The killing of prominent Sikh leader and Canadian citizen Hardeep Singh Nijjar by two masked gunmen in British Columbia in June — and Canada’s accusation this week that the Indian government was involved — has brought renewed attention to a Sikh separatist cause called the Khalistan movement.
The movement, which was championed by Nijjar, aims to establish a sovereign state for the Sikh population in the northern Indian region of Punjab. It is outlawed in India.