Recently, Al Jazeera English released a documentary, which presented irrefutable evidence of India’s Sikh genocide and the murder of Sikh leader Hardeep Singh Nijjar. The documentary highlighted that the murder of Hardeep Singh Nijjar caused an international stir, deeply impacting the relations between the governments of India, the United States, and Canada.

According to the documentary, Indian Home Minister Amit Shah, officials from the intelligence agency RAW, and its head Samant Goel were involved in the murder of Hardeep Singh Nijjar. Hardeep Singh Nijjar was an active participant in the Sikh independence movement. Born in 1977 in Indian Punjab, Hardeep Singh grew up in an environment where discussions about an independent Sikh state were common. The demand for “Khalistan” began as early as the 1930s.

The Khalistan movement gained momentum in 1984 when Indian Prime Minister Indira Gandhi ordered an attack on the Golden Temple, the holiest Sikh shrine. This brutal attack, known as “Operation Blue Star,” resulted in the deaths of thousands of people, according to the Sikh community.

During the rising anti-Sikh sentiments in India in 1997, Hardeep Singh moved to Canada, where he continued the struggle for freedom. In 2007, he co-founded a party called “Sikh for Justice” alongside Gurdip Singh Pannu. In 2013, Hardeep Singh petitioned the United Nations to recognize the 1984 Sikh massacre as genocide, but the Indian government labeled the massacre as riots.

After this failure, Hardeep Singh officially launched the Khalistan Referendum Movement, which gained widespread support in the Sikh community. In 2014, the Modi government declared Hardeep Singh a leader of the terrorist organization “Khalistan Tiger Force” and issued warrants for his arrest. Later, in June 2023, the Modi government had Hardeep Singh murdered in Canada. Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, in a speech in September 2023, held India responsible for Hardeep Singh’s murder.

In May 2024, three Indian nationals with links to organized crime were arrested in India on charges of Hardeep Singh Nijjar’s murder. After Prime Minister Trudeau’s statement, in October 2024, both countries expelled each other’s diplomats. India and Canada had previously experienced ups and downs in their relationship, but such a severe diplomatic fallout had never occurred. The criminal activities of the Modi government and attempts at genocide against Sikhs are also having an impact in the United States.

Recently, in the United States, a plot to kill Khalistan movement leader Gurdip Singh Pannu was exposed. In September 2024, a New York court summoned India’s National Security Advisor Ajit Doval and officials from the RAW intelligence agency in a case related to the conspiracy to murder the Sikh leader. According to U.S. officials, two individuals in India, Nikil Gupta and C.C. One, were working with Indian intelligence. U.S. authorities had requested the extradition of Nikil Gupta from the Czech Republic, and he was transferred to the United States in June 2024.

An international media report in April 2024 revealed that Vikram Yadav, an officer from India’s intelligence agency RAW, and its head Samant Goel were also involved in the plot to kill Gurdip Singh Pannu. Gurdip Singh Pannu told Al Jazeera, “I am not afraid of death; the issue is the threat to the Sikh community under Indian occupation.”

Despite investigations and arrests, the true motive behind Hardeep’s murder remains unclear. This situation highlights the delicate position of the Sikh diaspora, especially in Canada, where the Modi government is targeting Khalistan-supporting groups.