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*[[United Kingdom]]<ref>{{cite act |title=[[Terrorism Act 2000]] |number=11 |year=2000 |article=2 |articletype=Schedule |url=http://www.legislation.gov.uk/ukpga/2000/11/schedule/2}}</ref>
*[[United Kingdom]]<ref>{{cite act |title=[[Terrorism Act 2000]] |number=11 |year=2000 |article=2 |articletype=Schedule |url=http://www.legislation.gov.uk/ukpga/2000/11/schedule/2}}</ref>


*[[United States]],<ref name=BkTerrorists1>[https://www.state.gov/j/ct/rls/other/des/123086.htm Terrorism Designations Press, Bureau of Counterterrorism and Countering Violent Extremism, US States Department, 2004]</ref><ref name=BkTerrorists2>[https://www.state.gov/j/ct/rls/other/des/143210.htm Individuals and Entities Designated by the State Department Under E.O. 13224, Bureau of Counterterrorism and Countering Violent Extremism, US States Department, 2004]</ref>
*[[United States]],<ref name=BkTerrorists1>[https://www.state.gov/j/ct/rls/other/des/123086.htm Terrorism Designations Press, Bureau of Counterterrorism and Countering Violent Extremism, US States Department, 2004]</ref><ref name=BkTerrorists2>[https://www.state.gov/j/ct/rls/other/des/143210.htm Individuals and Entities Designated by the State Department Under E.O. 13224, Bureau of Counterterrorism and Countering Violent Extremism, US States Department, 2004]</ref> In April 2004, the United States added BKI and the [[ISYF]], to its terror list, allowing the US to deny entry (and to deport) any of its members.<ref name = USterrorlist>{{cite news | url = http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/south_asia/3674827.stm | publisher = BBC News | title = Indian groups join US terror list | date = 2004-04-30 }}</ref>


==Activities==
==Activities==

Revision as of 15:06, 19 July 2018

Babbar Khalsa International
ਬੱਬਰ ਖ਼ਾਲਸਾ
Formation1980; 44 years ago (1980)
Legal statusActive
PurposeThe creation of a Sikh independent state of Khalistan in Punjab, as well as some districts of neighboring states of India.
Region
Canada, Germany, Pakistan, United Kingdom, India[1]
LeaderSukhdev Singh Babbar †
Chief
Wadhawa Singh Babbar[2]
de facto Chief
Ratandeep Singh
Chief of German branch
Hardevinder Singh
AffiliationsSikh Nationalism, Punjab Separatism, Sikh Extremism
Formerly called
Tigers of the True Faith[3]

Babbar Khalsa International (BKI, Punjabi: ਬੱਬਰ ਖ਼ਾਲਸਾ, [bəbːəɾ xɑlsɑ]), better known as Babbar Khalsa, is a Sikh militant organisation with objective to create an independent Sikh country Khalistan and uses armed attacks, bombings, kidnappings and murders to accomplish their goals.[4][1]. It operates in Canada, Germany, the United Kingdom and some parts of India.[5][1] It is officially banned and designated as an international terrorist organisation by the United States,[6][7] Canada,[8][9] the United Kingdom,[10] the European Union[11] and India.[12] It gained notoriety for killing 329 civilians (mostly Canadians) in Air India Flight 182[13] and for the 1985 Narita International Airport bombing. Despite the killing of innocent people, as the case is with most terrorist organisations,[14] its supporters promote it as a resistance movement.[15][16] BKI was created in 1978 after several Sikhs were killed in clashes with the Nirankari sect of Sikhs.[17] It was active throughout the 1980s in the Punjab insurgency, though its influence declined in the 1990s after several of its senior leaders were killed in encounters with Indian police.[17]

Creation

The name Babbar Khalsa is taken from the Babbar Akali Movement of 1920, which fought against the British Rule of India. The modern-day Babbar Khalsa was created as an offshoot of Akhand Kirtani Jatha with the support of Bibi Amarjit Kaur after a bloody clash on April 13, 1978 between a group of Amritdhari Sikhs of Akhand Kirtani Jatha and a gathering of the rival Nirankari sect.[18]

On 13 April 1978, the day to celebrate the birth of Khalsa, a peaceful Sant Nirankari convention was organized in Amritsar, with permission from the Akali state government. The practices of "Sant Nirankaris" sect of Nirankaris was considered as heretics by the orthodox Sikhism expounded by Bhindranwale.[19] From Golden Temple premises,[20] Bhindranwale delivered an angry sermon in which he declared that he would not allow this convention and would go there and cut them to pieces.[21] A procession of about two hundred Sikhs led by Bhindranwale and Fauja Singh of the Akhand Kirtani Jatha left the Golden Temple, heading towards the Nirankari Convention.[22] Fauja attempted to behead Nirankari chief Gurbachan Singh with his sword but was shot dead by Gurbachan's bodyguard, while Bhindranwale escaped.[21] In the ensuing violence, several people were killed: two of Bhindranwale's followers, eleven members of the Akhand Kirtani Jatha and three Nirankaris.[21] This event brought Bhindranwale to limelight in the media.[23]

A criminal case was filed against sixty two Nirankaris, by the Akali led government in Punjab. The case was heard in the neighbouring Haryana state, and all the accused were acquitted.[24] The Punjab government Chief Minister Prakash Singh Badal decided not to appeal the decision.[25] The case of Nirankaris received widespread support in the media and the orthodox Sikhs claimed this to be a conspiracy to defame the Sikh religion.[24] Bhindranwale increased his rhetoric against the enemies of Sikhs. A letter of authority was issued by Akal Takht to ostracize the Sant Nirankaris. A sentiment was created to justify extra judicial killings of the perceived enemies of Sikhism.[26] The chief proponents of this attitude were Babbar Khalsa founded by by Talwinder Singh Parmar and followers of the widow, Bibi Amarjit Kaur of the Akhand Kirtani Jatha, whose husband Fauja Singh had been at the head of the march in Amritsar; the Damdami Taksal led by Jarnail Singh Bhindranwale who had also been in Amritsar on the day of the outrage; the Dal Khalsa, formed with the object of demanding a sovereign Sikh state; and the All India Sikh Students Federation, which was banned by the government.

In the subsequent years following this event, several murders took place in Punjab and the surrounding areas allegedly by Bhindranwale's group and the new Babbar Khalsa.[24] The Babbar Khalsa activists took up residence in the Golden Temple, where they would retreat to, after committing "acts of punishment" on people against the orthodox Sikh tenets. Police did not enter the temple complex to avoid hurting the sentiments of Sikhs.[24] On 24 April 1980, The Nirankari head, Gurbachan was murdered.[27] A member of the Akhand Kirtani Jatha, Ranjit Singh, surrendered and admitted to the assassination three years later, and was sentenced to serve thirteen years at the Tihar Jail in Delhi.

According to C. Christine Fair, Babbar Khalsa was opposed to Bhindranwale and more concerned with propagating sectarian violence and enforcing Sikh personal law than supporting Khalistan movement.[18]

Objective

The group wants to establish an independent country for Sikh religion called Khalistan, and uses bombings, kidnappings and murders to accomplish their goals.[4][28]

Presence

BKI militants have their presence outside of India in Pakistan, North America, Europe and Scandinavia.[1]

Banned

It is officially banned and designated as an international terrorist organisation by several countries.

  • United States,[6][7] In April 2004, the United States added BKI and the ISYF, to its terror list, allowing the US to deny entry (and to deport) any of its members.[30]

Activities

1980s

On the morning of November 19, 1981, Police Inspector Pritam Singh Bajwa and Constable Surat Singh of Jalandhar were gunned down in Daheru village nearby Khanna in Ludhiana district. The militants, who were hiding in the house of Amarjit Singh Nihang, all managed to escape. This act gained Babbar Khalsa and its chief Talwinder Singh Parmar notoriety. Named in the first information report:[31]

  • Wadhawa Singh (current Babbar Khalsa chief, now residing in Pakistan)
  • Talwinder Singh Parmar
  • Amarjit Singh Nihang
  • Amarjit Singh (Head Constable)
  • Sewa Singh (Head Constable)
  • Gurnam Singh (Head Constable)

In 1985, Parmar and Inderjit Singh Reyat were arrested by the Royal Canadian Mounted Police (RCMP) on explosive charges, linking the two to the Air India Flight 182 and 1985 Narita International Airport bombing for the very first time. Parmar was acquitted of all charges, where Reyat was charged for possession of an un-licensed fire arm. Reyat was fined $2000 and put on probation.

The Commission of Inquiry into the Investigation of the Bombing of Air India Flight 182 concluded that Talwinder Singh Parmar "is now believed that he was the leader of the conspiracy to bomb Air India flights"[32] Only Inderjit Singh Reyat who admitted to building the bomb, was convicted in the Air India bombing.[33] Parmar was killed in India in 1992 and was never charged or stood trial for any allegations against him for any role in the Air India bombing.

Five Babbar Khalsa members from Montreal were arrested May 30, 1986, in another plot to bomb up Air India flights out of New York City. Newspaper editor Tara Singh Hayer was targeted with a bomb at his office in January 1986. Just weeks later, Sikhs from the Hamilton temple along with Air India bombing suspects Talwinder Singh Parmar and Ajaib Singh Bagri were arrested after being wiretapped discussing blowing up the Parliament and kidnapping children of MPs in India. Visiting Punjabi Cabinet Minister Malkiat Singh Sidhu was ambushed in Canada, surviving being shot in March 1986 by four gunmen.[34]

1990s

On January 8, 1990, Khalistan Liberation Force in co-operation with Babbar Khalsa, killed DSP Gobind Ram in a bomb blast.

On September 7, 1991, eight Babbar Khalsa militants had an encounter with CRPF soldiers near the village of Moujiya. On the militants side three were killed: Khem Singh Babbar, Paramjeet Singh Babbar and Gurmail Singh Babbar. The encounter lasted for 24 hours.[citation needed]

On 31 August 1995, Dilawar Singh Babbar assassinated Punjab Chief Minister Beant Singh in a suicide bomb attack at the civil secretariat in Chandigarh.[35] Dilawar claimed allegiance to the Babbar Khalsa and four other members of the Babbar Khalsa were named responsible for the killing of Beant Singh, Chief Minister of Punjab and accused of notoriety and leading fake encounters. The organisation claimed that Beant Singh was a traitor to the Sikh community.

2000s

In 2007, Babbar Khalsa militants were arrested by the Punjab police for a bombing at the Shingar Cinema Complex in Ludhiana on 14 October 2007, in which 6 people were killed and 37 wounded. The police also recovered 2 pistols, 5.10 kg of RDX and 3 detonators from them. The militants had gone to Pakistan with a Sikh Jatha for pilgrimage, where they received the training for making bombs. The group received explosive devices from Pakistan across the International Border in Bikaner, Rajasthan.[36][37]

2010s

Four Babbar Khalsa International UK members were arrested and later bailed in July 2010 in connection with the murder of a Sikh leader in Punjab, India.[38] Babbar Khalsa kept up a low level of activity until 1983.[18] Its membership was drawn from ex-servicemen, police officers, and Sikh religious organisations.[18] After Operation Blue Star the organisation fell into disarray but was able to regroup and remained active.[18]


In 2017 Balwinder Singh, the head of Babbar Khalsa's operations in the United States, was sentenced to 15 years in prison by Nevada U.S. district judge for conspiracy to launch a terrorist attack in India in 2013.[2] Singh plead guilty to providing funding and materials to a co-conspirator, who was to travel to India to assassinate or maim an Indian government official. The target government official was to be determined upon the co-conspirator's arrival.[4]

Decline

The crackdown on Sikh militant organisations by the Indian Government in the early 1990s, followed by government infiltration of the Khalistan movement and the various militant organisations respectively, greatly weakened the Babbar Khalsa, ultimately leading to the death of Sukhdev Singh Babbar (9 August 1992) and Talwinder Singh Parmar (15 October 1992). Parmar's death remained controversial, and today he is accepted to have been shot dead by Indian police during custody; the Tehelka investigation found that Indian security forces had killed him after interrogation and were ordered to destroy his confession statements,[39] Canada's CBC network also reported that Parmar had been in police custody for some time prior to his death.[40]

Despite setbacks incurred in the early nineties, Babbar Khalsa is still active under ground, although not to the extent it once was. Current leadership resides with Wadhawa Singh Babbar.

See also

References

  1. ^ a b c d e "Currently listed entities". Public Safety Canada. Retrieved September 20, 2013.
  2. ^ a b Torres-Cortez, Ricardo (March 7, 2017). "India native living in Reno sentenced in terrorist plot". LasVegasSun.com. Retrieved July 19, 2018.
  3. ^ Sikh Unrest Spreads To Canada Chicago Tribune, 24 June 1986
  4. ^ a b c "Reno Man Pleads Guilty To Conspiracy To Provide Material Support To Terrorists". The United States Attorney's Office District of Nevada. November 29, 2016. Retrieved July 19, 2018.
  5. ^ https://www.indiatoday.in/magazine/cover-story/story/20111114-isi-khalistan-punjab-militancy-babbar-khalsa-international-operation-bluestar-749584-2011-11-05
  6. ^ a b Terrorism Designations Press, Bureau of Counterterrorism and Countering Violent Extremism, US States Department, 2004
  7. ^ a b Individuals and Entities Designated by the State Department Under E.O. 13224, Bureau of Counterterrorism and Countering Violent Extremism, US States Department, 2004
  8. ^ a b Civil Rights and Security, David Dyzenhaus, 18 June 2003
  9. ^ a b [Cold Terror: How Canada Nurtures and Exports Terrorism Around the World, Stewart Bell, John Wiley & Sons, 2008. ISBN 978-0-470-84056-6]
  10. ^ Terrorism Act 2000 (11, Schedule 2). 2000.
  11. ^ a b "EU list of terrorist groups" (PDF). Retrieved August 9, 2009.
  12. ^ a b "List of Banned Organisations". Ministry of Home Affairs, GoI. Government of India. Archived from the original on May 3, 2018. Retrieved May 3, 2018.
  13. ^ Dowd, Allan (September 18, 2010). ""Canadian convicted of lying in Air India bomb case", Reuters Sept 18, 2010". Reuters. Retrieved February 19, 2011.
  14. ^ Distinguishing Between the Resistance and Terrorism, Huffington Post, Dal LaMagna, 25 May 2011
  15. ^ Fighting for faith and nation ... – Google Books. ISBN 978-0-8122-1592-2. Retrieved August 9, 2009.
  16. ^ India today – Google Books. April 24, 2009. Retrieved August 9, 2009.
  17. ^ a b Wright-Neville, David (2010). Dictionary of Terrorism. Polity. pp. 46–. ISBN 978-0-7456-4302-1. Retrieved June 19, 2010.
  18. ^ a b c d e Fair, C. Christine; Ganguly, Šumit (September 2008). Treading on hallowed ground: counterinsurgency operations in sacred spaces. Oxford University Press US. pp. 41–. ISBN 978-0-19-534204-8. Retrieved June 19, 2010.
  19. ^ Mahmood, Cynthia Keppley (1996). Fighting for Faith and Nation: Dialogues with Sikh Militants. University of Pennsylvania Press. p. 78. ISBN 9780812215922. Retrieved July 8, 2018.
  20. ^ Guha, Ramachandra (2008). India After Gandhi: The History of the World's Largest Democracy (illustrated, reprint ed.). Excerpts: Macmillan. ISBN 9780330396110. Retrieved July 10, 2018. {{cite book}}: External link in |location= (help)CS1 maint: location (link)
  21. ^ a b c "Punjab: The Knights of Falsehood -- Psalms of Terror". Satp.org. Retrieved October 29, 2017.
  22. ^ Tully, Mark; Jacob, Satish (1985). Amritsar: Mrs. Gandhi's Last Battle. p. 59.
  23. ^ Mitra, Chandan (December 15, 2011). "Bhindranwale's rise from a small-time priest was meteoric". India Today 35th anniversary. India Today. Retrieved July 6, 2018.
  24. ^ a b c d Mahmood, Cynthia Keppley (1996). Fighting for Faith and Nation: Dialogues with Sikh Militants. University of Pennsylvania Press. p. 79. ISBN 9780812215922. Retrieved July 8, 2018.
  25. ^ Cynthia Keppley Mahmood, Fighting for Faith and Nation: Dialogues with Sikh Militants, Philadelphia, University of Pennsylvania Press, 1996, pp. 58–60; Gopal Singh, A History of the Sikh People, New Delhi, World Book Center, 1988, p. 739.
  26. ^ Singh (1999), pp. 365–66.
  27. ^ Gill, K.P.S. and Khosla, S (2017). Punjab: The Enemies Within : Travails of a Wounded Land Riddled with Toxins. Excerpt: Bookwise (India) Pvt. Limited. ISBN 9788187330660. {{cite book}}: External link in |location= (help)CS1 maint: location (link) CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link)
  28. ^ "Babbar Khalsa International". SATP.org. South Asia Terrorism Portal. Retrieved July 18, 2018.
  29. ^ Terrorism Act 2000 (11, Schedule 2). 2000.
  30. ^ "Indian groups join US terror list". BBC News. April 30, 2004.
  31. ^ "The Tribune, Chandigarh, India - Punjab". www.tribuneindia.com. May 20, 2001. Retrieved July 19, 2018.
  32. ^ DOSSIER 2 TERRORISM, INTELLIGENCE AND LAW ENFORCEMENT – CANADA’S RESPONSE TO SIKH TERRORISM February 19, 2007 Archived July 16, 2011, at the Wayback Machine
  33. ^ Ottawa, The (February 9, 2008). "Air India bomb maker sent to holding center". Canada.com. Archived from the original on November 9, 2012. Retrieved August 9, 2009. {{cite web}}: Unknown parameter |deadurl= ignored (|url-status= suggested) (help)
  34. ^ "Using the Events of Air India to Explain Canada’s Anti-terrorism Legislation" Michael Zekulin Department of Political Science University of Calgary Paper, presented at 2010 Annual Meeting of the Prairie Political Science Association University of Manitoba, October 1–2, 2010[permanent dead link]
  35. ^ The Telegraph, Calcutta, India, "Beant trial trio in tunnel getaway" 22 January 2004
  36. ^ "4 Babbar Khalsa men held for Ludhiana cinema blast". The Times of India. TNN. December 31, 2007. Retrieved July 19, 2018.
  37. ^ "Blast in Ludhiana cinema hall: 6 dead, 30 hurt". rediff. October 15, 2007. Retrieved July 19, 2018.
  38. ^ Taylor, Jerome (July 14, 2010). "Four Britons bailed over murder of politician in Punjab". The Independent. Retrieved February 5, 2017.
  39. ^ "Free. Fair. Fearless". Tehelka. Archived from the original on September 12, 2012. Retrieved August 9, 2009. {{cite web}}: Unknown parameter |dead-url= ignored (|url-status= suggested) (help)
  40. ^ "CBC News In Depth: Air India – Bombing of Air India Flight 182". Cbc.ca. Retrieved August 9, 2009.
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