How killing of a Sikh separatist caused global shock waves

95% Proportion of Sikhs who consider themselves proud Indians, according to a survey in 2021

- Hannah Ellis-Petersen

The sun was setting on a June evening as Hardeep Singh Nijjar walked across the car park of the gurdwara. Nijjar's day job was as a plumber but this gurdwara, in the city of Surrey, in British Columbia, was where he dedicated most of his energy. That day he had made an impassioned speech on the fight for an independent state for Sikhs.

But as he reached his pickup truck, two masked gunmen lay in wait. Shots rang out and Nijjar, killed instantly, fell to the ground as the suspects fled - first on foot and then in a getaway car.

The incident had attracted little international attention until last week, when Justin Trudeau, the Canadian prime minister, stood up in parliament and made an explosive announcement: there were credible allegations that this had been an assassination carried out with the involvement of the Indian government, with Nijjar targeted for his involvement in the Sikh separatist cause.

The ramifications were instant. Canada expelled a top Indian diplomat who was reportedly involved in intelligence. India hit back, calling the accusations "absurd" and politically motivated, and expelling a Canadian diplomat. Trade talks between the two countries were halted.