The Canadian government on Thursday (Jan 9) denied media reports that the four Indian-origin men accused of killing Khalistani terrorist Hardeep Singh Nijjar were released on bail.

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The British Columbia Prosecution Service said it was not true that the four suspects were granted bail. "All four accused were detained, and they continue to remain in custody," the prosecution services added.

Also read | Indian-origin men accused of killing Khalistani terrorist Nijjar released on bail by Canada court: Report

The services pointed out that trial dates had not yet been set in this matter. 

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Court appearances in Feb

The prosecution services said that the next court appearance in the matter was a pre-trial conference on February 11 and a subsequent court appearance on February 12. 

Hardeep Singh Nijjar was killed in Surrey on June 18, 2023. He was gunned down outside the Guru Nanak Sikh Gurudwara. 

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Nijjar was designated as a terrorist by New Delhi. He was born in 1977 in Punjab and moved to Canada in 1997 later, where he worked as a plumber.

He was initially associated with the Babbar Khalsa International (BKI) Sikh separatist group. 

Also read | Russian embassy in Canada facilitated Hardeep Singh Nijjar's assassination: SFJ

He later became chief of the militant group Khalistan Tiger Force (KTF) and was "actively involved in operationalising, networking, training and financing" its members, according to a statement released by the Indian government in 2020. 

Who are the four suspects?

The four suspects were identified as 22-year-old Karan Brar, 22-year-old Amandeep Singh, 22-year-old Kamalpreet Singh, and 28-year-old Karanpreet Singh.

They face charges of first-degree murder and conspiracy to commit murder.

(With inputs from agencies)