Ottawa: Indo-Canadian MP Chandra Arya has slammed his government's decision to observe a moment of silence in the House of Commons on June 18, marking the anniversary of the killing of Sikh radical and India-designated terrorist Hardeep Singh Nijjar.
The Liberal Party MP said it was inappropriate to honor Nijjar as the parliament usually observes a minute of silence to honor great Canadians who have served the country for the majority of their lives, and based on this criteria, Nijjar did not fit into it at all.
In an interview with The Globe and Mail, Arya said, “When Parliament decides to hold a moment of silence, it is very exclusive and limited to a few great Canadians who have immensely served Canadians for most of their lives. Nijjar is not one of these people.” He also referenced an investigation by the news outlet revealing Canadian authorities’ concerns about Nijjar’s alleged ties to extremism.
Speaking in the Canadian Parliament last week, Arya recalled the 1985 Air India bombing, which claimed the lives of 329 people, and stated that the ideology responsible for the terrorist attack is still alive among a few people in Canada. He said the celebration of former Indian Prime Minister Indira Gandhi's assassination by "Khalistani supporters" demonstrates that "dark forces have been energized again".
Designated as a terrorist by the Indian government in 2020, Nijjar was gunned down in the parking lot of a gurudwara in Surrey, British Columbia. In September 2023, Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau stated that the government had "credible allegations" which linked the Indian government to the killing of Nijjar. India refuted the allegations as 'absurd' and 'motivated'.
