International Sikh Youth Federation | |
---|---|
ਇੰਟਰਨੈਸ਼ਨਲ ਸਿੱਖ ਯੂਥ ਫੈਡਰੇਸ਼ਨ | |
Leader | Jasvir Singh Rode |
Foundation | 23 September 1984 |
Dates of operation | 1984 – present |
Country | India |
Motives | The creation of a Sikh independent state of Khalistan |
Active regions | India |
Ideology | Sikh Sovereignty |
Major actions | Assassinations, bombings and abductions |
Status | Active |
Means of revenue | Sikh diaspora |
Designated as a terrorist group by | Canada India Japan United States |
The International Sikh Youth Federation (ISYF) is a proscribed organisation that aims to establish an independent homeland for the Sikhs called Khalistan. [1] It is banned as a terrorist organisation under Australian, Japanese, [2] Indian, [3] Canadian [4] and American [5] counter-terrorism legislation. [6] The Government of India has declared it a terrorist organisation. [7] While banned, the organization continues to receive financial support from many Sikh people based in Canada, the United States, and the United Kingdom. [8]
International Sikh Youth Federation (ISYF) was formed on 23 September 1984 in Walsall, UK after the Operation Blue Star conducted by the Indian Military. It was founded by Bhai Jasbir Singh Rode, the nephew of Jarnail Singh Bhindranwale. Its first conference was held in Walsall, UK. [9]
In 1984, the All India Sikh Students Federation (AISSF) started the ISYF in the United Kingdom as an international branch. [4] [10]
The 1985 bombing of Air India Flight 182 off Ireland, the deadliest aircraft terror attack until the September 11, 2001 attacks, and the attempted bombing of Air India Flight 301, were allegedly carried out by Sikh extremists. Inderjit Singh Reyat, a dual British-Canadian citizen and member of the ISYF, was found guilty of manslaughter for making the bombs and had to spend more than 20 years imprisoned in Canada, and is the only individual convicted in these attacks as of 9 Feb 2009. [11] [12] [13]
ISYF members have engaged in terrorist attacks, assassinations, and bombings against both Indian figures and moderate Sikhs opposing them. [10] The organisation has also collaborated and associated with other Sikh militant organisations, including Babbar Khalsa, [4] the Khalistan Liberation Force, [10] and Khalistan Commando Force. [10]
Lord Bassam of Brighton, then Home Office minister, stated that ISYF members working from the UK had committed "assassinations, bombings and kidnappings" and were a "threat to national security." [11] In 2001 it was proscribed as a terrorist organisation by the British government for its attacks. [14]
ISYF head Lakhbir Singh Rode was accused by a chargesheet for a bomb blast in a Ludhiana Court on December 23, 2021. It resulted in 1 death and 6 injuries. [15] [16]
Jasbir Singh Rode was the nephew of Bhindranwale and member of fundamentalist Sikh organisation Damdami Taksal. After Operation Bluestar while in Pakistan Rode used the Sikh shrines at Pakistan to make anti-India speeches and provoked the audience to attack the Indian diplomats who were present. [17] Rode then arrived in the United Kingdom in August 1984.
On 23 September 1984 the formation of International Sikh Youth Federation (ISYF) was announced by Harpal Singh and Jasbir Singh Rode. [18] The group had a 51-member panel headed by Pargat Singh. [19] But, by December 1984, Rode was expelled from the UK for publicly advocating violent methods in support of the Khalistan movement. [20]
Rode was arrested by Indian authorities in Manila while seeking asylum in a chase spanning Thailand and the Philippines. He was imprisoned for two years in India. [17] Upon his release, he moderated, now advocating pursuing constitutional changes within Indian framework. [20] This mode disappointed many of his followers and created a rift in the UK branches roughly along north/south lines: the northern branches known as ISYF (Rode) followed Rode's moderate stance while the southern branches instead followed Dr. Sohan Singh. [20]
The current leader of ISYF, Lakhbir Singh Rode, is sought for trial in India. He is wanted in cases of arms smuggling, conspiracy to attack government leaders in New Delhi and spreading religious hatred in Punjab. Per Indian sources, he is currently living in Lahore, Pakistan. [21]
There are allegations made by sources from the Indian based website the South Asian Terrorism portal that the ISYF has been supported by Pakistan's Inter-Services Intelligence organisation. [22] [ clarification needed ]
In February 2001, the United Kingdom banned twenty-one groups, including the ISYF, under the Terrorism Act 2000. [23] [19] The ISYF was removed from the list of proscribed groups in March 2016 "following receipt of an application to deproscribe the organisation". [24]
In a separate legal challenge by the leadership of the Sikh Federation (UK), including Bhai Amrik Singh, the Home Secretary confirmed on 14 December 2015 that she would be recommending to Parliament that the ban on the International Sikh Youth Federation (ISYF) should be removed (this was removed in March 2016). [25]
In 2002, the ISYF was banned in India, under the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act designated as terrorist organisation by the Government of India. [3] It remains banned in India since then. [7]
In June 2003, Canada banned the organisation. [4] [10] The Vancouver Sun reported in February 2008 that Singhs were campaigning to have both the Babbar Khalsa and International Sikh Youth Federation delisted as terrorist organisations. The article went on to state that the Public Safety Minister had never been approached by anyone lobbying to delist the banned groups and said, "the decision to list organisations such as Babbar Khalsa, Babbar Khalsa International and the International Sikh Youth Federation as terrorist entities under the Criminal Code is intended to protect Canada and Canadians from terrorism". [26]
The ISYF was added to the US Treasury Department terrorism list on June 27, 2002. [5] In April 2004, the United States added four organisations, including the ISYF, to its terror list, allowing the US to deny entry (and to deport) any of its members. [5] [6]
The Khalistan movement is a separatist movement seeking to create a homeland for Sikhs by establishing an ethno‐religious sovereign state called Khalistan in the Punjab region. The proposed boundaries of Khalistan vary between different groups; some suggest the entirety of the Sikh-majority Indian state of Punjab, while larger claims include Pakistani Punjab and other parts of North India such as Chandigarh, Haryana, and Himachal Pradesh. Shimla and Lahore have been proposed as the capital of Khalistan.
Air India Flight 182 was a passenger flight operating on the Montreal–London–Delhi–Bombay route, that on 23 June 1985, disintegrated over the Atlantic Ocean as a result of an explosion from a bomb planted by Canadian Sikh terrorists. It was operated using a Boeing 747-237B registered VT-EFO. The incident happened en route from Montreal to London at an altitude of 31,000 feet (9,400 m). The remnants of the aircraft fell into the sea approximately 190 kilometres off the coast of Ireland, killing all 329 people on board, including 268 Canadian citizens, 27 British citizens, and 24 Indian citizens. The bombing of Air India Flight 182 is the worst terrorist attack in Canadian history, the deadliest aviation incident in the history of Air India and was the world's deadliest act of aviation terrorism until the September 11 attacks in 2001. The mastermind behind the bombing was believed to be Inderjit Singh Reyat, a dual British-Canadian national, who pleaded guilty in 2003 and Talwinder Singh Parmar, a Canadian Sikh separatist leader, who was one of the key individuals associated with the militant group Babbar Khalsa.
Babbar Khalsa International, 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.
Terrorism in India, according to the Home Ministry, poses a significant threat to the people of India. Compared to other countries, India faces a wide range of terror groups. Terrorism found in India includes Islamic terrorism, ultranationalist terrorism, and left-wing terrorism. India is one of the countries most impacted by terrorism.
Dal Khalsa is a radical Sikh organisation, based in the city of Amritsar. The outfit was formed in 1978 by Gajinder Singh, the hijacker of Indian Airlines Flight 423. It came to prominence during Insurgency in Punjab, India along with Jarnail Singh Bhindranwale in 1981. Members of the Dal Khalsa have also been accused of the assassination of Lala Jagat Narain. The primary aim of Dal Khalsa is to form a Punjabi Sikh nation state called Khalistan.
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.
The Insurgency in Punjab was an armed campaign by the militants of the Khalistan movement from the mid-1980s to the mid-1990s. Economic and social pressures driven by the Green Revolution prompted calls for Sikh autonomy and separatism. This movement was initially peaceful, but foreign involvement and political pressures drove a heavy handed response from Indian authorities. The demand for a separate Sikh state gained momentum after the Indian Army's Operation Blue Star in 1984 aimed to flush out militants residing in the Golden Temple in Amritsar, a holy site for Sikhs. Terrorism, police brutality and corruption of the authorities greatly exacerbated a tense situation. By the mid-1980s, the movement had evolved into a militant secessionist crisis due to the perceived indifference of the Indian state in regards to mutual negotiations. Eventually, more effective police and military operations, combined with a policy of rapprochement by the Indian government and the election loss of separatist sympathizers in the 1992 Punjab Legislative Assembly election, largely quelled the rebellion by the mid-1990s.
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. The KLF is listed as a designated terrorist group by the Republic 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.
The Khalistan movement is a separatist movement seeking to create a homeland for Sikhs by establishing a Punjabi Sikh nation state called Khalistan in the Punjab and this is a page that depicts Khalistani militant and paramilitary groups.
Lakhbir Singh Rode was an Indian Khalistani separatist and the nephew of Jarnail Singh Bhindranwale.
The Sikh Federation (UK) describes itself as a non-governmental organisation that works with the main political parties to promote relevant Sikh issues. The organisation is a major pro-Khalistan organisation and supports Khalistani secessionist activities.
Dabinderjit Singh Sidhu was a Director at the National Audit Office before he retired early in May 2022 after more than 33 years service, having become the NAO's youngest Director in 2000. He is an internationally known and a well respected Sikh activist and spokesman for Sikh rights and interests. He was awarded an OBE in 2000 for his work on equal opportunities. Singh has become a regular commentator on behalf of the Sikh community on the talkTV Faith Panel hosted by Trisha Goddard.
Tarsem Singh Purewal was an Indian editor for Des Pardes, a Punjabi-language weekly in Gurmukhi script, published in London, UK and aimed at the local Indian community. Purewal was shot and killed, case remains unsolved.
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.
Amritpal Singh Sandhu is a radical pro-Khalistan separatist, and a self-styled Sikh preacher. After living in Dubai for a decade, he returned to Punjab in September 2022, having been controversially appointed as the leader of Waris Punjab De, and started a campaign which encouraged youth to refrain from drugs, adopt a traditionalist form of Sikhism, and advocated a sovereign Punjabi Sikh nation‐state called Khalistan.
Khalistan Tiger Force (KTF) is a militant outfit of the Khalistan movement. In February 2023, it was designated as a terrorist organization by the Government of India.
{{cite web}}
: CS1 maint: bot: original URL status unknown (link){{cite book}}
: CS1 maint: location (link)