Man accused of pulling down the tricolour at the Indian High Commission in London, UK is the handler of fugitive Khalistan sympathiser Amritpal Singh, sources in Indian intelligence agencies said on Tuesday.
Avtar Singh Khanda was arrested for pulling down the tricolour flying atop of the Indian mission in London on Sunday as part of demonstrations led by Khalistan flag-waving protesters. The incident took place in the backdrop of the Punjab Police’s crackdown against Sikh radical preacher Amritpal Singh.
A dossier prepared by intelligence agencies accused Khanda, a UK-based activist of the Shiromani Akali Dal (Amritsar) faction led by Simranjit Singh Mann, of having close links with Paramjit Singh Pamma and being a member of Babbar Khalsa International.
Sources told CNN-News18 that the dossier was shared with British agencies leading to Khanda’s arrest. On Sunday, Khanda reportedly lead a group of nearly 20 men to the Indian High Commission in London and took lead in vandalising the India House.
According to the report, Avtar Singh Khanda is also a close associate of Khalistani terrorist Jagtar Singh Tara. “He is the main handler of Amritpal Singh and the brain behind the meteoric rise of Amritpal Singh," the agencies said.
Meanwhile, MP and SAD (Amritsar) chief Simranjit Singh Mann’s Twitter account was blocked after he spoke in favour of the fugitive.
Speaking to CNN-News18, Mann said, “It is a common tradition amongst Sikhs to carry arms. He has done nothing wrong. A mountain out of a molehill is being made."
Khanda, Amritpal & Associates Training in Youths in Using IEDs
The Indian dossier handed over to the UK paints Khanda, Amritpal Singh and their associates as radicals who have been training youths in assembling and using improvised explosive devices (IEDs).
“Khanda is also close to Paramjit Singh Pamma (associated with Babbar Khalsa international) and known for holding theoretical radical training classes for Sikh youth for misleading them. They have a deadly and deliberate aim of destabilizing Punjab by ideological indoctrination and have a big influence on Amritpal," the dossier read.
Indian agencies said evidence and intel suggest the group led by Khanda has attempted to make improvised explosive devices using common chemicals and give live demonstrations in Birmingham and Glasgow.
Dubai-returned Amritpal Singh is accused of having links with Lakhbir Singh Rode, chief of the banned Khalistani organisation ‘International Sikh Youth Federation’. Rode is wanted for trial in India and in cases of arms and explosive smuggling, including RDX, conspiracy to attack government leaders in New Delhi and spreading hatred in Punjab.
“When Amritpal was in Dubai, he was in close touch with Rode’s brother Jaswant," officials said.
Amritpal Singh, Khanda and Pakistan ISI Links
Agencies believe Amritpal Singh was handpicked by Pakistan’s intelligence agency ISI while he was in Dubai and Khanda has been ‘guiding’ him ever since. As per reports, Khanda’s father Kulwant Singh Khukrana was a member of the terrorist organisation ‘Khalistan Liberation Force’. His family is seeking asylum in the UK.
Indian authorities have requested that the UK prosecute Khanda and his aides on stronger charges than just vandalism, specifically those related to spreading hatred against a friendly country.
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