Babbar Khalsa

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Template:Infobox terrorist organization Babbar Khalsa International (BKI, Punjabi: ਬੱਬਰ ਖ਼ਾਲਸਾ, [bəbːəɾ xɑlsɑ]), better known as Babbar Khalsa, is an organisation whose main objective is to create an independent Sikh country, Khalistan. Its supporters see it as a resistance movement. The organisation has been banned and listed as a terrorist organisation in several countries such as India, Canada, the United States, the United Kingdom, Japan, Malaysia and the European Union. [1][2] It operates in Canada, Germany and the United Kingdom.[3][4][5][6]

The organisation employs armed attacks to accomplish its goal[7] and is officially banned and designated as an international terrorist organisation by the United States,[8][9] Canada,[10][4] the United Kingdom,[11] the European Union,[12][13] Japan[14] and India.[15]

BKI was created in 1978 after clashes with the Nirankari sect of Sikhs.[16] It was active throughout the 1980s in the Punjab insurgency and gained international notoriety in June 1985, for killing 329 civilians (mostly Canadians) in Air India Flight 182 in Canada's worst case of mass murder[17][18] and for the associated 1985 Narita International Airport bombing – a bungled attempt at mass murder on a second Air India flight on the same day.[19] Its influence declined in the 1990s after several of its senior leaders were killed in encounters with Indian police.[16]

Creation[edit]

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 in 1978 by Jathedar Talwinder Singh Babbar[20] and Jathedar Sukhdev Singh Babbar as an offshoot of Akhand Kirtani Jatha with the support of Bibi Amarjit Kaur. Talwinder Singh Babbar was the president[20] of Babbar Khalsa International, with Sukhdev Singh Babbar as co-leader. After a bloody clash on 13 April 1978 between a group of Amritdhari Sikhs of Akhand Kirtani Jatha[further explanation needed] and a gathering of the rival Nirankari sect, BKI was created to exact revenge.[21][22]

On 13 April 1978, the day to celebrate the birth of Khalsa, a peaceful Sant Nirankari convention was organized in Amritsar to start a new religion with the concept of panj pyarre as sath sitare,[further explanation needed] with permission from the Akali state government.[further explanation needed] The practices of the "Sant Nirankaris" sect of Nirankaris were considered heresy as the act was intentionally politically motivated to offend Sikh sentiments, but was opposed by Sikh orthodox leader Jarnail Singh Bhindranwale.[23] From Golden Temple premises,[24] 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.[25] 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.[26] Fauja attempted to behead Nirankari chief Gurbachan Singh with his sword but was shot dead by Gurbachan's bodyguard, while Bhindranwale escaped.[25] In the ensuing violence, several people were killed: two of Bhindranwale's followers, eleven members of the Akhand Kirtani Jatha and three Nirankaris.[25] This event brought Bhindranwale to limelight in the media.[27]

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.[28] The Punjab government Chief Minister Prakash Singh Badal decided not to appeal the decision.[29] The case of Nirankaris received widespread support in the media.[28] Bhindranwale increased his rhetoric against the enemies[according to whom?] of Sikhs. A letter of authority was issued by Akal Takht to ostracise the Sant Nirankaris. A sentiment was created to justify extrajudicial killings of the perceived enemies of Sikhism.[30] The chief proponents of this attitude were Babbar Khalsa founded by Talwinder Singh Babbar 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.

Babbar Khalsa started targeting people who sympathised with the Nirankaris.[22] 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.[28] 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.[28] On 24 April 1980, the Nirankari head, Gurbachan was murdered.[31] 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.[21]

Financing[edit]

The group receives funds and support from its supporters within the Sikh community, that are largely located in Europe and North America.[32] Historically, to get the financial and material support needed for operating terrorist activities, BKI has used in-person meetings, public rallies and fundraising events. Babbar organized and featured at Sikh rallies and fundraisers across Canada. Babbar was instrumental in channeling financial support to BKI from overseas Sikh communities.[33] BKI is sponsored by Germany-based extremist organisations with an aim to revive an armed conflict in the Indian Punjab.[33]

Presence[edit]

BKI militants have their presence outside of India in Pakistan, North America, Europe and Scandinavia.[4] BKI at present is active in the US, Canada, the UK, Belgium, France, Germany, Norway, Switzerland and Pakistan.[22] BKI continues its operations from Pakistan with the support of Pakistan's Inter-Services Intelligence (ISI).[33] According to Indian sources the group has its headquarters in Lahore, Pakistan.[34][35]

In 1992, Talwinder Singh Babbar split from the BKI and formed the Babbar Khalsa (Babbar) faction. This happened after serious differences erupted between Babbar and BKI's leadership. The Babbar faction has a presence in the UK, Belgium, Germany and Switzerland.[22]

Banned[edit]

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

Activities[edit]

Babbar Khalsa kept up a low level of activity until 1983.[21] Very few security personnel may have become members of Babbar Khalsa.

Some terrorists acts done in Canada, India and Germany have been claimed in the name of Babbar Khalsa.[38] During his residence in Canada, Babbar continued to lead BKI activities. He was involved in terror financing, recruitment and radicalization of Sikh youths, procurement of small arms and explosives, and the development and coordination of terrorist attacks.[33] After Operation Blue Star the organisation fell into disarray but was able to regroup and remained active.[21]

1980s[edit]

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 Babbar notoriety. Named in the first information report[39] were Wadhawa Singh (current Babbar Khalsa chief, now residing in Pakistan), Talwinder Singh Babbar, Amarjit Singh Nihang, Amarjit Singh (Head Constable), Sewa Singh (Head Constable) and Gurnam Singh (Head Constable).

On June 23, 1985: BKI militants bombed Air India Flight 182 going from Montreal, Canada to New Delhi, India. An improvised explosive device placed inside the cargo hold of the Boeing 747 destroyed the plane with an explosion at an altitude of 31,000 feet in Irish airspace and it crashed into the Atlantic Ocean. All 329 passengers were killed, including 268 Canadian, 27 British and 24 Indian citizens.[33] Babbar 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. Babbar was acquitted of all charges. Inderjit Singh Reyat admitted to building the bomb, was convicted in the Air India bombing.[40] 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.[41][42][43] The Commission of Inquiry into the Investigation of the Bombing of Air India Flight 182 concluded that, regarding Talwinder Singh Babbar, "[it] is now believed that he was the leader of the conspiracy to bomb Air India flights"[44]

Five Babbar Khalsa members from Montreal were arrested May 30, 1986, for another plot to bomb 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 Babbar 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.[45]

1990s[edit]

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

On 7 September 1991, eight Babbar Khalsa militants had an encounter with CRPF personnel near the village of Maujiya. 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.[46] Dilawar claimed allegiance to the Babbar Khalsa and four other members of the Babbar Khalsa were named responsible for the killing of Beant Singh.

2000s[edit]

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.[47][48]

2010s[edit]

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.[49]

In March 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.[50] Singh pleaded 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.[7]

Decline[edit]

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 Babbar (15 October 1992). Babbar had been killed by Indian police in a gunfight per the official sources.[51]

Despite setbacks incurred in the early nineties, Babbar Khalsa is still active underground, although not to the extent it once was. Current leadership resides with Wadhawa Singh Babbar.[52]

See also[edit]

References[edit]

  1. ↑ Mahmood, Cynthia Keppley (November 1996). Fighting for faith and nation ... – Google Books. ISBN 978-0-8122-1592-2. Retrieved August 9, 2009.
  2. ↑ India today – Google Books. April 24, 2009. Retrieved August 9, 2009.
  3. ↑ "Operation Bluestar". Archived from the original on May 22, 2018. Retrieved May 21, 2018.
  4. ↑ 4.0 4.1 4.2 4.3 "Currently listed entities". Public Safety Canada. Archived from the original on July 2, 2014. Retrieved September 20, 2013.
  5. ↑ "India, Canada resolve to work together against Sikh militant outfits, terrorist groups like JeM, LeT". FirstPost. February 23, 2018. Archived from the original on July 20, 2018. Retrieved July 19, 2018.
  6. ↑ "Enter Gurpreet, the Bilal of Ludhiana". The Telegraph. October 24, 2007. Archived from the original on July 20, 2018. Retrieved July 19, 2018.
  7. ↑ 7.0 7.1 "Reno Man Pleads Guilty To Conspiracy To Provide Material Support To Terrorists". The United States Attorney's Office District of Nevada. November 29, 2016. Archived from the original on July 19, 2018. Retrieved July 19, 2018.
  8. ↑ 8.0 8.1 "Terrorism Designations Press, Bureau of Counterterrorism and Countering Violent Extremism, US States Department, 2004". Retrieved August 4, 2016.
  9. ↑ 9.0 9.1 "Individuals and Entities Designated by the State Department Under E.O. 13224, Bureau of Counterterrorism and Countering Violent Extremism, US States Department, 2004". Retrieved August 4, 2016.
  10. ↑ 10.0 10.1 [Cold Terror: How Canada Nurtures and Exports Terrorism Around the World, Stewart Bell, John Wiley & Sons, 2008. ISBN 978-0-470-84056-6]
  11. ↑ 11.0 11.1 "Terrorism Act 2000". Schedule 2, Act No. 11 of 2000. Archived from the original on January 21, 2013. Retrieved October 6, 2017.
  12. ↑ 12.0 12.1 "EU list of terrorist groups" (PDF). Retrieved August 9, 2009.
  13. ↑ Freedman, Benjamin (2010). "Officially Blacklisted Extremist/Terrorist (Support) Organizations: a Comparison of Lists from six Countries and two International Organizations". Perspectives on Terrorism. 4 (2): 46–52. JSTOR 26298448.
  14. ↑ 14.0 14.1 "0705". Archived from the original on April 6, 2013. Retrieved November 21, 2013.
  15. ↑ 15.0 15.1 "List of Banned Organisations". Ministry of Home Affairs, GoI. Government of India. Archived from the original on May 3, 2018. Retrieved May 3, 2018.
  16. ↑ 16.0 16.1 Wright-Neville, David (2010). Dictionary of Terrorism. Polity. pp. 46–. ISBN 978-0-7456-4302-1. Retrieved June 19, 2010.
  17. ↑ Dowd, Allan (September 18, 2010). ""Canadian convicted of lying in Air India bomb case", Reuters Sept 18, 2010". Reuters. Archived from the original on December 30, 2010. Retrieved February 19, 2011.
  18. ↑ "Men acquitted in Air India bombings". NBC News. Retrieved March 3, 2022.
  19. ↑ "Lessons to be learned". December 21, 2018. Retrieved March 3, 2022.
  20. ↑ 20.0 20.1 Speech by Jathedaar Talwinder Singh Babbar (1), retrieved June 16, 2021. This is the speech of Jathedar Talwinder Singh Parmar. In this video Sikh sangat call Talwinder Singh Parmar on stage by calling president and jathedar of Babbar Khalsa.
  21. ↑ 21.0 21.1 21.2 21.3 Fair, C. Christine; Ganguly, Šumit (September 2008). Treading on hallowed ground: counterinsurgency operations in sacred spaces. Oxford University Press US. p. 41. ISBN 978-0-19-534204-8. Retrieved June 19, 2010.
  22. ↑ 22.0 22.1 22.2 22.3 "Babbar Khalsa International". SATP.org. South Asia Terrorism Portal. Archived from the original on April 1, 2015. Retrieved July 18, 2018.
  23. ↑ Mahmood, Cynthia Keppley (1996). Fighting for Faith and Nation: Dialogues with Sikh Militants. University of Pennsylvania Press. p. 78. ISBN 9780812215922. Archived from the original on July 8, 2018. Retrieved July 8, 2018.
  24. ↑ Guha, Ramachandra (2008). India After Gandhi: The History of the World's Largest Democracy (illustrated, reprint ed.). Macmillan. ISBN 9780330396110. Retrieved July 10, 2018. Excerpts
  25. ↑ 25.0 25.1 25.2 "Punjab: The Knights of Falsehood -- Psalms of Terror". Satp.org. Archived from the original on October 14, 2017. Retrieved October 29, 2017.
  26. ↑ Tully, Mark; Jacob, Satish (1985). Amritsar: Mrs. Gandhi's Last Battle. p. 59.
  27. ↑ Mitra, Chandan (December 15, 2011). "Bhindranwale's rise from a small-time priest was meteoric". India Today 35th anniversary. India Today. Archived from the original on July 6, 2018. Retrieved July 6, 2018.
  28. ↑ 28.0 28.1 28.2 28.3 Mahmood, Cynthia Keppley (1996). Fighting for Faith and Nation: Dialogues with Sikh Militants. University of Pennsylvania Press. p. 79. ISBN 9780812215922. Archived from the original on July 8, 2018. Retrieved July 8, 2018.
  29. ↑ 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.
  30. ↑ Singh (1999), pp. 365–66.
  31. ↑ Gill, K.P.S. and Khosla, S (2017). Punjab: The Enemies Within : Travails of a Wounded Land Riddled with Toxins. Bookwise (India) Pvt. Limited. ISBN 9788187330660. Archived from the original on June 21, 2018. Retrieved July 8, 2018.{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link) Excerpt
  32. ↑ Neville, David Wright (2010). Dictionary of Terrorism (Illustrated ed.). Polity. p. 46. ISBN 9780745643021. Archived from the original on July 20, 2018. Retrieved July 20, 2018.
  33. ↑ 33.0 33.1 33.2 33.3 33.4 "Babbar Khalsa International". mackenzieinstitute.com. Archived from the original on December 21, 2017. Retrieved July 30, 2018.
  34. ↑ "Enter Gurpreet, the Bilal of Ludhiana". The Telegraph. October 24, 2007. Archived from the original on July 20, 2018. Retrieved July 19, 2018.
  35. ↑ "India, Canada resolve to work together against Sikh militant outfits, terrorist groups like JeM, LeT". FirstPost. February 23, 2018. Archived from the original on July 20, 2018. Retrieved July 19, 2018.
  36. ↑ http://www.moha.gov.my/images/maklumat_bahagian/KK/kdndomestic.pdf Archived October 9, 2022, at ghostarchive.org [Error: unknown archive URL] Template:Bare URL PDF
  37. ↑ "Indian groups join US terror list". BBC News. April 30, 2004. Archived from the original on July 14, 2004. Retrieved December 17, 2008.
  38. ↑ Crenshaw, Martha, John Pimlott (2015). International Encyclopedia of Terrorism. Routledge. p. 736. ISBN 9781135919665. Archived from the original on July 21, 2018. Retrieved July 20, 2018.{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link)
  39. ↑ "The Tribune, Chandigarh, India - Punjab". www.tribuneindia.com. May 20, 2001. Archived from the original on March 4, 2016. Retrieved July 19, 2018.
  40. ↑ 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.
  41. ↑ Bolan, Kim (February 9, 2008). "Air India bombmaker sent to holding centre". Ottawa Citizen. Archived from the original on November 9, 2012. Retrieved May 31, 2009.
  42. ↑ "Convicted Air India bomb-builder Inderjit Singh Reyat gets bail". CBC News. July 9, 2008. Archived from the original on July 10, 2008. Retrieved June 10, 2009.
  43. ↑ DOSSIER 2 TERRORISM, INTELLIGENCE AND LAW ENFORCEMENT – CANADA’S RESPONSE TO SIKH TERRORISM February 19, 2007 Archived July 16, 2011, at the Wayback Machine
  44. ↑ "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]
  45. ↑ The Telegraph, Calcutta, India, "Beant trial trio in tunnel getaway" Archived September 15, 2005, at the Wayback Machine 22 January 2004
  46. ↑ "4 Babbar Khalsa men held for Ludhiana cinema blast". The Times of India. TNN. December 31, 2007. Archived from the original on July 26, 2018. Retrieved July 19, 2018.
  47. ↑ "Blast in Ludhiana cinema hall: 6 dead, 30 hurt". rediff. October 15, 2007. Archived from the original on November 19, 2014. Retrieved July 19, 2018.
  48. ↑ Taylor, Jerome (July 14, 2010). "Four Britons bailed over murder of politician in Punjab". The Independent. Archived from the original on June 19, 2017. Retrieved February 5, 2017.
  49. ↑ Torres-Cortez, Ricardo (March 7, 2017). "India native living in Reno sentenced in terrorist plot". LasVegasSun.com. Archived from the original on July 19, 2018. Retrieved July 19, 2018.
  50. ↑ "CBC News In Depth: Air India – Bombing of Air India Flight 182". Cbc.ca. Archived from the original on June 20, 2010. Retrieved August 9, 2009.
  51. ↑ "US to freeze assets of Babbar Khalsa, Intl Sikh Youth Federation Anita Inder Singh Jun 28, 2002". The Indian Express. Reuters. Archived from the original on 16 March 2012. Retrieved 19 February 2011.

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