Avtar Singh Khanda (1988-2023) was a UK-based activist and journalist. He was the vice president of the youth wing of Shiromani Akali Dal (Amritsar). [1]Hindustan Times In 2023, Khanda hit the headlines when a group of pro-Khalistan supporters vandalised the Indian High Commission in London, UK, during a protest against Punjab Police’s attempt to nab the Waris Punjab De chief Amritpal Singh. Khanda was believed to be the mentor of Amritpal Singh. On 15 June 2023, he died at Sandwell Hospital in Birmingham, UK.
Contents
Wiki/Biography
Avtar Singh Khanda was born in 1988 (age 35 years; as of 2023) in Rode village of Moga district in Punjab Province, British India (Punjab, India). He studied in a model school governed by Arya Samaj. Owing to his father’s image as a separatist in India, various agencies, including the police would often raid their premises due to which the family shifted their home to various locations like Patiala, Ludhiana, and Moga in Punjab.
Physical Appearance
Height (approx.): 5′ 8″
Hair Colour: Black
Eye Colour: Dark Brown
Family
Avtar Singh Khanda belonged to a Sikh family.
Parents & Siblings
His father, Kulwant Singh Khukrana, was a terrorist and was associated with the ‘Khalistan Liberation Force’ and ‘Khalitan Commando Force.’ He died on 3 March 1991 in a police encounter during the anti-Sikh riots after Indira Gandhi’s assassination in 1984. Khanda’s uncle, Balwant Singh Khukrana, also died during anti-Sikh riots. Avtar Singh had a younger sister.
Wife
There is not much information about his marital status.
Religion/Religious Views
Avtar Singh Khanda followed Sikhism.
“Mission Khalistan”
Khanda was a pro-Khalistan supporter. He was often spotted expressing his views on separatism in various interviews. Khanda strongly advocated for the establishment of a separate Sikh state.
Career
Presenter
Avtar Singh worked as a presenter for the shows ‘Shera Di Kaum’ and ‘Itihaas’ on the channel Khalsa Television (KTV), also known as KTV Global. On 21 June 2022, Khalsa Television Limited surrendered its UK broadcasting license when the United Kingdom’s communications regulator, Office of Communications (Ofcom), found out that the show ‘Prime Time’ of the channel was promoting separatist propaganda that encouraged violence. [2]The Indian Express
Avtar Singh Khanda (left) while interviewing an activist on the KTV channel
Controversies
Vandalism at the High Commission of India in London
On 21 March 2023, Avtar Singh Khanda was taken into custody in connection with the vandalism at the Indian High Commission in London. Two days prior to the arrest, i.e., on 19 March 2023, Pro-Khalistan supporters removed the Indian flag from atop the High Commission building in a protest against the Punjab Police’s crackdown on Amritpal Singh and his followers. The demonstration included Khalistan supporters and other anti-national elements who gathered outside the High Commission in London, chanting ‘Khalistan Zindabad’ slogans. During the protest, one person attempted to take down the tricolour, but security personnel intervened and prevented the act. The individual was subsequently identified as Avtar Singh Khanda.
Avtar Singh Khanda vandalising the Indian High Commission in London along with a group of pro-Khalistan supporters while trying to take down the national flag of India from its top in 2023
An IED Specialist
In 2015, Khanda was mentioned in an Indian report on Khalistani activities that was prepared for the British authorities. India expressed concerns about Khalistani groups conducting ideological indoctrination sessions and practical bomb-making demonstrations at certain gurudwaras in the UK for the Sikh diaspora. Intelligence reports suggested that Khanda was planning to conduct radicalisation training courses for the Sikh youth, which included instructions on assembling improvised explosive devices (IEDs) using locally available chemicals. According to sources, similar courses were held at Guru Nanak Gurdwara, Birmingham in December 2014 and at Gurdwara Singh Sabha, Glasgow in January 2015. [3]The Economic Times
Death
On 15 June 2023, he died at Sandwell Hospital in Birmingham, UK. Some media sources claimed that he died of food poisoning, while others claimed he died of blood cancer. [4]The Indian Express
Facts/Trivia
- Avtar Singh was born in the house of Jarnail Singh Bhindranwale, an Indian militant. In an interview, he said that due to the frequent visits of police officials to their home in search of his fugitive father, Kulwant Singh Khukrana, his family was unable to reside at their house; however, Bhindranwale provided his family with a place in his house to stay.
- Khanda was believed to be a close aide of the Khalistani nationalist Paramjit Singh Pamma (associated with Babbar Khalsa International) and the mastermind of the former Punjab Chief Minister Beant Singh‘s assassination, Jagtar Singh Tara. [5]Hindustan Times
- As a student, Khanda refrained from attending morning assemblies at school. In an interview, he recounted his experiences from his school days with a strong sense of hostility towards the nation, citing his belief as a Sikh that singing the national anthem of India was against the principles of the Sikh community. Consequently, he deliberately avoided attending morning assemblies.
- While talking about his childhood memories in an interview, Khanda recollected how his classmates used to mock him by calling him the child of a terrorist. He added that his mother had told him that his father, Kulwant Singh Khukrana, who had been killed by the police, was living overseas and would return to him shortly; however, in 5th grade, he stumbled upon an old newspaper at home, which revealed the truth about his father’s death. After Kulwant Singh Khukrana’s death on 3 March 1991, the police officials arrested Khanda, along with his mother and sister, on 1 April 1991 at 5 am for investigation purposes.
- In an interview, Khanda shared his views on the 1984 Sikh Massacre and said that it was a premeditated attack on the Sikh community. He went on to claim that the Indian government had been planning the massacre since the country gained independence in 1947.
- It is claimed that Avtar Singh Khanda groomed Amritpal Singh when he was in Dubai. According to Khanda, although he had been in contact with Amritpal for a long period of time, he had never met him in person.
Waris Punjab De chief Amritpal Singh
- Indian intelligence agencies believe Khanda had ties with the Inter-Services Intelligence (ISI) of Pakistan.
- Avtar Singh often shared posts against the Indian government and its leaders. In one such post, he was spotted chocking former Indian Prime Minister Indira Gandhi‘s statue at a museum.
Avtar Singh Khanda while chocking former Indian Prime Minister Indira Gandhi’s statue at a museum
References
