Who is Hardeep Singh Nijjar, the Sikh leader Indian agents allegedly killed?

The man at the centre of the diplomatic storm is Hardeep Singh Nijjar, who was gunned down in June. He moved to Canada in 1997 and was a key figure in the Khalistan movement.

As the House of Commons reconvened on Monday, Prime Minister Justin Trudeau informed Parliament that there were “credible allegations” of a “potential link” between “agents of the government of India” and the murder of Hardeep Singh Nijjar, a Canadian citizen and Sikh leader.

As a consequence, an Indian diplomat was expelled from Canada.

The man at the centre of the diplomatic storm was gunned down in June this year, and the investigation remains open into his murder. On June 18, Nijjar, 45, was found suffering from multiple gunshot wounds inside a vehicle outside the Guru Nanak Sikh Gurdwara just before 8:30 p.m. on June 18.

The RCMP’s Integrated Homicide Investigation Team (IHIT) initially sought two suspects described as “heavier-set males wearing face coverings.” However, they later said the men were not acting alone.

On Monday, Trudeau confirmed that authorities were investigating links between the murder and people linked to the Indian government.

Here is what we know so far.

Nijjar, who moved to Canada in February 1997 to be a plumber, was a key figure in the movement for an independent Khalistan — a separate homeland for Sikhs in the Indian subcontinent.

But for the Indian government, he was wanted for allegedly being a “mastermind/active member” of the Khalistan Tiger Force (KTF), which the Indian  government designates as a terrorist group.