Nijjar ran arms training camps in Canada, funded attacks in India, intel shows

NEW DELHI,SEPT 23 : Khalistani terrorist Hardeep Singh Nijjar, whose killing triggered a massive diplomatic row between India and Canada, played an active role in training, financing and operationalising his outfit and individuals on Canadian soil, says a dossier prepared by Indian intelligence agencies whose details were exclusively accessed by India Today TV.

Nijjar had undergone training in Pakistan, with assistance from Pakistan’s intelligence agency, ISI, and maintained links with other Khalistani leaders in the country. He funded terror activities in Punjab and other parts of India, the dossier states.

Nijjar, who was among India’s most-wanted terrorists, was shot dead by two unidentified assailants outside a gurdwara in Surrey, a city in the province of British Columbia in Canada, on June 18. He was the chief of the banned Khalistan Tiger Force (KTF).

The dossier says that Nijjar carried out Khalistani activities with impunity. He organised arms training camps in Canada, where he trained individuals to use firearms like AK-47s, sniper rifles, and pistols.

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He had also allegedly sent individuals to India to carry out targeted killings and attacks against political and religious figures.

Nijjar had fled to Canada in 1996 on a fake passport in the name of “Ravi Sharma” and was working as a truck driver and plumber. He had organised violent anti-India protests in Canada and threatened Indian diplomats.

He had also called for a ban on Indian Embassy officials from attending various events organised by local gurdwaras in Canada.

The Khalistani terrorist married a woman who sponsored his immigration to Canada. Officials noted that the woman had arrived in Canada in 1997 and married to another man, and rejected the claim as a marriage of convenience.

In 2001, Nijjar appealed the ruling but lost. He subsequently became a Canadian citizen in 2007, the dossier says.

PAKISTAN CONNECTION

Nijjar, who was initially a Babbar Khalsa International (BKI) operative, came in contact with Pakistan-based KTF chief Jagtar Singh Tara, the assassin of former Punjab Chief Minister Beant Singh. He visited Pakistan in April 2012 under the guise of being a Baisakhi Jatha member.

According to sources, Nijjar was radicalised by Tara and groomed by the ISI, who gave him arms and explosives training in 2012 and 2013.

Nijjar joined KTF after Tara became the outfit’s chief in 2013. Thereafter, he visited Pakistan to hold meetings with Tara and ISI officials in 2013 and 2014 for the strengthening of KTF and organising terrorist activities in Punjab.

Sources in intelligence agencies said that in 2013, Tara had sent US-based Harjot Singh Biring and Nijjar to Canada to train him in using handheld GPS devices. In 2015, after Jagtar Singh Tara was deported from Thailand to India, Nijjar took over the role of KTF operations.

During his stay in Canada, Nijjar sent another terrorist to Pakistan for training in weapons and GPS devices. He also sent Rs 10 lakhs to Tara in 2014 for terrorist activities.

TERROR LINKS AND FUNDING

Several terror attacks, including targeted killings in Punjab, were allegedly carried out by Nijjar. His name was figured on the most-wanted list handed over by then-Punjab Chief Minister Captain Amarinder Singh to Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau in February 2018.

Nijjar, who originally belonged to Bharsinghpur in Punjab’s Jalandhar district, had a long history of involvement in terror-related activities, the dossier says.

Police sources say that Nijjar’s entry into Khalistani terrorism came into the picture when he got associated with Moninder Singh, one of the founders of the Sikh Liberation Front (SLF).

Nijjar and others formed a terrorist gang and recruited four people. They conspired to kidnap and kill people of other faiths to create a sense of fear and disaffection among different sections of society in Punjab, the dossier says.

Investigations have revealed that Nijjar and Arshdeep lured the shooters to commit terror acts in return for arranging visas, splendid jobs and handsome earnings for them in Canada. Initially, they were motivated to threaten and extort money from businessmen in Punjab. Subsequently, they were radicalised and motivated to carry out terrorist acts of killing people of other faiths.

Ramandeep Singh, an accused in the 2010 Patiala bomb blast that injured four people, revealed that Nijjar was involved in providing financial assistance for carrying out the attack. He had also said that Nijjar provided financial assistance to carry out terrorist activities in Punjab and other parts of the country.

In 2014, Surjit Singh Kohli, a Canadian national, visited India at the behest of Nijjar. He motivated one former BKI terrorist Parminder Singh for the killing of Baba Piara Singh Bhaniarawala, a socio-religious head and Sanjeev Ghanauli, a Shiv Sena leader for their alleged role in anti-panthic activities.

Nijjar provided funds to his associate Kohli, who further handed over to Parminder for purchasing local made weapons in 2015.

The house of Khalistani terrorist Hardeep Singh Nijjar in Punjab’s Jalandhar district. The house is locked, according to an NIA notice. (Photo: India Today)

The house of Khalistani terrorist Hardeep Singh Nijjar in Punjab’s Jalandhar district. The house is locked, according to an NIA notice. (Photo: India Today)

In October 2014, when Jagtar Singh Tara was hiding in Thailand, he called Nijjar, who was in Canada, to personally help him. While Tara was arrested and subsequently deported, Nijjar got away on account of being a Canadian citizen and managed to escape scrutiny. Acting as Tara’s emissary, Nijjar then travelled from Bangkok to Pakistan in November 2014.

On his return, the Royal Canadian Mounted Police are said to have questioned Nijjar.

In December 2015, Nijjar organised a weapons training camp in Mission Hills, British Columbia, Canada to train Mandeep Singh Dhaliwal in the use of an AK-47 assault rifle, a sniper rifle and a pistol.

In January 2016, Nijjar sent Dhaliwal to Punjab to kill Shiv Sena leaders and create a communal situation in the state. However, in June of that year, Punjab Police caught Dhaliwal.

According to sources, Nijjar, along with gangster-turned-terrorist Arshdeep Singh Dalla, trained a module of four KTF members and this led to the formation of the gang to carry out targeted killings, ransom and kidnappings in 2020 and 2021.

According to the dossier, Nijjar had planned a terrorist attack on the Dera Sacha Sauda in Sirsa in 2014 but he could not do so due to not getting a visa for India.

The National Investigative Agency (NIA) registered several cases against Nijjar in which there were allegations of setting up a module in Canada related to Mandeep Singh Dhaliwal. Nijjar was associated with the banned terrorist organisation Sikhs for Justice (SFJ), whose chief is Gurpatwant Singh Pannun.

The Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) designated Nijjar in July 2020 and the NIA announced a cash reward of Rs 10 lakh for him. The probe agency had also filed a chargesheet against the Khalistani terrorist at its court in Mohali.

-PTI