Canada-based Khalistanis involved in the 2020 murder of a Shaurya Chakra awardee, according to the NIA. This revelation comes amid strained relations between India and Canada, following tensions over the murder investigation of Khalistani terrorist Hardeep Singh Nijjar. The growing diplomatic rift has raised concerns over the involvement of overseas Khalistani elements in criminal activities.
New Delhi: The National Investigation Agency (NIA) informed the Supreme Court that Canada-based operatives of the banned Khalistan Liberation Force (KLF) orchestrated the 2020 murder of a teacher and Shaurya Chakra awardee in Punjab.
This disclosure comes amid deteriorating relations between India and Canada, which have been strained by the ongoing investigation into the murder of Khalistani terrorist Hardeep Singh Nijjar.
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Balwinder Singh Sandhu, honored with the Shaurya Chakra for his fight against militancy in Punjab during the 1990s, was shot dead outside his home in Bhikhiwind, Tarn Taran district, in October 2020. In a detailed 111-page affidavit, the NIA revealed that the arrested suspects confessed to being directed to carry out the killing by Canada-based KLF operatives Sukhmeet Pal Singh, also known as Sunny Toronto, and Lakhveer Singh Rode, the nephew of the deceased Khalistani separatist Jarnail Singh Bhindranwale.
Both Sunny Toronto and Lakhveer Singh have been named as accused in the NIA chargesheet and are listed as absconders. The anti-terror agency stated that the two conspired to eliminate “anti-Khalistan entities in India,” believing that targeting them could help revive the Khalistani movement.
According to the NIA, Sunny Toronto and Lakhveer Singh contacted Sukhmeet Pal Singh to carry out the murder with the goal of reigniting terrorism in India, particularly in Punjab. Sunny Toronto also recruited radicalized youth in Punjab, such as Inderjit Singh (alias Inder), to execute the killing of Sandhu.
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The NIA noted in its affidavit,
“The main objective of the Khalistan Liberation Force is to create Khalistan through armed struggle,”
The agency further explained that the KLF leadership aims to revive the movement by targeting individuals from specific communities, hoping to polarize Punjab’s society along communal lines.
Identifying Balwinder Singh Sandhu as one of the victims of this conspiracy, the affidavit stated,
“Those who oppose Jarnail Singh Bhindranwale’s ideology are the group’s primary targets,”