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Crackdown on Khalistanis: NIA confiscates properties of Gurpatwant Singh Pannun, notice issued to seize Hardeep Singh Nijjar’s property

OpIndia Staff
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Crackdown on Khalistanis: NIA confiscates properties of Gurpatwant Singh Pannun, notice issued to seize Hardeep Singh Nijjar’s property

On Saturday (23 September), the National Investigation Agency (NIA) confiscated the properties of designated terrorist Gurpatwant Singh Pannun, a Khalistani leader and legal counsel of the proscribed terror outfit Sikhs for Justice (SFJ). NIA also started t he procedure to confiscate the property of khalistani terrorist Hardeep Singh Nijjar, who was killed in Canada in June this year. The actions were taken on the orders of a CBI-NIA Special Court in Mohali.

NIA officials reached the property owned by Pannun at sector 15-C in Chandigarh and put up a notice of confiscation. The notice says, “1/4th share of house no. # 2033 sector 15-C, Chandigarh, owned by Gurpatwant Singh Pannu, a ‘proclaimed offender’ in NIA case RC-19/2020/NIA/DLI, stands confiscated to the state under section 33(5) of the Unlawful Activities Prevention Act, 1967 by orders of the NIA Special Court, Sas Nagar, Mohali, Punjab dated 14/09/2023. This is for information of general public.”

Apart from action on Pannun, a special CBI-cum-NIA Court in Mohali on Saturday (23 September) also pasted a property confiscation notice outside the house of slain Khalistani terrorist Hardeep Singh Nijjar, in Bharsingh Pura village of Jalandhar district. The notice has been affixed outside the property following the orders of the NIA Mohali court. 

The notice asks Hardeep Singh Nijjar to appear in court regarding the application filed by NIA on 11 September to confiscate his property in Jalandhar. The notice says, “Hardeep Singh Nijjar @ Nijjar Son of Piara Singh, Resident of Village Bharsinghpura, PS Phillaur, District Jalandhar, Punjab (To Be Served Upon him Personally or through his family members/ agent.) You are hereby directed to appear in this Court regarding the application U/S 33(5) of UA(P) Act filed by NIA to confiscate Immovable property belonging to Hardeep Singh Nijjar @ Nijjar on 11.09.2023 AT 10:00 A.M. Herein fall not.”

An official release said that the NIA had approached a special court for the confiscation of the immovable properties belonging to Pannun under section 33(5) of the Unlawful Activities Prevention Act (UAPA), 1967.

Speaking with News18, an official said, “Pannun is accused in case RC-19/2020/NIA/DLI dated 05.04.2020 under sections 120-B, 124-A, 153-A 153-B and 17, 18 and 19 of Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act, 1967. The case relates to funding of terrorist activities in Punjab from abroad, creating disharmony among communities and radicalising youth for terrorist activities.” 

According to the information received, the confiscated properties of Pannun include agricultural land in Village Khankot, Amritsar, and a share of House Number 2033, Sector 15/C, Chandigarh.

Pannun has been declared as an “individual terrorist” under the UAPA (Unlawful Activities Prevention Amendment Act) and is under the scanner of multiple agencies who have filed cases against him. 

Meanwhile, last year, in October, Interpol returned India’s request which sought a Red Notice against Pannun. The Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI), responsible for coordinating with Interpol on behalf of India, received the NIA’s request for a Red Notice against Pannun, but it was sent back with additional queries.

Notably, the terror outfit SFJ was banned in 2019 under the provisions of Section 3(1) of the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act, 1967 as it is being operated by extremist and terrorist elements to carry out secessionist activities and blood-shed in India. The terror outfit has been operated by a few radical Sikhs of foreign nationality in the US, Canada, the UK, etc.  

Through an official notification on 10 July 2019, the Union government declared SFJ unlawful association and banned it for five years. The notification stated that the group’s primary objective was to establish an “independent and sovereign country” in Punjab. It added that the outfit openly espouses the cause of Khalistan and in that process, challenges the sovereignty and territorial integrity of India.

The seizure of Pannun’s properties comes at a time when India-Canada is engaged in a diplomatic row over the alleged killing of a Khalistani terrorist Hardeep Singh Nijjar with Ottawa accusing New Delhi of the same. 

Careless or non-deliberate insult to religion without malicious intent is not an offence under Section 295A: Punjab and Haryana High Court

OpIndia Staff
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Careless or non-deliberate insult to religion without malicious intent is not an offence under Section 295A: Punjab and Haryana High Court

In its recent judgement, the Punjab and Haryana High Court firmly asserted that making a careless insult to a religion made without malicious or deliberate intent would “certainly be out of the purview of Section 295A of the IPC”, Tribune India reported on Friday (22 September).

In its ruling, the court clarified the scope of Section 295A which deals with offences related to insulting religious sentiments. Reiterating the provision of the IPC, Justice Manjari Nehru Kaul noted that the law did not penalise “any and every act of insult or an attempt to insult the religion or the religious beliefs of a person or a community”.

Justice Kaul emphasised that it only imposed penalties for acts of insult or attempts that were carried out with a deliberate and malicious intention to offend the religious sentiments of a specific group or community.

The court gave this ruling after it quashed an FIR and all consequential proceedings related to the petitioner, who had mentioned a book to the complainant in the matter.

The case pertains to an FIR which was registered on the 31st of March, 2012. The Subhanpur police station in Kapurthala district had filed a case under Sections 295A and 53A of the IPC. 

Justice Kaul highlighted that the court failed to comprehend how the petitioner committed an offence “inviting the mischief of Section 295A”. The court noted that he was neither the author, nor the publisher or editor of the book and as per the contents of the FIR, he had mentioned the book to the complainant.

Justice Kaul ruled, “A bare reading of the FIR reveals that no allegations have been levelled against the petitioner, much less of distorting any facts relating to the life of Maharishi Valmiki or he having intentionally circulated or distorted information about Maharishi Valmiki. Thus, the petitioner without a doubt is on a much better footing than the co-accused –– publisher and author of the book, qua whom the FIR in question already stands quashed vide order dated March 24.”

The court also noted that the publishing house included in the lawsuit had made amends in subsequent publications and deleted the alleged offending portions of the book, showing regard to the complainant’s feelings.

However, this is not the first time when court’s have categorically highlighted the scope of Section 295A of the IPC. There is legal precedence where several courts had reiterated the same that careless or non-deliberate insult to religion without malicious would not attract offence under Section 295A. 


Evidently, in March 2021, in one of its rulings, the Tripura High Court had emphasised the same. Similarly, in April 2021, the Bombay High Court also firmly asserted that non-deliberate insult to religion without the intention to hurt religious feelings will not amount to an offence under this section.

Cauvery dispute: Tensions escalate after students join protest in Karnataka’s Mandya over release of Cauvery water to Tamil Nadu, RAF deployed

OpIndia Staff
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Cauvery dispute: Tensions escalate after students join protest in Karnataka’s Mandya over release of Cauvery water to Tamil Nadu, RAF deployed

On September 23, Saturday, tensions mounted in Karnataka’s Mandya district after students came out in large numbers to join the ongoing protest seeking to stop the release of Cauvery River water by Karnataka authorities into Tamil Nadu. Rapid Action Force (RAF) and Karnataka State Reserve Police platoons have been deployed in the area to quell the escalating crisis.

Yesterday (September 22), protests intensified across Karnataka’s Cauvery River basin districts after the Supreme Court refused to intervene in the Cauvery Water Management Authority and Cauvery Water Regulation Committee’s orders directing the state to release 5,000 cusecs of water to neighbouring Tamil Nadu.

Farmers’ and pro-Kannada organizations demonstrated in Mysuru, Mandya, Bengaluru, and other cities, expressing their outrage and pushing the state government not to release water to Tamil Nadu, citing water constraints. The protests quickly spread to other districts like Chitradurga, Ballari, Davangere, Koppal, and Vijayapura. 

Notably, on September 1, the farmers in Karnataka’s Mandya blindfolded themselves and staged a sit-in in front of the Cauvery Irrigation Corporation headquarters at the main gate of the KRS dam in Mandya.

The protest erupted a day after the Cauvery Water Regulation Committee (CWRC) issued an interim ruling requiring Karnataka to release 5,000 cusecs of water to Tamil Nadu every day for the next 15 days, until September 2.

Later, on September 11, Karnataka Chief Minister Siddaramaiah took to X to accuse the central government of fuelling the Cauvery water dispute. He said that the central government has not given permission for the Mekedatu Project and the Tamil Nadu people are creating disputes unnecessarily. 

For decades, Karnataka and Tamil Nadu have been at odds over the distribution of water from the Cauvery River, which serves as a key supply of irrigation and drinking water for millions of people in the region.

On June 2, 1990, the Centre established the Cauvery Water Disputes Tribunal (CWDT) to resolve water-sharing disputes between Tamil Nadu, Kerala, Karnataka, and Puducherry.

Not compact and claustrophobic: Jairam Ramesh comes up with bizarre criticism of the new Parliament building, Congress MP Pramod Tiwari blames AC

OpIndia Staff
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Not compact and claustrophobic: Jairam Ramesh comes up with bizarre criticism of the new Parliament building, Congress MP Pramod Tiwari blames AC

Days after the new building of the Parliament became operational, Congress leader Jairam Ramesh on Saturday (September 23) attacked the Modi government for constructing a compact and claustrophobic building.

While taking to X (formerly Twitter), he claimed, “After four days, what I saw was the death of confabulations and conversations—both inside the two Houses and in the lobbies. If architecture can kill democracy, the PM has already succeeded even without rewriting the Constitution.”

“Binoculars are needed to see each other since the halls are simply not cozy or compact. The old Parliament building not only had a certain aura but it facilitated conversations,” the Congress leader alleged.

Jairam Ramesh accused the Centre of turning the new Parliament building into ‘Modi Marriot/ Modi Muliplex’, which did not facilitate conversations between politicians.

Hinting at a larger conspiracy into the architecture of the building, he said “It was easy to walk between Houses, the Central Hall, and the corridors. This new one weakens the bonding needed to make the running of Parliament a success. Quick coordination between the two Houses is now exceedingly cumbersome.”

“The old building gave you a sense of space and openness while the new one is almost claustrophobic…The new complex is painful and agonising,” the Congress leader remarked.

The sheer joy of simply hanging out in Parliament has disappeared. I used to look forward to going to the old building…This is what happens when no consultations are done with the people who will use the building,” he brazened out.

Soon after, other Congress leaders came up with more bizarre criticism of the new Parliament building. Party MP Pramod Tiwari said, “In a country like India, to fully air-condition the Parliament house is unscientific and impractical. There was a lobby, a central hall in the old Parliament…”

He claimed that the air-conditioning in the new building was making MPs fall ill. “There is an air circulation defect in the new building. In the 13 hours, I was present there the environment was suffocating. There is a large distance between the chair and the desk…The back support there is not comfortable…” he alleged.

While accusing the Modi government of turning the building into a 7-star hotel, Tiwari claimed, “The openness that was in the old Parliament building was more scientific, more practical and good for the health…I know about 50 MPs who got ill due to the air conditioning there..”

The Hindu alters Rahul Gandhi’s remarks about OBC MPs and Murtis in temples to save Congress scion from appearing Hinduphobic

OpIndia Staff
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The Hindu alters Rahul Gandhi’s remarks about OBC MPs and Murtis in temples to save Congress scion from appearing Hinduphobic

On 22nd September, ‘The Hindu’ published a report titled ‘100% regret: Rahul Gandhi on UPA’s inability to bring women’s reservation bill with OBC sub-quota’. However, in this report, the left-liberal media outlet changed the words spoken by Rahul Gandhi in the press address it reported.

Even after the passage of the women’s reservation bill in the Lower and Upper House of the Parliament, Congress MP Rahul Gandhi made controversial remarks against the bill. While attacking the Modi government on the Women’s Reservation Bill, Rahul Gandhi insulted Hindus and their faith yet again by insinuating that Murthis in Temples are powerless. But ‘The Hindu’ did not mention the exact words said by Rahul Gandhi and tried to hide his hatred for Hinduism under the garb of journalism.

What did ‘The Hindu’ write in its report?

The report published by ‘The Hindu’ mentioned – Mr Gandhi claimed that he was “shocked” to see the under-representation of OBCs, as well as Scheduled Castes and Tribes (SC/ST) in the bureaucracy, and countered Home Minister Amit Shah’s assertion that 29% of BJP parliamentarians were from OBC communities. “The MPs have been treated like statues and they have no power or role in the law-making process,” he said.

What did Rahul Gandhi actually say?

Rahul Gandhi said that the reservation for OBC MPs and MLAs is not the question and asked why there are only 3 out of the 90 secretaries from the OBC category. The media also questioned Rahul Gandhi if he regrets that the OBC quota was not provided in the women’s reservation bill brought by the UPA. “100 per cent regret hai. This should have been done then. We will get this done,” the Congress MP said.

Demanding a caste census, Rahul Gandhi said that Lok Sabha is called the temple of democracy. Then he went on to say whether any BJP MP take any decision, do they make any law or participate in making a law? “Not at all. Neither Congress MP, BJP MP, nor any other MP. MPs have been turned into Murtis in temples. OBC MPs have been filled like Murtis (in the Parliament) but they don’t have any power. There is no contribution to running the country. This is a question I have raised.”

“Every OBC youth must understand that should you get a chance to run this country, yes or no? If yes, then is your population 5%? And this is what the BJP is trying to distract from”, he continued.

What do Rahul Gandhi’s remarks mean and how does ‘The Hindu’ hide it?

In his desperation to deride the Modi government, Rahul Gandhi ended up making a statement that was deeply Hinduphobic. While trying to make the point that OBC MPs were not contributing to any productive work in the parliament by way of formulation of laws, Rahul Gandhi compared them to Murtis in a Temple.

Rahul Gandhi essentially said that MPs in the parliament were powerless just as murtis in a Temple. This is the exact trope that is used by Islamists to negate and insult Murti-puja – the very core of the Hindu faith. The argument made by the Islamists and extremist Christians is that the Murtis in the temple are merely stones and serve no purpose beyond perpetuating superstition. This line of argument is extended to denying legitimacy to Sanatan Dharma and the Hindu faith in general, insulting those who practise ritualistic Hinduism.

Rahul Gandhi made the argument that the Murtis, that Hindus worship, are powerless and ‘useless’, just as the MPs in the parliament – which is to say – they serve no purpose. Hindus worship Murtis believing that they are the manifestation of the spirit of the divine. Every Murti in a temple undergoes a ritual called Praan Pratishtha after which, is it essentially does not remain a ‘Murti’ but an embodiment of the divine – with the divine infusing the spiritual essence in it.

For Rahul Gandhi to claim that Murtis are useless, essentially means that he believes Murthi puja – the very core of Sanatan Dharma – is merely a superstition and serves no purpose – essentially furthering the Hinduphobic narrative of the Islamists and Missionaries against Hindus.

Leftist-liberal media outlet ‘The Hindu’ hid the actual statement of Gandhi. ‘The Hindu’ did not exactly quote what Rahul Gandhi said about Murtis and how he compared them with what he called non-functional MPs from the OBC community. ‘The Hindu’ did not mention the word Murti or idol. ‘The Hindu’ replaced it with the word ‘statue’. Rahul Gandhi had also mentioned specifically about Murtis in temples while comparing them with MPs. ‘The Hindu’ also omitted the reference to temples from its report. This was deliberately reported in a manner so as not to present Rahul Gandhi as a Hinduphobic leader as reflected in his original statement.

‘China preparing for war against the US’: Presidential candidate Nikki Haley calls the dragon an ‘existential threat’

OpIndia Staff
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‘China preparing for war against the US’: Presidential candidate Nikki Haley calls the dragon an ‘existential threat’

Indian-American Republican United States presidential hopeful Nikki Haley has described China as an “existential threat” to the US and the world. She added that Beijing is “preparing for war” at a significant economic policy speech delivered at a campaign town hall in Hampton in the crucial early primary state of New Hampshire on 21 September.

Haley proclaimed that the Chinese military was already on the same level as the US military in several areas after half a century of planning to overthrow the Western power. Her address came two days after that of her Republican opponent Vivek Ramaswamy, another Indian-American who spoke on China’s foreign policy in Ohio. After former US President Donald Trump, both candidates are now two of the GOP’s (Grand Old Party) favourite candidates.

“Strength and pride are essential to our national survival, especially in the face of Communist China. China is an existential threat. It has spent half a century plotting to defeat us,” Haley said. The former two-term South Carolina asserted that manufacturing jobs in America had been grabbed by the communist country.

Haley voiced, “It’s taken our trade secrets. Now it’s taking control of critical industries, from medicines to advanced technology. In record time, China has gone from an economically backward country to the second-biggest economy on earth. It has every intention of being the first. And the Communist Party’s motives are clear. They’re building a massive, cutting-edge military, capable of threatening America and dominating Asia and beyond.”

The politician further charged, “In some respects, China’s military is already equal to the US armed forces. In other areas, they’re beating us. China’s leaders are so confident, that they’re sending spy balloons into our skies and building a spy base just off our shores in Cuba. Make no mistake, the Communist Party is preparing for war. And China’s leaders intend to win.”

She explained her economic strategy and emphasised that it entails providing middle-class Americans with genuine relief and financial independence. She mentioned that every middle-class family would receive a tax break worth thousands of dollars.

“No one knows how to use your money better than you, no one. When you make your own choices, you make our economy even stronger. For starters, we’ll completely eliminate the federal gas and diesel tax. That is 18 cents per gallon in savings on gas and 24 cents on diesel. That will help families struggling with record-high gas prices,” noted the presidential candidate.

She highlighted, “And we don’t need a federal gas tax to fund our roads. We’ll keep building our roads with the trillions Washington still has and we’ll stop diverting money to green giveaways. Road money should build roads, not bike paths and hiking trails.” Nikki Haley stressed that she would lower income taxes for working families if she were to become president of the nation.

Haley remarked that the 500 billion dollars in green energy subsidies proposed by President Joe Biden would also be removed by her administration. “No more cash windfalls for China,” she announced. The former US ambassador to the United Nations conveyed that she would veto any budget plan that didn’t restore US expenditure to rates seen before the Covid scandal.

“We’re not talking about 1950s spending levels, we’re talking about just four years ago. We had a massive and in many ways a foolish explosion in spending during the pandemic. But the pandemic is over. It’s absurd to keep spending at those same crazy levels. Under my plan, we won’t just have term limits for politicians, we will limit bureaucrats too. No bureaucrat should hold the same position for more than five years,” Haley pledged during his address.

“This will make them better public servants and avoid the politics and power fiefdoms that corrupt our government. And we should be able to fire those who are not performing. Public service is a privilege, not a right. And no one has a right to roll back your freedom,” she observed. 

How Canada is shielding Noor Chowdhury, the assassin of Sheikh Mujibur Rahman, the founding father of Bangladesh

Pragya Bakshi Sharma
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How Canada is shielding Noor Chowdhury, the assassin of Sheikh Mujibur Rahman, the founding father of Bangladesh

Canada is a safe haven for terrorists, murderers, and other such criminals for whom justice is waiting in their home country. One such criminal being shielded and fed by Canada is the assassin of Bangladesh’s founding father Sheikh Mujibur Rahman, according to a report by News9.

Noor Chowdhury is a self-confessed killer of Bangabandhu and is wanted by Bangladesh where justice awaits him. However, a Canadian law safeguards such convicts against deportations particularly to those countries where they could face capital punishment.

Noor Chowdhury was one among troops of junior Pakistani Army officers who assassinated 21 members of the family of Sheikh Mujibur Rahman on 15 August 1975 sending shockwaves across the world. Noor Chowdhury shot multiple rounds at Rahman in his Dhamondi bungalow in Dhaka.

The only two surviving members of Rahman’s family were his daughters, Sheikh Hasina, now Bangladesh’s longest-serving Prime Minister, and Sheikh Rehana. They survived the attack because they were both in Germany at the time.

Noor Chowdhury was convicted and sentenced to death in absentia in 2010 along with 11 other suspects. But he has been in hiding in Canada. And despite repeated attempts by Sheikh Hasina’s government to appeal to Canada for his extradition, the Trudeau government continues to shield Chowdhury.

“The Sheikh Hasina government has made all the efforts: through requests, diplomatic channels and meetings at the highest level. But all our requests evoked the same reply from Canada. Chowdhury will receive capital punishment in Bangladesh and there is nothing called capital punishment in Canadian courts. Is it too much to ask for justice, when the killers themselves have admitted to their crime?” says Padma Shri Lieutenant Colonel (Retd) Qazi Sajjad Ali Zahir, a highly decorated officer who served in the Bangladeshi Army, to News9.

Bangladeshi journalist Saleem Samad recalled his meeting with Canadian Minister for Justice Irwin Kotler on the issue in the early 2000s but was met with a clear no. “I met him after making an appointment. After pronouncing that Bangladesh’s courts were politicised, Kotler told me two very important things that I still remember vividly. One, Canadian law won’t permit a person who is likely to be facing a death sentence to be extradited to his native country. Second, it is highly unlikely, particularly when they have doubts over the independence of the judiciary and the person has sought political asylum in Canada,” Samad reportedly narrated.

A report quoting sources said that the Trudeau government will not move back from its position on the matter of extradition. Last year, too, Bangladesh had urged Canada to find an alternative way around the law to deport Chowdhury.

Reports claim Dhaka could move Ottawa on the matter once again. In an interview with PTI in August this year, Bangladesh Law and Justice Minister Anisul Huq said that the country was negotiating a return of the two killers of Bangabandhu – Noor Chowdhury from Canada and Rashed Chowdhury from US

Rashed Chowdhury is also a self-confessed killer of the founding father of Bangladesh. He has been residing in the United States since 1996.

“They killed the father of the nation and 17 members of his family…Given the heinous nature of the crime, we have tried to convince Canada to return Noor Chowdhury,” the minister said.

On 21 September, the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) in clear words said that Canada has a growing reputation as a safe haven for terrorists, extremists, and organised crime. This came amidst the ongoing tensions between Canada and India sparked by the Trudeau administration by expelling a senior Indian diplomat and accusing Indian agents of the murder of Khalistani terrorist Hardeep Singh Nijjar.

India reciprocated by expelling a senior Canadian diplomat. Trudeau’s remarks have encouraged terrorist elements like Gurpatwant Pannun of Sikhs For Justice (SFJ), the National Council of Canadian Muslims (NCCM), and the World Sikh Organisation (WSO). India has since issued an advisory to its citizens in Canada to remain vigilant and has temporarily suspended visa operations for Canadians owing to a potential security threat to its embassy staff.

Singham set a wrong precedent by glorifying instant justice by cops: Bombay HC judge says movies show judges as docile, timid and badly dressed

OpIndia Staff
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Singham set a wrong precedent by glorifying instant justice by cops: Bombay HC judge says movies show judges as docile, timid and badly dressed

Rohit Shetty’s blockbuster movie Singham released in 2011, in which Ajay Devgn played the titular role is remembered as an iconic cop movie. However, Bombay High Court judge Justice Gautam Patel on Friday (September 22) said that the movie set a “wrong precedent,” adding that the cinematic depiction of “instant delivery of justice” by a hero cop in such movies sends a very harmful message.

During his speech at an event organised by the Indian Police Foundation to mark its annual day and Police Reforms Day, Justice Patel also questioned the impatience of the public with the process of law. While speaking on the police reforms, Justice Patel mentioned the 2006 Supreme Court judgement in the Prakash Singh case pertaining to the police reforms calling it a “missed opportunity” as the apex court took a narrow approach.

In this context, Justice Gautam Patel highlighted how the public views the police as affected by the public impatience with the process of law. He stated that when a rape accused is killed in an encounter while allegedly trying to escape, it is celebrated by the public saying that justice has been served.

While pointing out that this “impatience” is deeply rooted in the popular culture and is reflected in Indian cinema, Justice Patel mentioned the film Singham and its climax scene wherein the entire police force descends on politician Jaykant Sikare (played by controversial actor Prakash Raj) and demonstrates how justice is served.

“They accuse courts of letting the guilty off. What is the answer? The hero cop delivers justice single-handedly. I want you all to think of Singham here and especially that climax scene where the entire force descends on the politician played by Prakash Raj. His dialogue really feeds into this mythology and valorizes unilateral police action,” Justice Patel opined.

Justice Patel also talked about how judges are shown in the movies as docile, timid, and badly dressed. Such movies accuse the judges of letting the guilty go free and then the hero cop delivers justice. Justice Gautam Patel said, “In movies, police rail against judges who are shown as docile, timid, thickly spectacled and often very badly dressed. They accuse the courts of letting the guilty go. The hero cop delivers justice single-handedly.”

The Bombay High Court judge also advised the people to control their impatience asserting that “processes of law are slow to ensure and uphold the cardinal principle that the liberty of an individual is not confiscated.”

Justice Gautam Patel further noted that we the processes of law are abandoned for “shortcuts”, the rule of law would be subverted.

Khalistani terrorist Hardeep Singh Nijjar, for whom Justin Trudeau is destroying India-Canada relations, has been on USA’s ‘no-fly’ list since 2019

OpIndia Staff
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Khalistani terrorist Hardeep Singh Nijjar, for whom Justin Trudeau is destroying India-Canada relations, has been on USA’s ‘no-fly’ list since 2019

Canada has readily compromised its already strained diplomatic ties with India over the slain Khalistani terrorist Hardeep Singh Nijjar. It all started on Monday, September 18 when Canadian PM Justin Trudeau, without any relevant evidence to back his claim, accused India of the killing of Nijjar on Canadian soil. This baseless allegation, which India vehemently denied, triggered a huge diplomatic row and sent relations between the two countries plummeting.

As tensions between Canada and India rise, and Canada, despite being aware of his criminal antecedents, tries to persuade the world that Nijjar was merely a religious leader, it has surfaced that Hardeep Singh Nijjar was found to be at flight risk in the United States and was on the country’s ‘no-fly’ list since 2019.

Several social media users today took note of this after X user going by the handle @journo_vinay posted screenshots of USA’s 2019 ‘no-fly,’ which was leaked in January this year. The list had the slain Khalistani terrorist Hardeep Singh Nijjar’s name on it.

Nijjar, the chief of Khalistan Tiger Force (KTF) — a Sikh extremist organisation banned by India and a “designated terrorist” was killed in a targeted shooting at British Columbia in Canada’s Surrey in June 2018.

Notably, in January this year, a 2019 copy of the U.S. government’s Terrorist Screening Database and “no-fly” list became public after a foreign hacker obtained the confidential documents from an unsecured server belonging to a commercial airline.

The no-fly list is a small subset of the US government Terrorist Screening Database (also known as the terrorist watchlist) that contains the identity information of known or suspected terrorists. The database is maintained by the FBI’s Terrorist Screening Center. 

Digital media company The DailyDot was the first to report on the leak in January this year. According to the report, the hacker, while looking for unsecured servers online, stumbled upon “NoFly.csv” and “selectee.csv” files which had over 1.5 million entries, including names and dates of birth of people recognized by the FBI as ‘known or suspected terrorists; who are barred from boarding aircraft.

The ‘no-fly’ list was established under the George W. Bush administration, initially as a small list of individuals prohibited from flying on commercial flights due to perceived threats. Following the 9/11 terrorist attacks, the list was formalized and expanded to include individuals identified by the FBI as potentially posing a threat to civil aviation or national security.

This ‘no-fly’ list included the name of Hardeep Singh Nijjar, a wanted Khalistani leader in India, whom Canada has been desperately siding with. 

Nijjar’s name appeared in USA’s 2019 ‘no-fly’ list

Meanwhile, regardless of Trudeau’s recent backing for the Khalistani terrorist, it has been revealed that Nijjar was also on Canada’s no-fly list in 2017-18.

Earlier in the day OpIndia reported how a dossier prepared by the Indian intelligence agencies mentioned that Hardeep Singh Nijjar was an associate of terrorists belonging to the Khalistan Commando Force (KCF). The agencies said that Nijjar was associated with Gurdeep Singh alias Deepa Heranwala. Gurdeep Singh was involved in more than 200 killings in the late 1980s and early 1990s.

According to the dossier, Nijjar fled to Canada in 1996 on a forged passport under the name “Ravi Sharma” and worked as a truck driver and plumber. It adds that Nijjar was in contact with Pakistan-based KTF chief Jagtar Singh Tara and went to Pakistan in April 2012 under the guise of a Baisakhi jatha member. Tara radicalised him, and the Pakistan spy agency Inter-Services Intelligence (ISI) groomed him, with the former providing him with weapons and explosives training in 2012 and 2013. According to the dossier, Tara sent US-based Harjot Singh to Canada in 2013 to instruct Nijjar on how to use a handheld GPS device.

The dossier listed several other criminal activities of Nijjar. According to the dossier, Nijjar was declared a terrorist by the Home Ministry on July 1, 2020, and the National Investigation Agency announced a cash reward of Rs 10 lakh on July 22, 2022. Despite that, the KTF head functioned with impunity in Canada.

The Indian agencies said that even after an Interpol Red Corner Notice (RCN) was issued against Nijjar in November 2014, Canada only placed him on the “no-fly list”.

Punjab: Kabaddi player murdered in Kapurthala, body thrown outside house, killers knock the door to announce the murder to his parents

OpIndia Staff
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Punjab: Kabaddi player murdered in Kapurthala, body thrown outside house, killers knock the door to announce the murder to his parents

On September 19, a local kabaddi player named Hardeep Singh alias Deepa was murdered by unknown assailants and his mutilated body was thrown outside his house in Dhilwan tehsil in Punjab’s Kapurthala district.

Hardeep was attacked by sharp-edged weapons, including swords and then dumped in front of his residence. The perpetrators also taunted the player’s parents after the murder.

In a complaint filed with the police, the deceased’s father Gurnam Singh said Hardeep had a dispute with Harpreet Singh Happy, also a resident of Dhilwan. As per the complaint, on the evening of September 20, Hardeep left with his bank documents. At around 10:30 PM, someone knocked at their gate following which Gurnam Singh and his wife went to the terrace and saw Harpreet Singh along with five unknown individuals assaulting their son. They left after announcing that they have killed Hardeep, the father said in his complaint.

Personal enmity is reportedly the reason behind the crime. Hardeep had an argument with another man in the neighbourhood named Harpreet Singh alias Happy. The investigating officer, Kuldeep Singh, informed that numerous cases had been filed against them at the Dhilwan Police station. He informed, “Based on the father’s complaint, a case of murder has been registered against Happy and his five associates.”

Punjab Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann’s Aam Aadmi Party government has come under fire from Sukhbir Singh Badal of the Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD) who charged that there was a “Jungle Raj” in the state. Badal further asked the chief minister to step down.

The president of Shiromani Akali Dal stated, “Shocked to learn about the brutal killing of a young Kabaddi player at vill Dhilwan in Kapurthala. See the level of fearlessness of the murderers; they knocked at the door and told the parents, ‘We killed your brave son.’ This isn’t an isolated incident. There is complete Jungle Raj prevailing in Punjab, where murders, loot, snatchings and robberies are becoming an everyday affair.”

The Firozpur MP tagged the chief minister’s official account and added, “It’s a proven fact that Bhagwant Mann is unable to handle the situation. He should step down without any further delay.”

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