Amritpal Singh's close aide, Avtar Khanda (35), dies of cancer
What's the story
Avtar Singh Khanda, the main orchestrator of the March 19 protest and violence at the Indian High Commission in London and a close aide of Khalistan sympathizer Amritpal Singh, reportedly died at Birmingham's Sandwell Hospital in the United Kingdom (UK) on Thursday. Notably, 35-year-old Khanda was the self-styled chief of the UK-based terrorist outfit Khalistan Liberation Force (KLF).
Context
Khanda entered UK on student visa
Reportedly, the late KLF head entered the UK on a student visa and got involved with the separatist bandwagon active in some of the key gurudwaras in the country. These gurudwaras are reportedly being managed by Khalistan supporters and are allegedly used to collect funds for terrorism in the name of human rights violations in India against the Sikh community.
Details
Reason behind Khanda's death
According to the news outlet Hindustan Times, the 35-year-old was suffering from blood cancer and was admitted to the Birmingham-based hospital approximately a fourth night back. Numerous other media reports also suggest that the KLF supremo was put on life support on Wednesday and that his death was because of a clot burst due to cancer.
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Know why Khanda's supporters want to declare him martyr
Khanda's supporters, on the other hand, want the medical report to indicate poisoning so that they can declare him a martyr and blame his death on Indian security agencies. Notably, the National Investigation Agency (NIA) identified the late KLF chief and three other separatists as the main suspects in the dishonoring of the Indian flag at the London High Commission on March 19.
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Know about Khanda's role as KLF chief
Khanda, a bomb expert, was allegedly leading the KLF under the code name Ranjodh Singh after the death of its former chief Harmeet Singh in January 2020. It is also believed that the 35-year-old played a major role in establishing Amritpal as the Waris Punjab De chief after the death of Deep Sidhu, the former head of the terror organization.
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Khanda's influence on UK's Sikh youth
Furthermore, the KLF chief, along with Joga Singh, Paramjeet Singh Pamma, Gursharan Singh, Kuldip Singh Chaheru, and others, were part of almost every protest outside the Indian High Commission in London in the past. Reports also suggested that Khanda played a pivotal role in radicalizing the Sikh youth toward the Khalistan movement in the UK.