Ottawa
The Canadian police have denied a Washington Post report that they arrived late at the scene of the murder of Khalistani terrorist Hardeep Singh Nijjar in Surrey.
The US-based newspaper in its report on Sept 25 stated that the “police were slow to the scene, and disagreement between agencies caused further delay”.
“There was an hours-long tussle between Surrey police and the RCMP. They couldn’t decide who would head the investigation, so there was a delay,” The Washington Post quoted a gurdwara volunteer, identified as Bhupinderjit Singh, as saying.
The Post further claimed, citing one of those present on the scene, that the RCMP and members of the Surrey Police Service had an “hours-long tussle” over who would take the lead in the investigation.
Responding to the report, the Surrey RCMP spokesperson Corporal Vanessa Munn flatly denied the claims.
“It was suggested that there was a conflict regarding which police agency would ‘head the investigation,'” said Munn.
'No delay in response'
“However, as the police of jurisdiction, Surrey RCMP is responsible for all police investigations in Surrey. There is nothing to indicate this investigation was delayed in any way, either in the initial response or in subsequent investigative steps.”
The officer further said that the case was ultimately handed over to the Integrated Homicide Investigation Team (IHIT), “with the continued support of Surrey RCMP.”
“IHIT takes lead on all homicide investigations in the Lower Mainland with the exception of Delta and Vancouver. We are confident all necessary investigational steps are being taken to hold those responsible for the homicide accountable,” the Surrey RCMP said.
Nijjar's killing well-organised
The Washington Post report carried further details as to how Nijjar’s killing was well-organised.
Citing a number of Khalistani separatists, including Moninder Singh, one of the founders of the Sikh Liberation Front (SLF), the report claimed that Nijjar's car was bugged with a tracker and that he was purportedly a target.
It also quotes the Sikh community members as telling the investigators that the assailants fired about 50 bullets on Nijjar, of which 34 hit the Khalistani terrorist.
Nijjar’s killing was captured by a security camera at Guru Nanak Sikh Gurdwara in Canada's Surrey.
A 90-second recording of the video begins with Nijjar’s grey pickup truck pulling out of a parking space, Washington Post reported.
A white sedan appears in an adjacent lot, pulls up and drives parallel to the truck, the report adds.
Hardeep Singh Nijjar entered Canada in the late 1990s on a fake passport and produced false asylum claims based on fake marriages. He became a Canadian citizen in May 2007. In November 2014, an Interpol Red Corner Notice cited over a dozen criminal cases of murder and other terrorist activities against Nijjar in India.
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