A year after the assassination of Sikh separatist leader Hardeep Singh Nijjar near Vancouver, diplomatic and legal actions are highlighting India’s alleged efforts to suppress Sikh separatist movements abroad through killings in both the US and Canada.

In Canada, a hearing on June 25 regarding the Nijjar case will allow prosecutors to present evidence supporting their accusations of India's role in the killing.

Meanwhile, Nikhil Gupta, suspected in a plot to kill Sikh separatist Gurpatwant Singh Pannun, was extradited from the Czech Republic to the US earlier this month.

Here is more about the actions taken by Canada and the US, and their implications for India:

What’s happening in Canada with the Nijjar case?

Four Indian nationals were arrested in May this year over Nijjar’s shooting death last June. The men are Amandeep Singh, 22; Kamalpreet Singh, 22; Karan Brar, 22; and Karanpreet Singh, 28.

Sikh activists commemorated Nijjar’s death anniversary with a mock trial of Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi outside Vancouver’s Indian consulate, depicting Modi in prison attire and alleging the Indian government's involvement in Nijjar’s killing.

The Canadian Parliament last week honored Nijjar with a moment of silence, provoking India’s anger. Nijjar, once labeled a terrorist by the Indian government in 2020, was remembered in this tribute.

Continuing the symbolic resistance, Sikhs in Canada are organizing non-binding referendums for a separate Sikh state, with the next vote planned for July 28 in Calgary, according to the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation.

The four men accused of participation in Nijjar’s assassination are scheduled for a court hearing in Surrey on June 25.

How has Nijjar’s case strained India-Canada ties?

Nijjar was murdered outside a Sikh temple in Surrey, British Columbia, on June 18, 2023. Surrey houses a significant Sikh community, accounting for 2 percent of Canada’s population.

Nijjar was aligned with the Khalistan movement, an ethnoreligious drive among Sikhs in India who represent about 2 percent of India’s population but a majority in the northern state of Punjab.

Khalistan is envisioned as a separate Sikh state incorporating Punjab and other Punjabi-speaking regions in northern India.

The movement saw a decline in India post the 1980s due to harsh crackdowns by Indian forces but has revived within the Sikh diaspora.

In September 2023, Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau suggested that Canada was exploring the potential involvement of the Indian government in Nijjar’s murder. India denied any connection to Nijjar’s death.

This incident strained diplomatic relations, with India withdrawing its diplomats and briefly halting visas for Canadians. Trade discussions were also stalled following Trudeau’s assertions.

During the G7 meeting in Italy, Modi and Trudeau exchanged a handshake, though it was unclear whether Nijjar’s case was discussed.

The tension is expected to persist, with upcoming hearings potentially shedding more light on Canada’s charges against India. The Modi administration has repeatedly accused Trudeau of catering to Sikh separatists for votes, ignoring Indian security threats.

India’s Ministry of External Affairs Spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal reiterated, “Time and again, we've expressed serious concern over Khalistani activities. We've continually pressed the Canadian government for action. The political space allowed to those advocating violence must cease; they must act.”

India insists that Canada hasn’t presented any conclusive evidence linking Indian agents to Nijjar’s murder, hinting at potential gang rivalry in Canada as the cause.

What is happening in the US?

Canada isn’t the only nation scrutinizing Indian security agencies’ actions abroad.

The Czech Republic has extradited Indian national Nikhil Gupta to the US, where he faces charges of participating in an failed murder-for-hire scheme targeting Sikh separatist Gurpatwant Singh Pannun.

Gupta, 53, arrested by Czech authorities while traveling from India to Prague last June, arrived in the US on June 14.

India has distanced itself from the plot against Pannun but agreed to formally examine the security concerns raised by Washington.

Last month, Washington expressed initial satisfaction with India’s measures for accountability in the alleged assassination plots but noted that further steps were required.

Gupta, housed in Brooklyn’s Metropolitan Detention Center since his US arrival, pleaded not guilty on June 17.

What was the Gurpatwant Singh Pannun case?

On November 29, 2023, the US Justice Department announced charges against Gupta, accusing him of collaborating with the Indian government to assassinate Pannun, a US citizen, in New York.

Prosecutors identified Gupta as an aide to an employee of an Indian government agency, referred to as “CC-1,” previously associated with the Central Reserve Police Force, an Indian paramilitary unit, according to the indictment.

The indictment outlined that CC-1 orchestrated the murder plan from India, recruiting Gupta in May 2023 to manage it.

Following orders from CC-1, Gupta contacted a person whom he believed was a criminal partner capable of executing the assassination, the indictment claimed. Unbeknownst to Gupta, this individual was secretly cooperating with US law enforcement.

This informant then linked Gupta to a “hitman,” who was, in reality, an undercover officer with the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA), the indictment revealed.

Gupta consented to pay the hitman $100,000 for the assassination, delivering a $15,000 cash advance in Manhattan on June 9, 2023, as per the US Justice Department.

If convicted, Gupta faces a potential 20-year prison sentence.

The DEA and the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) are jointly investigating the case, the Justice Department stated on June 17.

Are the tremors being felt elsewhere?

The Australian Broadcasting Corporation (ABC) recently published a piece linking the harassment of Sikh diaspora members in Australia by Indian agents to Nijjar’s assassination and the alleged plot targeting Pannun in the US.

Previously, the ABC reported Australia’s expulsion of suspected Indian spies. Reports suggest agents from Australia’s domestic intelligence body, the Australian Security Intelligence Organisation (ASIO), had meetings with Sikh activists regarding Nijjar’s killing.

The ABC has stated that YouTube restricted access to some of its content in India before the country’s general election, citing a “confidential” order under India’s Information Technology Act of 2000.

Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese, who in May 2023 lauded Modi’s popularity in Australia equating it to that of Bruce Springsteen, has not commented on ABC’s reports.