Liberal MP calls out Ottawa on moment of silence on anniversary of Nijjar slaying

A Liberal member of Parliament says it was inappropriate for MPs to stand in the House of Commons last week for a moment’s silence to mark the anniversary of the killing of Sikh leader Hardeep Singh Nijjar.

Chandra Arya, the MP for Nepean, criticized his own government’s decision. He noted a finding in a Globe and Mail investigation published this weekend that Canadian authorities had concerns about Mr. Nijjar’s ties to extremism.

In an interview Monday, Mr. Arya said when Parliament decides to hold a moment of silence, it is “very exclusive and limited to a few great Canadians who have immensely served Canadians for most of their life.

“Mr. Nijjar is not one of these people. … That the ‘credible allegations’ that he was killed by a foreign government was considered to be good enough to elevate him to be one of the most respected Canadians is wrong,” he added.

On June 18, MPs from all parties took a moment to honour Mr. Nijjar, who was gunned down outside his gurdwara in Surrey, B.C., a year earlier in a shooting that Prime Minister Justin Trudeau said has “credible allegations” linking it to the Indian government. Diplomatic relations between the two countries have since plunged.

Mr. Arya has in the past advocated for Canada strengthening ties with the Indian government of Prime Minister Narendra Modi and has been an outspoken critic of Khalistan separatist groups.

Mr. Arya said The Globe investigation showed Mr. Nijjar entered Canada on a fake passport, called for violence and associated with Sikh militants in his campaign to create an independent state called Khalistan in present-day Punjab. The investigation also showed Mr. Nijjar was on Canada’s no-fly list and that authorities had picked him up for questioning on three occasions.

The MP also said he’s concerned that some in the Khalistan movement are pushing conspiracy theories that the Air India bombing 39 years ago was somehow co-ordinated by the Indian government. The bombing killed 329 people, most of them Canadians, on June 23, 1985. Two Canadian inquiries have determined the bombings were co-ordinated by Sikh extremists in Canada.

The 18-month-long Air India inquiry, led by former Supreme Court justice John Major, pointed to B.C. resident Talwinder Singh Parmar as the bombing’s architect, as did a separate inquiry, carried out by former Ontario NDP premier Bob Rae. Mr. Parmar fled B.C. after he was picked up for questioning in the bombing. He was killed by Indian police in 1992.

Two British Columbian men were charged with first-degree murder in the bombing but were later acquitted. The RCMP has always said the investigation remains open.

This past weekend, supporters of Khalistan disrupted memorials to the Air India victims, demanding that the Canadian government investigate the Indian government, which the group Sikhs for Justice claims may be connected to the terror attack.

The claims have appalled family members of those killed.

Deepak Khandelwal, whose two older sisters were killed on the flight, said the Trudeau government’s embrace of Mr. Nijjar following Mr. Nijjar’s murder is “emboldening” this type of behaviour.

“As painful as it is, I’m speaking out because I don’t want any other family to have to go through this. We cannot allow these elements to grow stronger.”

Following the inquiries, Mr. Parmar became a pariah in mainstream political circles. But in the year since Mr. Nijjar was killed, members of Guru Nanak gurdwara in Surrey have erected a giant billboard of Mr. Parmar’s likeness. It faces a major city thoroughfare.

Mr. Khandewlall, who was 17 when his sisters were killed, said this is akin to a billboard of 9/11 mastermind Osama bin Laden going up on a Manhattan street.

Meanwhile, one of the two men acquitted of the Air India bombing has been staging a comeback at Guru Nanak, several temple members told The Globe.

“When all attempts and means have failed, then it is totally valid to pick up a sword. Then you can take what is rightfully yours,” Ajaib Singh Bagri said in a recent speech at the Surrey temple.

At the weekend memorials, Sikh activists carrying signs promoting the conspiracy theory that India was involved in the bombing set up directly behind the victims’ families, sometimes clashing with mourners.

The federal NDP stood by the decision to honour Mr. Nijjar with a moment of silence.

“A Canadian was killed on Canadian soil allegedly by a foreign government. That is terrifying and many Canadians feel worried and unsafe as a result,” NDP House leader Peter Julian, MP for New Westminster-Burnaby, said.

A spokesperson for the Conservative Party declined to respond to questions from The Globe.

Deputy Prime Minister Chrystia Freeland was asked about the protests at the Air India memorials. She responded by saying her government is clear in its support of the rights of Canadians in Canada.

“You’re not allowed, in Canada, to kill Canadians.”

The idea that the government of India is somehow behind the bombing is “totally, totally absurd,” added Mahesh Sharma, a professor at Concordia’s School of Business.

“I lost my wife and daughters in the bombing. I’m 88 now. I’m all alone. They have no respect for people.”

With a report from Mark Rendell