President of Sikh temple in Surrey, B.C., shot dead in gurdwara parking lot
CBC
The president of the Guru Nanak Sikh Gurdwara in Surrey, B.C., was shot dead Sunday night in the temple's parking lot, according to members of the province's Sikh community.
Hardeep Singh Nijjar's death was confirmed by temple officials and Sikh community groups, and he is being mourned widely on social media.
Police said they're investigating a fatal shooting outside a Sikh temple in Surrey, east of Vancouver, but have not named the victim.
A Surrey RCMP statement said officers were on scene at the gurdwara on 120 Street near 70 Avenue around 8:30 p.m. PT after a "report of a shooting in a parking lot of a temple."
Investigators said a man was found inside a vehicle with gunshot wounds and he died of his injuries at the scene.
By 10:30 p.m., CBC News observed a heavy police presence at the scene with more than 100 people gathered near the temple, where police had blocked off both entrances.
Bhupinder Singh Hothi, general secretary of the Guru Nanak Sikh Gurdwara Society, told media that Nijjar, 45, had just left the gurdwara and was in his vehicle in the parking lot when he was attacked.
In a post on Facebook, the organization B.C. Sikhs said the Sikh community "has suffered an immeasurable physical loss."
The vice-president of the gurdwara, Amandeep Singh Johal, told CBC News that Nijjar was an activist with the Sikh independence group Sikhs for Justice.
Hothi said Nijjar had received threats because of his support for a separate Sikh state in India called Khalistan. He added that the shooting will not deter those who share his beliefs.
In 2016, CBC News reported that the government of India was seeking Nijjar's extradition from Canada on charges related to extremism.
WATCH | The CBC explains terrorism allegations involving Hardeep Singh Nijjar in 2016:
A Canadian Press article at the time, based on reporting from the Times of India, alleged Indian intelligence agencies alerted the Canadian government that pro-Khalistan extremists near Mission, B.C., including Nijjar, planned to carry out attacks in Punjab.
Nijjar maintained his innocence at the time and denied all allegations.
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