Vancouver (British Columbia) [Canada]: Documents released by the Justice Department of British Columbia reveal that all four individuals accused of murdering NIA-designated terrorist Hardeep Singh Nijjar are no longer in custody.

The case documents indicate a status of 'N' (no longer in custody) for the four men involved. Karan Brar, Karan Singh, Amandeep Singh, Kamalpreet Singh, and Karanpreet Singh were charged with the murder of Nijjar and conspiracy to commit murder, according to Canadian authorities.

Brar, 22, Karanpreet Singh, 28, and Kamalpreet Singh, 22, were arrested in Edmonton on May 3. A fourth accused, Amandeep Singh, 22, was already in custody in Peel Regional Police, Ontario, on unrelated firearms charges before being arrested on May 11 for the murder.

Lack of evidence linking the accused to India

The Integrated Homicide Investigation Team (IHIT) in British Columbia has charged the men with murder and conspiracy. However, police have not provided any evidence connecting the suspects to India, despite media speculation.

At the time of the arrests, India’s Ministry of External Affairs reiterated that Canada had not provided any "specific" evidence or formal communication about the involvement of the three Indian nationals in the murder case.

Tensions between India and Canada

The incident comes amid rising tensions between India and Canada, following Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau's accusations that agents of the Indian government were responsible for Nijjar’s killing. India has dismissed these claims as "absurd" and "motivated."

Nijjar’s death and controversial video

Hardeep Singh Nijjar, a terrorist designated by India’s National Investigation Agency (NIA) in 2020, was shot and killed outside a Gurdwara in Surrey in June last year. A video of his killing, which reportedly surfaced in March 2024, shows armed men shooting him in what is being described as a "contract killing."