Khalistan Liberation Force | |
---|---|
ਖ਼ਾਲਿਸਤਾਨ ਲਿਬਰੇਸ਼ਨ ਫ਼ੋਰਸ | |
Founder | Aroor Singh |
Leaders | Aroor Singh (1986–1987) Avtar Singh Brahma † (1987–1988) Gurjant Singh Budhsinghwala † (1988–1992) Navroop Singh Dhotian † (1992) Navneet Singh Khadian † (1992–1994) Dr. Pritam Singh Sekhon † (1994–1998) Harminder Singh Nihang (POW) (2008–2018) Harmeet Singh X (2014–2020) Avtar Singh Khanda (2020–2023) |
Dates of operation | 1986 – Present |
Country | India |
Motives | Creation of a sovereign Sikh state |
Ideology | Separatism |
Notable attacks | • 1991 Abduction of the Romanian diplomat Liviu Radu • Killing SSP Brar and SSP Gill • RSS Moga Massacre • Killing of SSP Gobind Ram • 2016–17 targeted killings in Punjab, India • Insurgency in Punjab |
Status | Active |
Means of revenue | Sikh diaspora [1] |
Designated as a terrorist group by | India |
The Khalistan Liberation Force (KLF) is a Khalistani separatist militant organization based in the Indian state of Punjab. Its motive is the creation of a sovereign Sikh state called Khalistan via armed struggle. The KLF is one of the key fighting forces of the Khalistan movement. It was responsible for assassinations, abductions and military engagements with the Indian Armed Forces during the Insurgency in Punjab, India. The KLF is listed as a designated terrorist group by the Republic of India. [2]
The KLF was responsible for several bombings of military targets in India during the 1980s and 1990s, sometimes in conjunction with Kashmir separatists. [3] [4] [5]
KLF was among the Sikh groups that claimed responsibility for the 1991 abduction of the Romanian chargé d'affaires in New Delhi, Liviu Radu. This appeared to be retaliation for Romanian arrests of KLF members suspected of the attempted assassination of Julio Francis Ribeiro, 62, the Indian ambassador to Romania, in Bucharest. [6] Radu was released unharmed after Sikh politicians criticized the action. [7]
In the year 1991, Khalistan Liberation Force along with Bhindranwale Tiger Force of Khalistan and Dr. Sohan Singh (Head of Panthic Committee) etc. participated in the secret peace negotiations with India in the city of Ludhiana. These meetings were initiated by Union Minister of State for Home Subodh Kant Sahay on the orders of the (then) Prime Minister of India Chandra Shekhar. It is said that this peace effort was sabotaged by Pakistan's Inter Services Intelligence. [8] Former Indian Intelligence Bureau Joint Director, Maloy Krishna Dhar stated in a press report published by The Hindu [9] that "Prime Minister Benazir Bhutto and her ISI advisers were determined not to let peace succeed. Pakistan's covert war in Jammu and Kashmir had exploded in 1990, and its establishment understood that the Punjab conflict tied down our troops, and threatened our logistical lines into Jammu and Kashmir." The KLF was listed in 1995 one of the 4 "major militant groups" in the Khalistan movement. [10]
India, in the 1995 era, alleged that Pakistan provided Sikh militants with shelter and support. [5] The separatist movement was largely crushed in the mid-1990s. [3] [11]
In 1999 it was reported that former KLF operative Manjinder Singh Issi, who took part in the Radu kidnapping, became disillusioned with KLF when he realized that its Pakistani supporters were more interested in disruptive violence in Punjab than Sikh autonomy. [12]
Arrests still occur as of 2023. [13]
The KLF was the primary fighting force of Khalistan movement in the 1980s and 1990s. It was responsible for assassinations, abductions and military engagements with the Indian Forces.
Based on the information acquired from the interrogation of three pro-Khalistan militants arrested on 4 August 2014 revealed that Funding of the organisation comes from United Kingdom, Malaysia, Spain and Canada. [1]
The Khalistan Liberation Army (KLA) is reputed to have been a wing of, or possibly associated with, or possibly a breakaway group from, the KLF. [14]
On 26 December 2018 the Ministry of Home Affairs of Government of India, issued to notification to proscribe the Khalistan Liberation Force as a banned organisation under the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act (UAPA). [15] [16]
The KLF organisation (Jathebandi) was founded by Aroor Singh and Sukhvinder Singh Babbar in 1986. [17] Other KLF leaders who headed KLF after Aroor Singh were Avtar Singh Brahma [18] (killed by Punjab police 22 July 1988), [17] Gurjant Singh Budhsinghwala (Killed by Indian security forces on 29 July 1992), [19] Navroop Singh (killed by Punjab police on 4 August 1992), [20] and Navneet Singh Khadian (killed 25 Feb 1994). [17] After Navneet Singh Kadian's death, command of the KLF passed to Dr. Pritam Singh Sekhon. [21]
Following Sekhon's death in 1999, the organization remained a leaderless group, presumed dead, though small activities occurred under its name, heading into the 21st century. This organization was regrouped in 2008 under the leadership of Harminder Singh Nihang after the occurrence of many "Anti-Sikh" incidents in the Punjab state by Dera Sacha Sauda. [22] Harminder Singh Nihang remained as the leader until his death in April 2018 at Patiala jail due to heart attack. [23] Harmeet Singh PHD became acting Jathedar in 2014 after Harminder Singh was arrested and became the official Jathedar. He succeeded Harminder Singh until his murder in the beginning of 2020. [24] After Harmeet Singh’s murder Avtar Singh Khanda a UK resident took over KLF. His father was a slain KLF member. Khanda would go by the name Ranjodh Singh. Khanda would die of a suspected poisoning on June 14, 2023. [25] [26]
S. No. | Name | Portrait | Term Start | Term End |
---|---|---|---|---|
1 | Aroor Singh | 1986 | 1987 | |
2 | Avtar Singh Brahma | 1987 | 22 July 1988 | |
3 | Gurjant Singh Budhsinghwala | 22 July 1988 | 29 July 1992 | |
4 | Navroop Singh Dhotian | 29 July 1992 | 4 August 1992 | |
5 | Navneet Singh Khadian | 4 August 1992 | 28 February 1994 | |
6 | Pritam Singh Sekhon | 28 February 1994 | March 1999 | |
7 | Harminder Singh Nihang | 2 February 2008 | 18 April 2018 | |
8 | Harmeet Singh PhD | 2014 (Acting) April 2018 (Official) | April 2018 (Acting) 27 January 2020 (Official) | |
9 | Avtar Singh Khanda alias Ranjodh Singh | 28 January 2020 | 14 June 2023 |
Babbar Khalsa International, better known as Babbar Khalsa, is a Sikh militant organisation that aims to create an independent Sikh nation of Khalistan in the Indian and Pakistani states of Punjab. It has used armed attacks, assassinations and bombings in aid of that goal, and is deemed to be a terrorist entity by various governments. Besides India, it operates in North America and Europe, including Scandinavia.
Talwinder Singh Parmar or Hardev Singh Parmar was a Sikh militant accused by indian government of masterminding the 1985 Air India Flight 182 bombing, which killed 329 people. It was the worst single incident of aviation terrorism in history until the September 11 attacks in the United States. In addition, another bomb was meant to explode aboard Air India Flight 301 in Japan the same day, but it exploded while the plane was still grounded, killing two people. Parmar was also the founder, leader, and Jathedar of Babbar Khalsa International (BKI), better known as Babbar Khalsa, a Sikh militant group involved in the Khalistan movement.
The Khalistan Commando Force (KCF) is a Sikh Khalistani militant organisation operating in the state of Punjab, India with prominent members based in Canada, United Kingdom and Pakistan. Its objective is the creation of a Sikh independent state of Khalistan through armed struggle. KCF is also responsible for many assassinations in India, including the 1995 assassination of Punjab Chief Minister Beant Singh. It is designated as a Terrorist Organisation by the Government of India.
Jathedar Sukhdev Singh Babbar was the militant and co-leader of Babbar Khalsa (BK), a Sikh militant organisation involved in the pursuit of creating a Sikh nation named as "Khalistan" and generally believed responsible for the 1985 bombing of Air India Flight 182, although Sukhdev was never named as being involved. BK was founded by Talwinder Singh Parmar, himself, and Amarjit Kaur. He commanded BK continuously for 14 years until he was killed in 1992. He was a member of the AKJ.
Harjinder Singh Jinda was a Sikh militant and one of the two assassins of Arun Vaidya. He was responsible for three high-profile assassinations: Arjan Dass, Lalit Maken and Gen. Vaidya. He along with other members of Khalistan Commando Force participated in Indian history's biggest bank robbery of ₹ 57 million from Punjab National Bank, Miller Gunj branch, Ludhiana to finance the militancy for a separate Sikh state of Khalistan.
The Bhindranwale Tiger Force of Khalistan (BTFK) is a Sikh militant group, and one of several major separatist organizations involved in the Khalistan movement during the Punjab insurgency. The BTFK's main aim was to establish a Sikh homeland called Khalistan. At its peak, the BTFK's membership totaled 500 members and remained the strongest pro-Khalistan group in Tarn Taran Sahib, which was the epicenter of violence during the Punjab insurgency.
Sukhdev Singh Dhillon, best known as General Labh Singh and also known as Sukha Sipahi and just Labh Singh, was a former Punjab police officer turned militant who took command of the Khalistan Commando Force after its first leader, Manbir Singh Chaheru, was arrested in 1986.
Bhai Manbir Singh Chaheru Also known as General Hari Singh was the Indian founder and first leader of the militant organisation Khalistan Commando Force.
Gurbachan Singh Manochahal was Jathedar of Akal Takhat Sahib who founded the Bhindranwale Tiger Force of Khalistan in 1984.
Gurjant Singh Budhsinghwala was a Sikh militant and the third Jathedar of the Khalistan Liberation Force. Budhsinghwala's organization, KLF, was one of the most active Sikh militant groups of the time. Budhsinghwala had KLF join the Sohan Singh Panthic Committee and partnered with Khalistan Commando Force (Panjwar), Babbar Khalsa, Bhindranwale Tiger Force (Sangha), and Sikh Student Federation (Bittu) in militant actions. Budhsinghwala is also credited with making KLF one of the strongest and most lethal militant groups.
During the years of 2016 and 2017, multiple attacks on political activists and mostly Hindu religious leaders in the northern Indian state of Punjab were perpetrated by individuals who were allegedly affiliated with the Sikh militant group Khalistan Liberation Force which is a designated terrorist group by India. Those culpable for the attacks were also arrested. The Pakistani agency ISI was allegedly held responsible by India for financing and aiding the militant acts to foment religious disturbances in the state.
Jugraj Singh, better known as Toofan Singh, was a militant member of the Khalistan Liberation Force who was born in 1971 in Sri Hargobindpur, Punjab, India. According to police records, he was allegedly involved in 150 killings. He was killed in an encounter with police on April 8, 1990.
Avtar Singh Brahma was a Sikh militant and one of the main founding figures and the second leader of Khalistan Liberation Force founded in 1986. Avtar Singh has been reputed for never attacking civilians.
Operation Mand was a military operation launched by India to capture or kill Avtar Singh Brahma and Tat Khalsa members on 21–22 July 1986.
Harmeet Singh also known as PhD or Happy was the 8th chief of Khalistan Liberation Force.
Harminder Singh Nihang, also known as Harminder Singh Mintoo, was a prominent Sikh militant and the 7th leader of Khalistan Liberation Force. Nihang was instrumental in reinvigorating the Khalistan Movement in the 21st Century. Nihang died in police custody.
Sukhwinder Singh Sangha was a Sikh Kharku and head of a faction of Bhindranwale Tiger Force of Khalistan. Sangha was a popular Kharku, known for his help of civilians. He was awarded the title of the "20th-century Hari Singh Nalwa" by Damdami Taksal and other Sikh Jathas.
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