Daijiworld Media Network - Toronto
Toronto, Aug 23: Canada-based gangster Satinderjeet Singh, alias Goldy Brar, has allegedly claimed responsibility for the 2023 killing of Khalistani terrorist Hardeep Singh Nijjar, saying in a purported leaked audio that Nijjar was targeted over his alleged involvement in pushing young people into the drug trade.
The authenticity of the audio has not been independently verified. The purported recording is said to be a conversation between Brar and Khalistani terrorist Paramjit Singh Pamma. In the clip, Brar allegedly says that his gang was responsible for Nijjar's killing and that those involved in exploiting young people for drug-related activities would have to face the consequences.
According to reports citing the recording, Brar alleges that Nijjar supported people who groomed and pressured teenagers into selling drugs and becoming informants. Brar is heard claiming that he and his associates therefore “had to kill” Nijjar because young people were allegedly being used to sell drugs.
Nijjar was shot dead by unidentified gunmen outside the Guru Nanak Sikh Gurdwara in Surrey, British Columbia, on June 18, 2023. His killing triggered a major diplomatic crisis between India and Canada after then Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau alleged that Canadian intelligence agencies were investigating a possible link between Indian government agents and the murder.
India strongly rejected the allegation and described it as baseless, while New Delhi maintained that the killing was linked to criminal or gang rivalry rather than any involvement by the Indian government.
The case has since taken a significant turn. In July this year, US authorities charged jailed gangster Lawrence Bishnoi and his associate Goldy Brar with allegedly ordering Nijjar's assassination as part of a wider investigation into transnational organised crime networks. Canadian authorities subsequently said they had found no evidence linking Indian government officials to Nijjar's killing.
Royal Canadian Mounted Police Deputy Commissioner Lisa Moreland said there was no evidence from the organised-crime investigation and charges that Indian officials were involved in the case. Her remarks directly contradicted Trudeau's earlier allegations and represented a significant shift in Canada's position.
The latest purported audio has emerged against this backdrop and has renewed attention on the circumstances surrounding Nijjar's assassination. While Brar is heard allegedly taking responsibility for the killing, the recording itself remains unverified and should not be treated as independently established evidence of his role.
The Nijjar killing had severely strained India-Canada relations, with diplomatic expulsions and a sharp deterioration in bilateral ties following Trudeau's allegations. Relations have subsequently shown signs of improvement under Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney, although New Delhi continues to press Ottawa to take action against anti-India extremist and criminal elements operating from Canadian soil.
The latest development could add another layer to the already complex investigation and diplomatic history surrounding Nijjar's killing, particularly as Canadian authorities have publicly said that their investigation found no evidence connecting Indian government officials to the murder.