Chandigarh: The four terror suspects arrested in Haryana's Karnal on Thursday, with arms, ammunition, explosives, and cash are said to be associated with the banned radical outfit Babbar Khalsa. The accused, as per the information received so far, got hold of the consignment after Pakistan-based Babbar Khalsa associate Harvinder Singh Rinda carried out a drop-off of the weapons near Ferozepur in Punjab. The four, according to police officials, were on their way to Telangana to deliver explosives when they were arrested in Karnal.
Babbar Khalsa is a Sikh organization whose main objective is to create an independent Sikh country, Khalistan. Its supporters see it as a 'resistance' movement. The name Babbar Khalsa originates from the Babbar Akali Movement of 1920, which fought against the British Rule in India. The modern-day Babbar Khalsa was created in 1978 by Jathedar Talwinder Singh Parmar and Jathedar Sukhdev Singh Babbar as an offshoot of Akhand Kirtani Jatha with the support of Bibi Amarjit Kaur. Talwinder Singh Parmar was the president of Babbar Khalsa International (BKI), with Sukhdev Singh Babbar as co-leader. 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, BKI was created to exact revenge.
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According to intelligence reports, the sect operates in Pakistan as well as in many other countries. Demands for an independent state have led the Indian and British governments to recognize it as a terrorist group. Apart from it, the US and Canada, too, have banned it. The Government of India has added it to the list of radical outfits under the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act 1967.
The group receives funds and support from its supporters within the Sikh community especially those located in Europe and North America. Historically, to get the financial and material support needed for carrying out terrorist activities, BKI has used in-person meetings, public rallies and fundraising events. Parmar organized and featured at Sikh rallies and fundraisers across Canada. BKI militants have been found outside India in Pakistan, North America, Europe and Scandinavia.
The leadership of the group includes president Wadhwa Singh, who is allegedly hiding in Pakistan. Mahal Singh is considered the Vice President of BKI. Both are among the top 20 terrorists whom India wants to capture. Wadhwa Singh is said to have personally supervised the assassination of Punjab Chief Minister Beant Singh on August 31, 1995. Jagtar Singh Hawara, convicted of murder in January 2004, is also considered to be the mastermind of his escape from Burail Jail in Chandigarh.
