalistan Tiger Force. Nijjar belonged to Bhar Singh Pura village of Jalandhar.

Organizations like Khalistan Tiger Force and Sikh for Justice are banned in India. The Sikh for Justice organization also had a hand in the referendum on Khalistan held in Brampton city of Canada in the past. The NIA had registered a case against Hardeep Singh Nijjar on charges of plotting attacks in the country. In the year 2022, the NIA had also announced a reward of Rs 10 lakh on Nijjar. The Government of India had also appealed to the Government of Canada to take action against Nijjar.

The NIA had in July last year announced a cash reward of Rs 10 lakh for information leading to the arrest of Nijjar in connection with the 2021 attack on a Hindu priest in Jalandhar. Three months earlier, the NIA had filed a charge sheet against him and three others in connection with the attack. According to the NIA, Nijjar was also promoting the separatist and violent agenda of 'Sikhs for Justice', a pro-Khalistan group in India.

Two big Khalistani leaders have died in the last week. A few days ago, another Khalistani leader Avtar Singh Khanda had died in Britain. Avtar Singh Khanda was the UK Chief of the Khalistan Liberation Force. The medical records revealed that Avtar Singh Khanda was suffering from blood cancer.