Muslim advocates in Canada have expressed anger and concern at allegations that the Indian government may have been involved in the killing of a Canadian Sikh leader, stressing that Muslim and Sikh Canadians have long supported each other.
Last week, a diplomatic dispute escalated between Ottawa and New Delhi after Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau said his government was investigating “credible allegations of a potential link” between Indian government agents and the murder of Hardeep Singh Nijjar.
The row has prompted many Muslim activists in Canada to call for more protections for minorities, with some urging a tougher stance against India, which has been accused of discriminating against Muslims under the leadership of right-wing nationalist Prime Minister Narendra Modi.
Nijjar, a prominent Sikh leader who had called for an independent Sikh state in India, was fatally shot outside a Sikh temple in the province of British Columbia in June.
The Indian government has denied Trudeau’s accusations as “absurd” and called on Canada to curb the activities of individuals it describes as “terrorists”, referring to Sikh separatists whom it views as a security threat.
India had accused Nijjar of being “involved in terrorism” – an allegation rejected by his associates, who say such claims are part of a campaign aimed at vilifying Sikhs advocating for an independent state, dubbed Khalistan, in India’s northern Punjab region.
According to the 2011 Indian census, there are about 20.8 million Sikhs, making up 1.7 percent of the country’s population. The majority of Sikhs, about 16 million at the time of the census, live in the northern state of Punjab where they make up about 58 percent of the state’s population.
