Talwinder Singh Parmar: Difference between revisions

 

{{short description|Indian militant}}

| name          = '''Talwinder Singh'''

| birth_place  = Panchhat, [[Kapurthala]], [[Punjab (India)|Punjab]], [[India]]

| death_place  = Kang Arian, [[Phillaur]], [[Punjab (India)|Punjab]], [[India]]

| nickname      = Talwinder Singh Babar

| rank          = Founder of Babbar khalsa , President and jathedar of Babbar Khalsa Indian and Canada region

'''Talwinder Singh Parmar also known as "Bhai Talwinder Singh Babbar"''' (26 February 1944 – 15 October 1992) born in [[Kapurthala]], [[Punjab, India|Punjab]], [[India]] was a [[Kharku]] activist and founder, leader, and [[Jathedar]] of [[Babbar Khalsa]]. A militant group involved in the [[Khalistan movement]]. He founded Babbar Khalsa International alongside Sukhdev Singh Babbar in 1978, and was the leader of its Canadian branch. 

 

 

Parmar is most infamous for his alleged involvement of the bombing of [[Air India Flight 182]] in 1985, which remains the largest mass killing in Canadian history, and was the deadliest act of aviation terrorism until the [[September 11 attacks]].  

He was killed in a gun fight with [[Punjab Police (India)|Punjab Police]] on 15 October 1992; details of this incident are disputed.<ref name="Express_US to freeze assets of Babbar Khalsa2002">{{cite web |author=Reuters |url=http://www.expressindia.com/news/fullstory.php?newsid=12067 |title=US to freeze assets of Babbar Khalsa, Intl Sikh Youth Federation Anita Inder Singh Jun&nbsp;28, 2002 |work=The Indian Express |access-date=19 February 2011 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120316095930/http://www.expressindia.com/news/fullstory.php?newsid=12067 |archive-date=16 March 2012 |url-status=live |df=dmy-all }}</ref>

In 2006, the Commission of Inquiry, led by former Canadian Supreme Court Justice [[John C. Major]] to investigate the attack, posthumously concluded that Parmar, although never convicted, was the leader of the conspiracy to bomb Air India flights in 1985.

Parmar was born in [[Panchhat]], [[Kapurthala]], [[Punjab, India|Punjab]], [[India]] on 26 February 1944 .  

 

Parmar immigrated to Canada in 1970,<ref name=CBCextradite/> and became a naturalized citizen of Canada.<ref name="mackenzieinstitute">{{cite web |title=Babbar Khalsa International |url=http://mackenzieinstitute.com/babbar-khalsa-international-bki-3/ |website=mackenzieinstitute.com |accessdate=30 July 2018}}</ref>

Parmar became involved in activities of the banned organisation [[Babbar Khalsa]] founded in 1978 and became its leader in Canada in 1979.

===Murder of Punjab Police officers===

On 19 November 1981 the Punjab Police was looking for Tarsem Singh Kalasinghian and his accomplices, when on the morning of 19 November 1981 an encounter took place at Daheru village in Ludhiana district in which Police Inspector Pritam Singh Bajwa and Constable Surat Singh of Jalandhar were gunned down. All of the militants hiding in a house of Amarjit Singh Nihang managed to escape. Among those named in the FIR were Wadhawa Singh (present chief of Babbar Khalsa now based in Pakistan), Talwinder Singh Parmar, Amarjit Singh Nihang, Amarjit Singh (Head Constable), Sewa Singh (Head Constable) and Gurnam Singh (Head Constable). This is believed to be the first act which gained [[Babar Khalsa]] and its chief Talwinder Singh Parmar notoriety.<ref>{{cite news | url=http://www.tribuneindia.com/2001/20010521/punjab1.htm#5 | title=Efforts on to extradite Kalasinghian | newspaper=The Tribune | first=K.S. | last=Chawla | date=20 May 2001 | accessdate=21 March 2018 | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160304043524/http://www.tribuneindia.com/2001/20010521/punjab1.htm#5 | archive-date=4 March 2016 | url-status=live | df=dmy-all }}</ref> In 1982, India issued a warrant for Parmar's arrest for six charges of murder, stemming from the killing of police officers.  

In 1983, he was arrested in Germany on charges of murdering two police officers in Punjab in 1981. Parmar was released after a year in jail and he then returned to Canada. India requested for his extradition from Canada. The request was turned down,<ref name=CBCextradite>{{cite web |url=http://www.cbc.ca/news/background/airindia/key_characters.html#parmar |title=CBC News In Depth: Air India – Bombing of Air India Flight 182 |publisher=Cbc.ca |accessdate=2009-08-09 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100620011917/http://www.cbc.ca/news/background/airindia/key_characters.html#parmar |archive-date=20 June 2010 |url-status=live }}</ref> and Canada declined to extradite Parmar to India.<ref>Bell, Stewart. "Cold Terror", 2005</ref>

During his residence in Canada, Parmar continued to lead BKI activities.  

Historically, to get the financial and material support needed BKI has used in-person meetings, public rallies and fundraising events. Parmer organized  and featured at Sikh rallies and fundraisers across Canada. Parmar was instrumental in channeling financial support to BKI from overseas Sikh communities.<ref name="mackenzieinstitute"/>

===Conspiracy to assassinate Rajiv Gandhi===

On 8 April 1985 he was [[wiretap]]ped while he phoned a German man from his Canadian residence, and discussed whether it was feasible to assassinate [[Rajiv Gandhi]]. However, the recordings of the conversation were later erased by [[Canadian Security Intelligence Service]] (CSIS).<ref>[[Montreal Gazette]], "Spy Agency erased talk of possible hit", 28 February</ref>

On 23 June 1985 BKI militants bombed [[Air India Flight 182]] going from Montreal, Canada to New Delhi, India, over the [[Atlantic Ocean]]. All 329 passengers were killed, including 268 Canadian, 27 British and 24 Indian citizens.<ref name="mackenzieinstitute"/> 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 bombing and [[1985 Narita International Airport bombing]]. Parmar was acquitted of all charges. [[Inderjit Singh Reyat]] admitted to building the bomb, was convicted in the Air India bombing.<ref>{{cite web|last=Ottawa |first=The |url=http://www.canada.com/ottawacitizen/news/story.html?id=9bfcf081-3b29-45ea-8bb3-ad82c051bcbb |title=Air India bomb maker sent to holding center |publisher=Canada.com |date=2008-02-09 |accessdate=2009-08-09 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20121109171020/http://www.canada.com/ottawacitizen/news/story.html?id=9bfcf081-3b29-45ea-8bb3-ad82c051bcbb |archive-date=2012-11-09 }}</ref> Reyat a member of the [[ISYF]], was found guilty of manslaughter for making the bombs and had to spend more than 20 years in prison at Canada, and is the only individual convicted in these attacks as of 9 Feb 2009.<ref name="ISYFlink">{{cite news|url=https://www.standard.co.uk/news/mayor/kens-adviser-is-linked-to-terror-group-6640438.html|title=Ken's adviser is linked to terror group|last=Gilligan|first=Andrew|date=2008-04-21|publisher=The London Evening Standard|accessdate=2009-05-26|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090612112108/http://www.thisislondon.co.uk/standard-mayor/article-23479477-details/Ken's+adviser+is+linked+to+terror+group/article.do|archive-date=2009-06-12|url-status=live}}</ref><ref>{{cite news|url=http://www.canada.com/ottawacitizen/news/story.html?id=9bfcf081-3b29-45ea-8bb3-ad82c051bcbb|title=Air India bombmaker sent to holding centre|last=Bolan|first=Kim|date=9 February 2008|publisher=Ottawa Citizen|accessdate=2009-05-31|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20121109171020/http://www.canada.com/ottawacitizen/news/story.html?id=9bfcf081-3b29-45ea-8bb3-ad82c051bcbb|archive-date=9 November 2012|url-status=live}}</ref><ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/british-columbia/convicted-air-india-bomb-builder-inderjit-singh-reyat-gets-bail-1.732447|title=Convicted Air India bomb-builder Inderjit Singh Reyat gets bail|date=9 July 2008|publisher=CBC News|accessdate=2009-06-10|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080710234916/http://www.cbc.ca/canada/british-columbia/story/2008/07/09/bc-air-india-reyat-bail.html|archive-date=10 July 2008|url-status=live}}</ref>

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"<ref>[http://www.ialeia.org/files/docs/dossier2_ENG.pdf DOSSIER 2 TERRORISM, INTELLIGENCE AND LAW ENFORCEMENT – CANADA’S RESPONSE TO SIKH TERRORISM 19 February 2007] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110716143902/http://www.ialeia.org/files/docs/dossier2_ENG.pdf |date=16 July 2011 }}</ref>

Parmar later returned to India. He was killed in a gun fight with the [[Punjab Police (India)|Punjab police]] in 1992.<ref name="mackenzieinstitute"/>  

==Alleged confession to Punjab Police in 1992==

In July 2007, the investigative magazine [[Tehelka]] reported that Parmar may have confessed to the Punjab police during interrogations preceding his death.  He is accused of supplying the dynamite to [[Lakhbir Singh Rode]], a nephew of [[Jarnail Singh Bhindranwale]], who was claimed to have been the mastermind behind the bombing of [[Air India Flight 182]].<ref name=tehelka>

}}</ref> Tehelka reported that Parmar had been interrogated in India between 9 and 14 October 1992, by senior police officers, where he claimed that the [[Air India 182]] blasts were instigated by Lakhbir Singh Rode.<ref name="tehelka"/>

Retired Punjab Police DSP Harmail Singh Chandi, the key official behind Parmar's arrest at [[Jammu]] in September 1992 and his subsequent interrogation before he was killed, eventually came forward with audiotapes and statements from Parmar's confessions. Despite being ordered to destroy these records, he had apparently preserved them in secret. The confession involved Parmar's version of the plot, designed to draw attention away from his primary involvement:

:"Around May 1985, a functionary of the International Sikh Youth Federation came to me and introduced himself as Lakhbir Singh and asked me for help in conducting some violent activities to express the resentment of the Sikhs. I told him to come after a few days so that I could arrange for dynamite and battery etc. He told me that he would first like to see a trial of the blast...After about four days, Lakhbir Singh and another youth, [[Inderjit Singh Reyat]], both came to me. We went into the jungle (of British Columbia). There we joined a dynamite stick with a battery and triggered off a blast. Lakhbir and Inderjit, even at that time, had in their minds a plan to blast an aeroplane. I was not too keen on this plan but agreed to arrange for the dynamite sticks. Inderjit wanted to use for this purpose a transistor fitted with a battery.... That very day, they took dynamite sticks from me and left.

:Then Lakhbir Singh, Inderjit Singh and their accomplice, Manjit Singh, made a plan to plant bombs in an [[Air India Flight 301|Air India (AI) plane]] leaving from Toronto via London for Delhi and another flight that was to leave Tokyo for Bangkok. Lakhbir Singh got the seat booking done from Vancouver to Tokyo and then onwards to Bangkok, while Manjit Singh got it done from Vancouver to Toronto and then from Toronto to Delhi. Inderjit prepared the bags for the flights, which were loaded with dynamite bombs fitted with a battery and transistor. They decided that the suitcases will be booked but they themselves will not travel by the same flights although they will take the boarding passes. After preparing these bombs, the plan was ready for execution by June 21 or 22, 1985. However, the bomb to be kept in the flight from Tokyo to Delhi via Bangkok exploded at the Narita airport on the conveyor belt. The second suitcase that was loaded on the Toronto-Delhi ai flight exploded in the air." - from alleged confession by Talwinder Singh Parmar<ref name=tehelka/>

However, Tehelka claimed without any evidence that Parmar had been killed while in custody. Tehelka claimed there were discrepancies between the [[First Information Report]] (FIR) regarding the incident, and the [[post-mortem report]].  According to the FIR, Parmar was killed by AK-47 fire by SSP Satish K Sharma, firing from a rooftop, at 5:30 AM. The PMR shows that the line of fire of the three bullets are different, which is not possible if one person is firing from a fixed position. Also, the PMR says that the time of death was between 12am and 2am.

The tapes and statements are claimed to have been handed over to the [[Royal Canadian Mounted Police]] (RCMP) and the [[John C. Major|John Major]] Commission of Inquiry that is reinvestigating the [[Kanishka blast]]. This was made possible through the efforts of the [[Punjab Human Rights Organisation]] (PHRO), a [[Chandigarh]]-based [[NGO]] that conducted interviews of Parmar's associates and prepared a comprehensive report over seven years. However, information and subsequent investigation from Canadian authorities firmly established Parmar was in fact the architect of the Air India Flight 182 and Air India Flight 301 terrorist plot.