The National Investigation Agency (NIA), India’s anti-terror agency, has told the Supreme Court that a Canada-based man linked to the Khalistan Liberation Force had hatched a conspiracy to murder the Shaurya Chakra awardee teacher, Balwinder Singh Sandhu, in Punjab in 2020.
The shocking revelation came amid tensions between India and Canada over the latter’s fresh allegations in the murder case of Khalistani terrorist, Hardeep Singh Nijjar.
New Delhi has called the allegations absurd and baseless. It has also accused Canada of harbouring anti-India elements.
Sandhu was shot dead outside his house in Tarn Taran in 2020. He had received the gallantry medal for fighting militancy in the 1990s.
In an affidavit, the agency said Sukhmeet Pal Singh, alias Sunny Toronto, and Lakhveer Singh were tasked to kill the teacher. Lakhveer Singh is the nephew of Jarnail Singh Bhindranwale, reported India Today.
The two attackers are absconding. The duo conspired to kill anti-Khalistan entities in India as they wanted to revive the Khalistan activities by killing them.
To revive terrorism, they contacted a man named Inderjit Singh in Punjab. They wanted the man to kill Sandhu.
“The main objective of the Khalistan Liberation Force is to create Khalistan by means of an armed struggle,” the NIA said in its affidavit.
According to the affidavit, those opposed to the ideology of Bhindranwale were the prime targets of the group.
Balwinder Singh Sandhu was one of these targets, reported the channel.
India and Canada’s diplomatic relations hit rock bottom after the latter accused Indian diplomats of being involved in the murder of Nijjar. India has dismissed the charges.
New Delhi has recalled Indian diplomats from Canada. It has also expelled six Canadian diplomats.
Meanwhile, Canadian Sikh leader Jagmeet Singh on Tuesday demanded a ban on the RSS and sanctions against the Indian diplomats.
“We demand that the Liberal government implement severe sanctions on Indian diplomats and banish the RSS, a violent, militant, terrorist organization from India, which is a group that operates here in Canada and other countries as well,” Singh said, a day after he was briefed by the Canadian government on its side of the allegations against India.
India has accused the Justin Trudeau government of promoting anti-India activities by harbouring Khalistani terrorists.
With inputs from ANI