Avatar Singh Khanda, a close associate of arrested Khalistan supporter Amritpal Singh, is on life support at a hospital in London, a news report said. There are speculations that he has been poisoned. Khanda is the head of the London unit of Khalistan Liberation Force (KLF) and an expert in bomb-making.
Amritpal Singh, the leader of the organisation 'Waris Punjab De,' was arrested by the Punjab Police under the National Security Act on April 23. However, Khanda played a key role in Singh evading the clutches of the police for 37 days.
Khanda was arrested in March allegedly lowering the Indian flag flying outside the premises of the Indian High Commission in London.
Who is Avatar Singh Khanda?
Avatar Singh Khanda was born in Moga district of Punjab. His entire family is associated with the Khalistan movement. Khanda is considered close to Khalistani terrorists Jagtar Singh Tara and Paramjit Singh Pamma. Pamma is an active member of Khalistan Tiger Force. In 2015, India handed over a list of individuals cinspiring against India to the British government. Avatar Singh Khanda's name was also on that list. Khanda is accused of training youth in collaboration with extremist organisations.
Chase and arrest of Amritpal Singh
Amritpal, a Khalistan supporter, evaded Punjab Police for 35 days but was finally arrested on April 23. He was apprehended from a gurdwara in Rode village of Moga district. Rode is the ancestral village of Khalistani leader Jarnail Singh Bhindranwale. After his arrest, Amritpal has been shifted to Dibrugarh Jail in Assam.
Amritpal (30 years old) is the leader of "Waris Punjab De" (Heir of Punjab) organization. In Punjab, he was being referred to as Bhindranwale 2.0 in recent days. Bhindranwale had raised the demand for a separate Sikh nation, Khalistan, in the 1980s, causing turmoil throughout Punjab. Similarly, Amritpal Singh wears a heavy turban resembling Bhindranwale and continues to incite the crowd with provocative statements.
