Adani News

Tag: Canada

  • India’s ‘wanted terrorist’ Hardeep Singh Nijjar shot dead by in Canada

    India’s ‘wanted terrorist’ Hardeep Singh Nijjar shot dead by in Canada

    Chandigarh: Canada-based pro-Khalistan leader Hardeep Singh Nijjar, who was declared a ‘wanted terrorist’ by the Indian government, was shot dead by two unidentified gunmen at the parking lot of Guru Nanak Sikh Gurdwara in the Punjabi-dominated Surrey city of British Columbia province.

    He was the president of Guru Nanak Sikh Gurdwara.

    Nijjar, a resident of a village in Jalandhar, was associated with the separatist organisation, Sikhs for Justice (SFJ), which is banned in India.

    He had played a key role in organising the Khalistan referendum in Brampton city.

    The National Investigation Agency (NIA) last year filed a charge sheet against four persons, including Nijjar, in connection with a conspiracy to kill Hindu priest Kamaldeep Sharma in Jalandhar on January 31, 2021.

    The three others charge-sheeted in the case are Kamaljeet Sharma and Ram Singh, who attacked the priest on the directions of Nijjar and his associate Arshdeep Singh alias Prabh.

    According to the NIA, the conspiracy was hatched by accused Arshdeep and Nijjar, both based in Canada, to disturb peace and disrupt the communal harmony in Punjab by killing a Hindu priest.

    India had asked the Canadian authorities to take action against Nijjar for his alleged involvement in terrorist acts in Punjab.

    Last year the Punjab Police had sought the extradition of Nijjar as he was wanted in cases related to acts of reviving terrorism in the state.

    The police was demanding his extradition in pursuance of a lookout circular (LOC) issued on January 23, 2015, and a red corner notice issued on March 14, 2016.

    Nijjar was designated as an ‘individual terrorist’ by the Union Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) in July 2020.

    The NIA said Nijjar had been proactively involved in recruiting, training, financing and operationalising pro-Khalistan terrorist modules for spreading terror in India. He was involved in giving inflammatory and hateful speeches through social media platforms.

    The NIA had attached Nijjar’s property in his village in Punjab in another case.

    A cash reward of Rs 10 lakh was declared against the Canada-based chief of pro-Khalistani outfit Khalistan Tiger Force, Nijjar.

    Nijjar had been accused of killing Ripudaman Singh Malik, the man who was acquitted in the 1985 Air India terrorist bombing case, in Surrey last year.

    (With Inputs From: IANS)

  • Stop deportation of 150 Indian students: Canadian party to govt

    Stop deportation of 150 Indian students: Canadian party to govt

    Canada’s New Democratic Party (NDP) has called on the government not to deport 150 Punjabi students who were told to leave the country as they arrived on fake college admission letters, according to the Canadian Border Security Agency.

    The students, whose deportation order is scheduled on May 29, said they were cheated by their immigration consultation agency in India that provided them fake documents, of which they were unaware of.

    The NDP, in a statement released on Friday, said the international students who were misled by dishonest recruiters shouldn’t have to pay the price.

    “Right now, students who came to Canada for their university education are under threat of deportation. I wrote to the minister (Immigration Minister Sean Fraser) on May 25 urgently calling for action to help these students who unknowingly received fraudulent travel documentation from bad actors looking to make money from their deceit,” NDP critic for Citizenship and Immigration Jenny Kwan said.

    Minister Fraser had earlier tweeted that he is focusing on “identifying culprits” and not penalising victims of fraudulent acceptance letters.

    Welcoming Fraser’s response to the situation, Kwan said that it is critical that the pending deportations are stayed.

    “I want to make it clear that as the Liberal government goes after the culprits, it is critical that the pending deportations are stayed, and inadmissibility on the basis of misrepresentation waived.”

    She called for an alternate pathway to permanent status for the students — whether it’s humanitarian and compassionate application process or a broad regularisation program.

    Some of these students have already spent half a decade living in Canada and paid international tuition fees to complete their studies. Many are now reportedly working in essential frontline jobs.

  • Will continue to address concerns of Punjabi community in Canada: Minister

    Will continue to address concerns of Punjabi community in Canada: Minister

    Toronto (IANS) | Responding to a Sikh lawmaker’s concerns over internet shutdown in Punjab, Canadian Foreign Minister Melanie Jolie said her country is closely following developments in the state and will continue to address the community’s concerns. Malton-Mississauga MP Ikvinder Gahir said in the House, My colleagues and I have heard about the suspension of internet services in Punjab, India. Relatives and friends of Canadians who are in Punjab do not have access to the Internet.

    In response, Jolly said, “We are aware of the developments in Punjab and we are closely following it.” We will continue to address the concerns of many community members.

    Gahir raised the issue in Parliament after a cross-section of Canadian Sikh MPs expressed their concern over the internet and SMS shutdown affecting everyone in the state.

    Tim Uppal, deputy leader of the Conservative Party, told The Globe and Mail: “As a member of Parliament for Canada, we’re trying to make sure it’s safe for Canadians who go there.”

    Liberal MP for Brampton South Sonia Sidhu said on Twitter, I am getting calls from Punjab and I am very worried.

    I hope the situation resolves soon and Canadians traveling to Punjab will be able to connect with their families and friends in Canada, Sidhu wrote.

    According to the 2021 Canadian census, the number of Punjabis in Canada is about 9.5 million, which is about 2.6 percent of the country’s population.

    –IANS