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Two years after News18 reported a gang-war theory in Nijjar’s killing, a purported Goldy Brar admission has put the question of his motive back in focus
A photograph of Hardeep Singh Nijjar is seen on a banner outside the Guru Nanak Sikh Gurdwara Sahib in Surrey, British Columbia. File pic/AP
The Hardeep Singh Nijjar murder, which plunged India-Canada ties into one of their worst diplomatic crises, has acquired a new twist after a purported audio recording in which Canada-based gangster Satinderjeet Singh alias Goldy Brar allegedly claims responsibility for the killing.
According to the recording, reported by News18, Brar allegedly says Nijjar, a pro-Khalistan activist, was targeted because he supported and protected people involved in exploiting teenagers through drug networks. “That’s why we, my team and I, had to kill Nijjar,” Brar is heard allegedly saying.
The alleged admission, however, puts a fresh spotlight on a theory that News18 had reported as far back as 2024—that Nijjar’s killing could have been the result of a gang war and an internal battle for influence within Canada’s Khalistani ecosystem, rather than an operation ordered by the Indian state.
In a May 2024 News18 report, following the arrest of three Indian nationals by Canadian police in connection with Nijjar’s killing, the publication reported that the arrests were likely to confirm the assessment of Indian authorities that the murder was the “fallout of a gang war” and a fight for control of resource-rich Canadian gurdwaras.
That old report assumes greater significance in light of the latest purported Brar recording, although the recording, by itself, does not establish that the 2024 assessment was correct.
What News18 Reported In 2024
The 2024 News18 report had examined Nijjar’s position within Canada’s Khalistani networks and the influence wielded by gurdwara office-bearers.
It noted that Nijjar was associated with the Khalistan Tiger Force (KTF) and Sikhs For Justice (SFJ) and was president of the Guru Nanak Sikh Gurdwara in Surrey, British Columbia. The report also pointed to the money and political influence surrounding Canadian gurdwaras, which receive significant donations and can wield influence over local politicians because of their ability to mobilise Sikh voters.
According to intelligence inputs, the rivalry was not simply ideological. Competing networks were allegedly fighting for money, influence, weapons, drugs and control of local Khalistani structures.
Sources cited by CNN-News18 had also pointed to a rivalry between Nijjar’s network and a group associated with the Dashmesh Gurdwara in Surrey.
According to those sources, the Dashmesh Gurdwara group, associated with Satinder Pal Gill, had been operating in the area for decades, while Nijjar’s influence had grown rapidly. The sources alleged that the two sides had been at odds for some time.
The Pakistan Angle
The intelligence inputs cited by CNN-News18 also alleged that both rival networks had access to drugs, weapons and money originating from Pakistan, which were then used for their activities in Canada.
Sources further alleged that Pakistan-based networks had an interest in the rivalry and that information being circulated about Nijjar’s murder was being used to push a particular narrative.
CNN-News18’s sources had alleged that Sahota was associated with the Dashmesh Gurdwara group and was connected with Chardhi Kalan, a publication backed by Khalistani groups. They also alleged that Sahota posted almost immediately after Nijjar was shot dead, attributing the murder to India. Indian intelligence sources interpreted the speed of that attribution as evidence of an attempt to establish a narrative before investigators had publicly identified the killers.
Why The May 2024 Arrests Mattered
The gang-war theory gained renewed attention after Canada’s Royal Canadian Mounted Police arrested three Indian nationals in May 2024 over Nijjar’s killing.
At the time, reports also raised the possibility of links between the accused and the Lawrence Bishnoi gang. The arrests therefore introduced a criminal-network dimension into a case that had until then largely been discussed through the prism of India-Canada diplomatic accusations.
News18’s 2024 reporting argued that the arrests were consistent with the Indian assessment that Nijjar’s murder could have been connected to a gang conflict and competition over gurdwara influence.
Then Came The India Allegation
Nijjar was shot dead outside the Guru Nanak Sikh Gurdwara in Surrey on June 18, 2023.
Months later, then Canadian prime minister Justin Trudeau told Parliament that Canadian intelligence had identified potential links between Indian government agents and Nijjar’s killing.
India rejected the allegation as “absurd” and politically motivated, and the accusation triggered a major diplomatic confrontation between the two countries.
About the Author
Group Editor, Investigations and Security Affairs, Network18
August 24, 2026, 3:10 PM IST
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