Author: Satbir Singh Bedi
Publication:
Date: April 21, 2009
As part of their larger plan to target prominent
politicians and carry out blasts in India during Lok Sabha polls, Pakistan-based
terror groups have roped in Khalistani outfit Babbar Khalsa International
(BKI) to carry out terror attacks â€" particularly in Punjab.
Indian intelligence agencies recently found
out about a joint meeting between militants of Lashkar-e-Taiba and Jaish-e-Mohammed
with BKI chief Wadhawan Singh in Rawalpindi in February where they planned
terror attacks in Punjab during polls.
Wadhawan Singh, hiding in Pakistan, is one
of the 40 most wanted terrorists who found place in New Delhi's list to Islamabad
for deportation. Intelligence agencies believe that Singh has constantly been
in touch with radical elements in the Sikh community to carry out his plan.
Sources in the agencies said the terrorist
outfits had planned to take help of local BKI activists for logistics. Similar
meeting had also taken place in December last year when Pak-based terror groups
had planned to infiltrate their cadres through fenced western border in Punjab
and Rajasthan, sources added.
Punjab will go to poll in the fourth and fifth
phases on May 7 and 13. The home ministry has, meanwhile, alerted the state
to take adequate measures in coordination with central intelligence and security
agencies to thwart any such attempts.
Sources in the ministry said similar alerts
had also been sent to other states and Union Territories as the government
has intelligence inputs suggesting attacks on prominent politicians during
the polls.
Agencies here believe that Wadhawan Singh
continues to be a vital link between terrorists in other countries and some
radical elements in the Sikh community in Punjab.
The intent of BKI and its patrons was evident
in 2005 when investigation into the bombing of Liberty cinema in Delhi led
to the arrest of its agent, Jagtar Singh Hawara, wanted for the assassination
of former Punjab CM Beant Singh.
According to a Sikh encyclopedia, "the
Babbar Khalsa is a militant group considered to be among the oldest and most
prominent of Sikh organisations calling for the formation of an independent
Sikh state. The envisioned state, called Khalistan (meaning Land of the Pure)
by its proponents, would comprise Indian territory in the Punjab, and Punjabi-speaking
areas of Haryana, Himachal Pradesh and Rajasthan. Like other militant organisations,
Babbar Khalsa was most active in the late 1970s and 1980s; the end of militancy
in 1993 led to a dramatic fall in violence, although infrequent acts of terrorism
are still attributed to it. It was, and continues to be, sponsored largely
by expatriate Sikhs, particularly in the United Kingdom and Canada. Babbar
Khalsa is listed as a terrorist organisation by the United Kingdom, India,
and the United States.
Babbar Khalsa name traces its origin to the
Babbar Akali Movement of 1920, which agitated against British colonial rule
in India. The conception of Babbar Khalsa in its modern day form is widely
believed to have been brought about as a result of the Nirankari-Akhand Kirtani
Jatha clash on Vaisakhi in 1978, where thirteen Sikhs were killed by a police-backed
Nirankari assault against the marchers in Amritsar. The founders of the organisation
were Sukhdev Singh Babbar, Mehal Singh Babbar and Amarjit Kaur (wife of Fauja
Singh, the leader of the procession of Sikhs killed in the unexpected assault
by Nirankaris). The initial aim of this panthic organisation was to avenge
the death of Sikhs and to eliminate enemies of the Sikh nation. On 24 April
1980, Gurbachan Singh, the "Baba" (head) of the Nirankaris, was
killed; responsibility for this killing was claimed by Babbar Khalsa.
Talwinder Singh Parmar was put in charge of
the international wing of the Babbar Khalsa in 1981, with Sukhdev Singh Babbar
remaining the overall chief or "Jathedar". Wadhawa Singh Babbar
and Mehal Singh Babbar were assigned as vice-Jathedars.
The crackdown on Sikh Organisations (formed
to avenge the Nirankai-Akhand Kirtani Jatha Clash, Operation Bluestar, and
the 1984_Anti-Sikh_ riots) by the Indian Government in the early 1990s, followed
by the criminal and government infiltration of the Khalistan movement and
the various "militant" organisations respectively, greatly weakened
Babbar Khalsa, ultimately leading to the death of Sukhdev Singh Babbar (9
August 1992) and Talwinder Singh Parmar (15 October 1992). Parmar's death
remains controversial, and today he is accepted to have been shot in a gun
battle with Indian police, with Canada's CBC network reporting that Parmar
had been in police custody for some time prior to his death.
According to Punjab Police, the last words
uttered by Sukhdev Singh Babbar were: "The Sukhdev Singh you have come
to get has left, this body is an empty vessel, you may do with this as you
wish." The death of Sukhdev Singh, described by India Today as "the
most prominent militant leader since 1978" who had "an aura of invincibility"
, severely weakened Babbar Khalsa.
Bhai Sukhdev Singh Babbar is universally recognised
as being of paramount influence in propagating and maintaining the aim of
Khalistan and was widely considered one of the backbones of the movement.
Contrary to popular myth in certain quarters, Sukhdev Singh and the late Sant
Jarnail Singh Bhindranwale enjoyed a close and personal friendship and fought
alongside each other during the Indian Army's assault on the Golden Temple
complex in June 1984.
Sant Bhindranwale was quoted as referring
to Sukhdev Singh as "Sacha Sukha" (Truthful Sukhdev). Sant Bhindranwale
had said this because at the time rumours were circulating of a rift between
Sant Bhindranwale' s followers and Babbar Khalsa. In order to prevent disinformation
from becoming truth, Sant Bhindranwale made many comments honoring Sukhdev
Singh Babbar and Babbar Khalsa, complimenting their affection and love for
Sikhi.
Despite the setbacks incurred in the early
Nineties, Babbar Khalsa is still active, although not to the extent it once
was. The organisation at present is predominantly active in the USA, Canada,
the United Kingdom, Germany, France, Belgium, Norway, Switzerland and Pakistan.
Current leadership resides with Wadhawa Singh Babbar, with Mehal Singh Babbar
as deputy Jathedar. Presumed headquarters are located in Lahore.
On 31 August 1995, Dilawar Singh Babbar assassinated
Punjab Chief Minister Beant Singh in a suicide bomb attack at the civil secretariat
in Chandigarh. Dilawar claimed allegiance to the Babbar Khalsa and four other
members of the Babbar Khalsa were named responsible for the killing.
On 31 May 2005 two alleged members of the
Babbar Khalsa, Balvinder Singh Babbar and Jaganath Yadav were arrested and
charged with the bombings of cinemas showing Jo Bole So Nihal in New Delhi
on 22 May 2005. On 1 June 2005 the Delhi Police seized arms and ammunition
from the house of Jaspal Singh Babbar. The seized items included 1 kg of RDX,
a timer, detonator, a .303 rifle, 20 rounds of ammunitions, the uniform of
a head constable of the Punjab Police along with several fake driving licences.
The indian government has always maintained false refernces to the sikhs,
they set up the Air India plane crash to bad name the Sikh religion. Also
the cinema attacks have never been shown to be done by the Babbar Khalsa,
the Indian Govt had planned this because the Beant Singh trial was going on
and they wanted to bad mouth the Sikhs.
One week later the Delhi police arrested Babbar
Khalsa's India operations chief Jagtar Singh Hawara Babbar. Hawara had escaped
from jail in Chandigarh last year through a long tunnel dug by inmates. He
is one those accused of having involvement in Beant Singh's assassination.
Among the items recoverd in the arrest were 10.35 kg of RDX, four pistols,
207 live cartridges, remote control devices, and a hand grenade.
As of 21 March, 2006, three Babbar Khalsa
members had been arrested. Among the ones arrested was Paramjit Singh Bheora
Babbar; the current head of Babbar Khalsa International (India branch). Bheora
assumed the position of the Babbar Khalsa International (India branch) after
Jagtar Singh Hawara Babbar's arrest. Bheora was arrested with his 2 acccomplices
Jasbir Singh Babbar and Bhupinder Singh Babbar.
According to Delhi Police along with the arrest
of 3 Babbar Khalsa members they arrested they have also seized "4 kilograms
of RDX, 3 detonators, 1 remote control device with a wireless set, 1 timer,
3 Star make pistols, 39 cartridges and a stolen car. Bheora was involved with
Jagtar Singh Hawara and Jagtar Singh Tara Babbar in digging a 100 foot tunnel
to escape from the Burail jail.
Ripudaman Singh Malik, once accused but now
acquitted of the Air India bombing, admitted that he had donated money to
the Babbar Khalsa. Malik said that he had donated 100 Canadian dollars to
the Babbar Khalsa in 1985, before they were registered as a terrorist organization
in Canada.
Paramjit Singh Bheora told the Punjab police
that after he escaped from prison he had recruited 24 people into the Babbar
Khalsa. Bheora wanted to send 6 of them to Pakistan for training and to purchase
some weapons.
The Punjab Police arrested 4 more people associated
with Babbar Khalsa International (India branch) chief Paramjit Singh Bheora.
Punjab Police apprended Amanpreet Kaur, wife
of Paramjit Singh Bheora along with 4 other suspected terrorists. The police
recovered some weapons from them.
Police arrested an aide to Jagtar Singh Hawara,
known as Gurinder Singh Babbar in a town of Jagraon. Gurinder Singh charged
by the Indian Police for planning to assassinate a retired army general who
played a vital part in Operation Bluestar and for providing shelter to Hawara
when he escaped from Burail prison.
The Indian Police arrested Harpal Singh Cheema
in New Delhi at the Indira Gandhi Airport. According to the Indian Police,
Cheema has links to some Sikh extremist groups such as Babbar Khalsa International.
The Canadian government decided to deport
a Babbar Khalsa militant, Bachan Singh Sogi Babbar, on charges of planning
to assassinate former Chief Minister of Punjab Prakash Singh Badal along with
his son Sukhbir Singh Badal, and former Punjab Police Chief KPS Gill.
Indian Police will continue to hold the Babbar
Khalsa militant Bachan Singh Sogi in their custody till July 13, 2006. Bachan
Singh Sogi Babbar, who is considered number three in Babbar Khalsa International,
after Wadhwa Singh Babbar and Mehal Singh Babbar."
In my opinion, Pakistan's terrorist groups
are exploiting these misguided Sikhs who go by the name of Babbar Khalsa International
to carry out their nefarious designs. Both the Sikhs and the Government of
India should be wary of this terrorist group.