President of Sikh Gurdwara shot and killed in Surrey parking lot, BC Sikh community reports – BC

A high-ranking member of the B.C. Sikh community was shot and killed Sunday evening in a Gurdwara parking lot.

Mounties say the shooting occurred just before 8:30 p.m. at Scott Road near 72nd Avenue in Surrey.

The Integrated Homicide Investigation Team (IHIT) has been called in to work with Surrey RCMP on this file.

So far, police have not confirmed any arrests or suspect descriptions.

According to a post from the BCSikhs Instagram page, President Hardeep Singh Nijjar of the Guru Nanak Sikh Gurdwara was killed while sitting in a vehicle, exiting the Gurdwara’s parking lot.

The post claims two gunmen shot Nijjar although Surrey RCMP have not confirmed these allegations.

Mounties are gathering evidence from the scene and are speaking to witnesses in the area.

Video obtained by Global News appears to show glass of a grey pickup truck smashed out.

“I just live close by, and I was kind of curious, so I went inside, and I heard people talking about the body still being there,” witness Jas Minhas told Global News.

“I heard them offering prayers, which you typically do if somebody passed away.”

According to an Indian media report in 2016, Nijjar was accused of running a terror training camp in Mission allegedly training Sikh youth to potentially carry out attacks in the state of Punjab.

However, RCMP said there was no information at the time substantiating any claims of a terror camp in Mission.

Nijjar has repeatedly claimed his innocence and penned a letter to Prime Minister Justin Trudeau saying the allegations were “factually baseless and fabricated.”

Back in 2018, India filed a First Information Report against Nijjar, who it accuses of plotting to carry out a major terrorist attack in Punjab.

Nijjar has previously admitted to speaking out in favour of Sikh separatism but denied being involved in any acts of violence.

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