CHANDIGARH: A car belonging to Narinder Singh Randhawa, a Surrey-based Khalistan referendum activist and associate of slain separatist leader Hardeep Singh Nijjar was set ablaze outside his home in British Columbia, Canada, late on Wednesday night and also a bus linked to "Team Shaheed Nijjar" parked on the property, bearing materials related to the Khalistan referendum was defaced with spray paint.
Surrey police say officers found a car engulfed in flames and a bus vandalised after the attack in the Surrey Central neighbourhood, where officers were called to the scene at 11:45 p.m. PT Wednesday. Investigators say they believe a suspect fled on foot and no motive has been determined.
"Upon arrival, SPS officers observed a fully engulfed passenger vehicle, that was being extinguished by Surrey Fire Service firefighters. A bus, also associated with the property, had been spray-painted. It is believed that a suspect fled the area on foot after damaging the bus and setting fire to the vehicle,"’ the Police added and appealed to residents to share surveillance footage recorded from 11 pm to midnight.
The case is being investigated by major crime investigators.
"It’s believed that one suspect was observed fleeing the scene on foot after lighting the vehicle on fire and spray painting the bus," Surrey police spokesperson Ali Gailus told the local media.
The incident took place hours after a pro-Khalistan rally in the area. Randhawa is a known organiser of such rallies was served a “Duty to Warn” notice in April, alerting him of an imminent threat to his life. Police issue such notices when they have credible information indicating that an individual’s life may be in danger. The police have not linked the arson to the rally or attributed it to any group.
Gailus Furhet stated that the police had issued such a warning to "one of the residents” as recently as August but declined to provide more details.
"Obviously, if somebody associated to that residence has had a ‘duty to warn,’ there have been some safety aspects or concerns in the past. We will be looking at that fully and giving all of our investigative tools to the investigation,’’ she said.
It is learnt that Team Shaheed Nihhar is associated with Hardeep Singh Nijjar, who was born on October 11, 1977, in Bhar Singh Pura village in Jalandhar, Punjab. He was shot dead in Surrey in on June 18, 2023. Canadian authorities and the FBI have linked the killing to the involvement of Indian intelligence agents and members of the Lawrence Bishnoi gang network.
Meanwhile US-based Gurpatwant Singh Pannun, General Counsel to Sikhs For Justice who has been officially designated as an individual terrorist by Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) in July 2020 under the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act (UAPA) and his organization banned in India had posted a video on X showing a car on fire in Surrey and stating, "The car belonging to Khalistan Referendum activist Narinder Singh Randhawa, who received an RCMP "Duty to Warn" notification and is facing death threats, was burnt."
The "car arson terror attack" occurred after Sikhs For Justice organized the China "Annex Arunachal Pradesh" — Khalistan Freedom March from the Chinese Consulate to the Indian Consulate, where Manjinder Singh, another "Duty to Warn" target, shredded the Indian Tiranga.
"Team Shaheed Nijjar’s bus was also spray-painted with graffiti."
