A close associate of the B.C. Sikh leader who was gunned down outside a Surrey gurdwara this summer says he, too, was warned about threats against his life.
Gurmeet Singh Toor sits on the executive committee of the Guru Nanak Sikh Gurdwara where Hardeep Singh Nijjar served as president before his death.
Through an interpreter Thursday, he told Global News that police and the RCMP Integrated National Security Enforcement Team came to his home late at night on Aug. 24, and warned him about a potential threat.
“He and the family was made aware … that there was a threat to his life, he was given a duty to warn,” the interpreter said.
“When he asked what was the reason and who was behind the threat, the police and INSET were unable to offer that information.”
Like Nijjar, Toor is a strong advocate for Khalilstan, an independent Sikh state in the Indian subcontinent, and was working on a referendum promoting the idea.
He told Global News he is one of three people in the Sikh community to receive the warnings from the RCMP.
The notice delivered to Toor reads, “the police have determined by way of one or more investigative avenues that your life may be in peril.”
He signed it and was allowed to photograph the document for his own records.
“The police has stationed their vehicle for one or two weeks in front of Mr. Toor’s house, and there were some suspicious activities afterward as well, and when the police were called they did patrol that area,” the interpreter said.
“(The suspicious activity was ) related to photography of Mr. Toor’s premises.”
The RCMP did not respond to requests to verify the authenticity of the notice in Toor’s photograph. However, Global News has verified that the document is consistent with forms used by the BC RCMP.
“He feels that they will be able to protect him and he hopes for that as well, but he is more confident now,” Toor said through the interpreter.
Police continue to investigate Nijjar’s killing, which became a diplomatic flashpoint with India after Prime Minister Justin Trudeau told Parliament there were “credible allegations” of a “potential link” between “agents of the government of India” and his death.
India, which alleges Nijjar was a member of a terrorist organization, has denied the killing.
Nijjar’s supporters staged demonstrations outside Indian consulates across the country on Monday, and Canada and India have each expelled diplomats over the allegations.