How a murder in Surrey, B.C., spans the globe

In today’s Big Story Podcast, nine days ago, Hardeep Singh Nijjar, was killed in a targeted daylight shooting in a crowded area outside of a Sikh temple in Surrey, B.C. Nijjar was a well-known community leader and pro-Khalistan activist who the Indian government has previously accused of terror offences — allegations he vehemently denied.

His activism and controversial past have spawned many theories about who may have done this and why, but more than a week after his death, the public has seen little evidence to substantiate those rumours. Meanwhile, a community is in mourning, and they took to the streets on Sunday to demand answers.

Sonia Aslam has been covering the case for CityNews Vancouver, and she says the politics surrounding the killing have made people lose sight of the tragedy at the center of the investigation.

“His past … then becomes the overshadowing focus of what’s really happened here, and what’s happened here is that a 45-year-old man, father of two, has been shot and killed in his car,” says Aslam.

So what, if anything, can we say for certain at this point? And could this horrific crime spark further violence?

You can subscribe to The Big Story podcast on Apple Podcasts, Google and Spotify.

You can also find it at thebigstorypodcast.ca.