The murder of Shaurya Chakra awardee Comrade Balwinder Singh Sandhu shocked the country and the investigations into the plot have revealed a larger nexus between Pakistan’s ISI and the Khalistan elements both in India as well Canada.
Sandhu was shot dead outside his residence in Bhikiwind, Punjab in 2020. He had been awarded the Shaurya Chakra for his fight against terrorism that plagued Punjab for long.
Sources tell the Organiser that this was not just a run-of-the-mill killing not just a mere revenge killing. It was part of a larger agenda that was hatched by the ISI with the help of the Khalistan elements. The idea is to run a transnational campaign against India.
According to investigators, the murder plot of Sandhu was hatched in Pakistan, planned in Canada and executed in Punjab. There has been a systematic attempt that the ISI has been making to spruce up the Khalistan movement and make it a global issue.
The source cited above said that if one looks at the events around this issue, then it is not something that has been limited to Canada alone. Canada is in the news since it openly backs them, but there are other countries such as the United Kingdom, United States and United Kingdom where the activities of these elements have been found. The difference is that there is no open backing by these leaders like in the case of Canada, but there is no action either.
Referendums
The ISI has managed to convince the Khalistanis that this is a battle against India and the Hindus in particular. The Khalistan elements have eliminated many Hindu leaders and if one looks at their style of functioning, it is always the Hindu temples which have come under attack.
Incidents of Hindu Temples being targeted have been reported not just in Canada, but in Australia and the UK as well. There have been clashes with the Indian diaspora in these countries as well on several occasions.
Another agenda of these elements is to run the propaganda through referendums. This is a department that is handled by Sikhs For Justice chief, Gurpatwant Singh Pannun, who is designated as a terrorist by India. He is the one who calls for the referendums in different parts of the world. The referendum is not limited to demanding a separate Khalistan nation, but is mainly targeted against the Indian Hindus living abroad. Several times in the past be it in Canada, UK or Australia, the Khalistan elements have threatened the Indian Hindus and have asked them to leave the country.
The larger agenda
The main agenda is however is to establish a strong base in Punjab, which they have failed to do for long. If one were to look at the series of targeted killings that have taken place in Punjab or the minor bomb blasts, it has always been carried out by a local gangster.
There are two ways of looking at this counterterrorism experts say. It is a well known fact that a gangster would do anything if he is paid handsomely. Second, there is no traction for the Khalistan movement in Punjab and none of the youth are ready to raise arms and fight against Bharat. This is the reason the ISI has managed to liaison the Khalistan elements and the gangsters so that such hits can be carried out.
Another aspect to this is to continue attacking Hindus with the hope that they would retaliate against the Sikhs in India. This would lead a major division between the two communities and result in communal clashes. This is the same pattern that the ISI followed when it came to Islamist terror in India. It tried to agitate the Hindus so that communal clashes could follow, says an Intelligence Bureau official.
The ISI is using pro-Khalistan elements abroad knowing fully well that they are a protected lot out there. Further the fact that they are unable to get the desired traction in India also made them turn towards the foreign nations.
The ISI did try planting an Amritpal Singh due to his resemblance to Jarnail Singh Bhindranwale. However the law enforcement agencies got the better of him.
The killing of Balwinder Singh Sandhu
The probe has found that the killing was aimed at sending a stern message of revenge and also try and cause tensions in the state of Punjab. For this the ISI hired Sandeep Singh Sidhu alias Sunny Toronto, a member of the banned International Sikh Youth Sikh Federation. It was also found that he is part of the Canadian Border Security Agency.
While the agency confirmed that he is employed with them, they however denied that he was involved in any crime in India.
India has officially demanded the extradition of Sidhu.
During the investigation into the murder of Sandhu, the National Investigation Agency (NIA) learnt that a hitman by the name Gurjit Singh was hired. He was promised that his arrested aide, Inderjeet Singh and Sukhdeep Singh would be out of jail. Further the ISI told him that he and his aides would be paid a lot of money and then sheltered in Canada if they undertook the murder.
The ISI also roped in Sukh Bhikariwal, a Dubai based gangster to coordinate the murder. On October 16 2020, Gurjit and associates shot Balwinder Singh Sandhu.
