Hardeep Singh Nijjar murder suspect entered Canada on study permit in 2019, says report

A suspect in the assassination of Khalistani terrorist Hardeep Singh Nijjar, Karan Brar, revealed in a 2019 social media video that he arrived in Canada on a 'study permit' procured through EthicWorks Immigration Services in Bathinda, Punjab. Brar's arrival in Canada via student permit three years prior to the murder was suggested by online posts.

EthicWorks posted a promotional video regarding the same on its Facebook page, along with a photo of Brar, according to Canada-based Global News. The company said thar Karan Brar was from the city of Kotakpura, which is located in north of Bathinda. "Congratulations Karan Brar for Canada study visa," the caption below the video read. "One more happy client for Kotkapura."

Another Facebook page, which appears to belong to Karan Brar, suggested that he began studying at Bow Valley College in Canada's Calgary on April 30, 2020 and moved to Edmonton on May 4, 2020. A college spokesperson told the news outlet that Karan Brar was enrolled in the Hospital Unit Clerk program in 2020. 

Notably, the university's Hospital Unit Clerk program spans around 8 months. The college said in a later statement that it had no "record of ever having an affiliation with a company named EthicWorks Immigration Services." EthicWorks Immigration Services, however, said on its website that “Canada continues to attract more international students, even after reaching close to half a million students in recent years.”

Brar, along with Karanpreet Singh and Kamalpreet Singh, were arrested in Edmonton, accused of murder and conspiracy, and appeared in court in Surrey, British Columbia. All three of them are Indian citizens living in Edmondton, as per the RCMP. The Canadian police said that they were probing the suspected involvement of the Indian government. 

The Sikh Community from British Columbia filled a Surrey courtroom as the accused made their first court appearance via video. Pro-Khalistani protesters accused the Indian government of the murder outside the court. The murder of Nijjar in June 2023 significantly impacted India-Canada relations, with Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau blaming Indian government agents for the killing, a claim India rejected as 'absurd' and 'motivated'.

Nijjar, labelled as a terrorist by India's National Investigation Agency in 2020, was shot as he exited a Gurdwara in Surrey. Canadian police released photographs of the three accused and a car believed to have been used in the murder as part of their ongoing investigation.