Avtar Singh Khanda loses battle with Cancer in London
Avtar Singh Khanda has been in the news after he pulled Indian flag at UK High Commission on March 19. The National Investigation Agency found that Khanda was the main accused in this incident. As per initial reports, Khanda died due to complications caused by blood cancer. Some of his supporters claim that he died due to poisoning. Khanda breathed his last at Sandwell hospital. A report from Sandwell hospital is awaited.
Khanda was leading UK-based Khalistan Liberation Force (KLF) and he has been seen as a major supporter of Amritpal Singh. Khanda was the son of KLF leader Kulwant Singh. He went to the UK in 2007 on study visa. In year 2012, he took political asylum in the UK.
Khanda was closed to leaders of KLF including Jagtar Singh Tara and Paramjit Singh Pamma. He has been in touch with extremist Sikh leaders across Europe. He has been accused by Indian agencies for arranging radical protests. His details were shared with the British government in 2015 for conspiring against India.
Meanwhile, Amritpal Singh has been under arrest for two months. As per local reports, his support has declined in the recent weeks. As per a report published by India Today, suffers from schizophrenia and attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD). No medical record was produced by India Today to back this claim. As per media reports, Amritpal Singh has remained tight-lipped during his questioning. His organization received massive funding from supporters in the recent months.
NSA Ajit Doval raised issue of Khanda with his British counterpart Tim Barrow more than two times. However, the British government had done little to stop activities of Khanda.