*Paromita Das
The attack on the Punjab Police Intelligence Wing headquarters in Mohali was carried out by the pro-Khalistan outfit Babbar Khalsa and the ISI, according to police.
V K Bhawra, the Director General of Police (DGP), stated that six people involved in the case had been arrested, three of whom were outsiders. Jagdeep Kang, Kanwar Bath, Baljit Kaur, Anantdeep Singh Sonu, and Baljinder Singh were arrested. Nishan Singh, a Kuala Lumpur resident, is the sixth, he added.
Lakhvir Singh, a Tarn Taran resident, has been identified as the key conspirator. He has been in Canada since 2017, according to the DGP. Singh, a gangster, is a close associate of Harwinder Singh, a close associate of Babbar Khalsa International chief Wadhwa Singh and the ISI.
The Canadian connection to the Khalistan movement has been widely discussed. The National Investigation Agency (NIA) filed a charge sheet against four Khalistan Tiger Force operatives in December in connection with cases of targeted killings.
The investigation revealed that accused Hardeep Singh Nijjar, the chief of the Khalistan Tiger Force and a designated terrorist, formed a gang with Arshdeep Singh and recruited the other accused.
Their plan was to threaten and extort money from Punjab-based businessmen. They also carried out targeted killings in order to disrupt communal harmony in Punjab. Nijjar and Singh are both currently in Canada.
In the same month, the NIA charged three Khalistan Liberation Force terrorists in connection with the murder of Comrade Balwinder Singh Sandhu, a Shaurya Chakra awardee.
Anti-India sentiment in Canada is well documented. Pro-Khalistan organizations such as Sikhs for Justice have been attempting to stir up support for the Khalistan movement in Punjab.
The Sikhs for Justice have recently been the main source of concern for Indian security agencies.
This banned organization has a strong online presence and has radicalised several people to fight against the Indian government.
In November, a team from the National Investigation Agency arrived in Canada to investigate funding sources for pro-Khalistan groups that have played a role in inciting unrest in India. The NIA team also discussed the findings of the investigation into terror organizations such as the Babbar Khalsa International, Khalistan Zindabad Force, Sikhs for Justice, and Khalistan Tiger Force with Canadian authorities.
Last year, the NIA broadened its investigation into the Sikhs for Justice (SJF). According to sources, a significant amount of money has been channelled in the last few months.
According to the official cited above, over USD 1 lakh has been collected in support of the farmer protests.
The agencies are also investigating the source of funding, according to the source. While there is no harm in collecting funds in the name of protests, the NIA is investigating whether funds are being collected in the name of protests but are being diverted to fund SJF separatist activities.
The investigation was launched after the SJF, a banned organization, organized protests in front of Indian embassies around the world. The scope of the investigation was expanded after the financial trail was discovered.
The investigation was turned over to the NIA after foreign countries where the protests were planned did not cooperate. Because of a recent amendment, the NIA now has foreign jurisdiction and was assigned the investigation. According to investigations, funds have been received from Canada, the United States, and the United Kingdom. According to the cited official, the SJF is collecting this money in the name of the protests. However, not everyone is supporting the protests. A significant portion of it is being diverted to the SJF’s subversive and propaganda activities.
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