In a major development, Canadian authorities have detained Arshdeep Singh, alias Arsh Dalla, a prominent figure in the Khalistani extremist movement and a known associate of the late Hardeep Singh Nijjar, who was killed last year. Dalla’s arrest follows a violent shootout that took place on October 28 in Milton, Ontario, according to intelligence sources cited by media on Sunday.
Dalla has also claimed responsibility for the murder of Congress leader Baljinder Singh Balli in Punjab’s Moga district in September. Balli was shot dead at his residence, escalating concerns about Dalla’s ongoing influence in orchestrating violent attacks from abroad.
In related developments, Punjab Police recently detained two of Dalla’s operatives in a joint operation involving the State Special Operation Cell of Mohali, the Anti-Gangster Task Force, and Faridkot Police. The arrests were made in connection with the killing of Gurpreet Singh Hari Nau, a Sikh activist in Faridkot last month.
Investigations further revealed that the arrested operatives were involved in the murder of Jaswant Singh Gill—a man serving a life sentence for a 2016 murder—who was shot dead in Gwalior, Madhya Pradesh, on November 7, reportedly under Dalla’s direction.
This is the second high-profile arrest of a Nijjar associate in Canada within the past week. On November 8, Canadian police arrested Inderjeet Gosal, a 35-year-old Brampton resident, for assault with a weapon during a violent protest at a Hindu temple in the city.
