Hundreds of people attended a community gathering on Monday at the Guru Nanak Sikh Gurdwara&nbsp;in Surrey, B.C., after its president, Hardeep Singh Nijjar, was shot and killed.

shot&nbsp;just before 8:30 p.m. PT&nbsp;Sunday

&nbsp;while in&nbsp;his&nbsp;car in the Sikh temple's busy parking lot after evening prayers had concluded.

The 45-year-old had received threats because of his support for a separate Sikh state in India called Khalistan, according to temple officials.&nbsp;

The World Sikh Organization of Canada said&nbsp;the Canadian Security Intelligence Service and law enforcement in Canada failed to adequately protect Nijjar, who was a target of Indian intelligence.

At the gathering on Monday,&nbsp;the atmosphere was tense and strained, with multiple people expressing concern over the safety of the Sikh community in the Lower Mainland.

A group of Sikh men speak informally to each other for a posed photograph.

Hardeep Singh Nijjar outside of the Guru Nanak Sikh Gurdwara in Surrey, British Columbia, on Tuesday, July 2, 2019. In a statement responding to queries about making India part of her mandate probing foreign interference, the Privy Council Office has indicated Nijjar's killing is a matter of criminal investigation by the RCMP. 

SIKH LEADERS BACK SURREY POLICE

"He was a very nice person, and he was a very able leader," said Prabhsharanbir Singh, a community member in attendance. "He was raising issues of human rights and various other Sikh issues.

"That's why everyone respects him, and out of his respect, I am here."

Hundreds of people gather outside a Sikh temple in rainy weather with a white tent-like awning over the entrance.

Community members at the Surrey, B.C. Sikh temple expressed concern over their safety after the fatal shooting.

SIKH GURDWARA MEETING

Singh says he believes that Nijjar was targeted at the gurdwara. There was a general&nbsp;feeling at the gathering that the Canadian government and police could have done more to prevent the killing from happening.

"I think the state and the security apparatus need to be more proactive," Singh&nbsp;said.

Dozens of people, many of them wearing turbans, are seen in a large room.

Hardeep Singh Nijjar was a popular figure in the community, according to people who attended the meeting Monday.

SIKH TEMPLE MEETING

CBC News has contacted&nbsp;CSIS&nbsp;and the Consulate General of India&nbsp;for comment on Nijjar's death.&nbsp;

President of Surrey, B.C., gurdwara shot dead in parking lot

Prominent Sikh community leader Hardeep Singh Nijjar was killed in a car in the busy parking lot of the Guru Nanak temple.

A man carries a sign that says "Sikhs Want Their Independence" wearing a blue collared shirt and black turban, surrounded by other men.

Hardeep Nijjar says he has never been involved with any violent activity.

Hardeep Nijjar

A file photo of Hardeep Singh Nijjar, who was fatally shot on June 18, 2023 outside the gurwdara in Surrey, B.C., of which he was president.

Federal Public Safety Minister Marco Mendicino&nbsp;did not directly answer a question from CBC News on whether Nijjar was known to be in danger in Canada or in contact with CSIS.

Hundreds of people were at the Guru Nanak Sikh Gurdwara after the targeted killing of the temple's president, Hardeep Singh Nijjar.

Hundreds attend community meeting after slaying of gurdwara president in Surrey, B.C.

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