Avtar Singh Khanda, chief of the terrorist organisation Khalistan Liberation Front, who led an anti-India protest in London died in England’s Birmingham on Thursday.
As per his family based in Punjab’s Moga, the reason behind his death is not confirmed yet. Earlier, it was informed by media sources that Khanda was suffering from blood cancer and was admitted to a hospital in Birmingham.
Khanda was also behind most pro-Khalistan activities in the United Kingdom and is credited to be the handler of notorious Waris-Punjab-de Chief Amritpal Singh.
Like most Khalistani sympathisers, Khanda came to the UK through the most reliable method of a “student visa” and quickly got associated with the separatist bandwagon active in some of the key gurudwaras in the UK. These gurudwaras are being managed by Khalistani supporters and are used to collect funds for terrorism in the name of human rights violations against the Sikh community in India.
Recently, Khanda was also arrested in connection with the allegation of pulling down the Indian flag before the Indian embassy based in London.
India’s National Investigating Agency had identified Khanda along with three others as the principal accused of dishonouring the Indian flag at the London High Commission during an orchestrated protest on March 19.
Khanda was born in the Moga district of the Indian state of Punjab. Khanda was believed to be aligned with other leaders of KLF including Jagtar Singh Tara and Paramjit Singh Pamma. He was also related to another militant leader Gurjant Singh Budhsingwala. Khanda was in league with other London-based extremists Joga Singh, Kuldip Singh Chaheru and Gursharan Singh in staging aggressive demonstrations before the Indian High Commission on several occasions.
Avtar Singh Khanda, also known as Ranjodh Singh, had sought political asylum in the UK. His father, who was involved with Khalistan Liberation Force (KLF), was killed by Indian armed forces in 1991.
Speaking to ANI, Former Akal Thakhat Jathedar Jasveer Singh Rode, said, “Avtar Singh Khanda experienced stomachache all of a sudden. When he was taken to the hospital, the doctors told him that he had cancer in the food pipe. Anyone who suffers from cancer does not die this soon. It seems that he was being given slow poison.”
“The Sikhs are with the family. The members of the family are in touch with the doctors in England. Either his mother and sister will be heading to England or his body will be brought back to India”,
added Rode.
Khanda was a well-known pro-Khalistan activist. His name had previously come up during Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s visit to England in 2015 for providing bomb-making training in an England gurdwara, an allegation he denied.