SURREY, B.C. — A fourth man accused in the murder of British Columbia Sikh activist Hardeep Singh Nijjar will next appear at provincial court on May 21, the same day the other three accused are scheduled for a hearing.

The BC Prosecution Service says 22-year-old Amandeep Singh appeared via video link for his first appearance in a Surrey, B.C., court on Wednesday, and the matter has been put forward to next week.

The three other men accused in Nijjar’s murder — Karan Brar, Kamalpreet Singh and Karanpreet Singh — will all appear in Surrey court on the same date.

Amandeep Singh was charged with first-degree murder and conspiracy to commit murder last weekend while he was already in the custody of Peel Regional Police in Ontario for unrelated firearms charges.

The three other men accused also face the same charges, and all four are Indian nationals, in a case that has frayed Canada-India relations after Prime Minister Justin Trudeau said credible intelligence linked Nijjar’s death to Indian government involvement.

India has denied being involved in the case, where Nijjar — a key organizer for overseas voting on an independent Sikh state in India — was gunned down in the parking lot of the Surrey temple where he was president in June 2023.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published May 15, 2024.

The Canadian Press