Avtar Khanda held for attack on high commission in London dead

Khanda, who was associated with Shiromani Akali Dal (Amritsar), had assisted ‘Waris Punjab De’ head Amritpal Singh while he was on the run from the Punjab Police.

Khanda was admitted to the hospital on Monday. The exact cause of death is yet to be determined. Some reports suggest food poisoning as the cause, while others claim that he succumbed to blood cancer.

Avtar Singh Khanda, also known as Ranjodh Singh, had sought political asylum in the UK. His father, who was involved with Khalistan Liberation Force (KLF), was killed by security forces in 1991.

Khanda’s name had been mentioned by the NIA for his alleged involvement in an attempt to vandalise the Indian High Commission in the capital city of England on March 19, a day after the crackdown on ‘Waris Punjab De’ (a pro-Khalistan outfit) began in Punjab.

Khanda was a well-known pro-Khalistan activist. His name had previously come up during Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s visit to England in 2015 for providing bomb-making training in an England gurdwara, an allegation he denied.

It is believed that Khanda was in contact with Amritpal Singh during his time on the run from Punjab Police.
Earlier The Indian Express had reported that investigation agencies probing Amritpal Singh’s case had found that Khanda had been a “godfather” to the ‘Waris Punjab De’ leader.

Khanda, the agencies told The Indian Express, “groomed” Amritpal Singh before the latter reached Punjab. “Investigators said Khanda patronised and groomed Amritpal Singh before he reached India,” a source said.

The investigating agencies also analysed videos of Khanda in which he is emphasising that the “legacy that Deep Sidhu started has to be continued”.

Amritpal Singh is said to be the successor of Deep Sidhu as the leader of his outfit ‘Waris Punjab De’. The actor had died in a road accident in February 2022.

The investigators also believed that Khanda and Amritpal Singh remained connected on social media platforms. However, it was not confirmed if both met each other in person.

Last month his mother Charanjit Kaur, a teacher, told the media that Khanda had gone to England on a study visa in 2011. Khanda had a diploma in computer science.

According to Charanjit Kaur, the 1988-born Khanda had completed three years of study in the UK, but he did not get the work permit. However, he later got a visa for two-and-a-half years. She said that before her marriage to Kulwant Singh in 1986, her husband was involved in a criminal case in which he was later acquitted. Charanjit Kaur alleged that Punjab Police had killed her husband in a fake encounter in March 1991. She also mentioned that she had not met Khanda since 2011. She had applied for a UK visa twice, but it was rejected due to her financial situation.

Sikh Council UK, Dal Khalsa, The Sikh Federation, and Khalsa Aid have demanded that the UK government must probe the death of Khanda.

“This news of his untimely death comes as a tremendous shock and complete surprise to many, as he (Khanda) was in good shape during the ‘1984 remembrance rally’ at Trafalgar Square (London) on June 4. We join other Sikh organisations, including Khalsa Aid and the Sikh Federation, in emphasising the urgent need for a thorough police investigation into the circumstances surrounding Avtar Singh Khanda’s death,” a statement of Sikh Council UK read.

“It happened so suddenly, we are not able to believe it. We have requested the UK-based Sikh bodies to get to the truth by ensuring a probe by the British government into the death that happened in mysterious circumstances,” said Dal Khalsa leader Kanwar Pal Singh who met Khanda’s mother and sister at their Moga residence on Thursday.

Khalsa Aid International, a UK-based humanitarian aid agency, has also called for a full investigation and a coroner report into the death of Khanda.

“He was a healthy young man. His demise was sudden. We request an investigation into his death,” a statement of Khalsa Aid read.