Photos: Sikh leader lies in state at Surrey temple

A rare open viewing was held at a Surrey Sikh temple on Sunday a week after its president and leader, Hardeep Singh Nijjar, was gunned down there in his truck.

Hundreds were expected to attend the Guru Nanak Sikh Gurdwara to pay tribute to Nijjar, who was an outspoken proponent of an independent Khalistan in the Indian state of Punjab.

Though homicide investigators have not indicated a motive, some in the local Sikh community believe it was a politically driven assassination and are calling Nijjar a martyr.

That’s why the decision was made to have Nijjar lie in state at the gurdwara before his funeral on Sunday — a tribute that is rare in Canada.

Associates have said Nijjar received death threats before the shooting and was expected to meet with Canada’s spy agency CSIS days after he was killed.