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STORY: TEBOULD: "Three suspects have been arrested and charged..."Canadian police arrested and charged three Indian men on Friday in the murder of Sikh separatist leader Hardeep Singh Nijjar.... and said they're probing whether the men have links to the Indian government.The 45-year-old was shot dead last June outside a temple in the western Canadian city of Surrey, which has a large Sikh population.A few months later, Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau cited evidence of Indian government involvement, prompting a diplomatic crisis.New Delhi had rejected Trudeau's claim as "absurd."Here's Royal Canadian Mounted Police (RCMP) Assistant Commissioner David Tebould:"There are separate and distinct investigations ongoing into these matters, certainly not limited to the involvement of the people arrested today. And these efforts include investigating connections to the government of India."He added - it's been difficult working with counterparts in India."Collaboration is rather challenging. And difficult, for the last several years. However, the RCMP is very committed to continuing to establish a working relationship from a law enforcement to law enforcement agency, so we are going to continue our efforts. But it's been difficult."Nijjar was a Canadian citizen campaigning for the creation of Khalistan, an independent Sikh homeland carved out of India.The presence of Sikh separatist groups in Canada has long frustrated New Delhi, which had labeled Nijjar a "terrorist."Police said they had "tremendous" support from the broader community to investigate what they described as an "outrageous" and "reprehensible" murder.The men charged with it include two 22-year-olds, Kamalpreet Singh and Karan Brar, and 28-year-old Karanpreet Singh.RCMP Police Superintendent Mandeep Mooker:"Currently we believe there may be others involved and therefore, there may be potential arrests or charges for others as well."Last week the White House expressed concern about the reported role of the Indian intelligence service in assassination plots in Canada and the United States.Last November, U.S. authorities said an Indian government official had directed the plot in the attempted murder of a separate Sikh separatist.The Indian mission in Ottawa did not respond to requests for comment.