Khalistan Tiger Force chief shot dead outside gurdwara in Canada

TIL Desk/World/Canada/ Canada-based chief of banned Khalistan Tiger Force (KTF) Hardeep Singh Nijjar, one of India’s most-wanted terrorists who carried a cash reward of Rs 10 lakh on his head, was shot dead outside a gurdwara in British Columbia, officials in New Delhi said on Monday.

Nijjar, 45, was shot dead by two unidentified assailants outside the premises of Guru Nanak Sikh Gurdwara, Surrey, in the western Canadian province at around 6 am IST Monday (20:30 hours on June 18, Sunday, Canadian time). The gurdwara was being presided by Nijjar himself for the past four years, giving rise to speculation that funds from the shrine were being embezzled for funding terror activities in Punjab.

Nijjar was designated a ‘terrorist’ by India under the stringent Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act in July 2020 and his property in the country was attached by the National Investigation Agency (NIA) in September 2020. An Interpol Red Corner Notice was also issued against him in 2016. The local police of Surrey had also put Nijar under house arrest temporarily in 2018 on suspicion of his terror involvement but he was released later.