A car belonging to Narinder Singh Randhawa, a Surrey-based Khalistan referendum activist, was set on fire outside his home in British Columbia, Canada, late on Wednesday night. Randhawa is an associate of slain separatist leader Hardeep Singh Nijjar. A bus linked to "Team Shaheed Nijjar" was also spray-painted in the same attack.
Surrey Police Respond to Vehicle Fire on 91 Avenue
The Surrey Police Service said officers were called to the 14500 block of 91 Avenue at 11.45 pm. When they arrived, they found the vehicle fully engulfed in fire. The attack targeted both Randhawa's car and the bus connected to Team Shaheed Nijjar, which is associated with the slain separatist leader.
Who Was Hardeep Singh Nijjar?
Hardeep Singh Nijjar was born on October 11, 1977, in Bhar Singh Pura village in Jalandhar, Punjab. He was shot dead in Surrey on June 18, 2023. Canadian authorities and the FBI have linked the killing to the involvement of Indian intelligence agents and members of the Lawrence Bishnoi gang network.
The attack on Randhawa's property and the Nijjar-linked bus comes against the backdrop of that killing. Randhawa's open association with Nijjar and his role in the Khalistan referendum movement appear to have made him a target.
What the Attack Means for Khalistan Activists in Canada
The burning of a car and the defacing of a bus in one night point to a coordinated act. Both targets are tied to the same cause and the same slain leader. The message is clear — those who campaign for the Khalistan referendum in Surrey are being watched and pressured.
- Randhawa's car was set on fire outside his own home — a direct attack on a private residence
- The bus linked to Team Shaheed Nijjar was spray-painted in the same incident
- Police were called at 11.45 pm and found the vehicle fully engulfed
- The attack connects to the wider Nijjar network, which Canadian authorities and the FBI have linked to Indian intelligence agents and the Lawrence Bishnoi gang
Our Take: Violence Has No Place in Political Disputes
In our view, setting a car on fire outside a man's home is not protest — it is intimidation. Spray-painting a bus in the same night shows this was planned, not spontaneous. Whatever one thinks of the Khalistan referendum, burning property and targeting activists crosses a line that a democratic country like Canada cannot afford to ignore.
To put it plainly, the Surrey Police Service must investigate this as a serious crime, not a minor vandalism case. The fact that the target is an associate of Hardeep Singh Nijjar — whose killing Canadian authorities and the FBI have already linked to Indian intelligence agents and the Lawrence Bishnoi gang — makes this attack even more troubling. Readers in Surrey's Punjabi community should watch how the police handle this case. If such attacks go unanswered, they will not stop here.
Sources & References
- Original news report on the Surrey car fire and bus defacement
- Details on Hardeep Singh Nijjar's background and killing as stated in the original story