Nine people, including women and minors, have been held by the Delhi Police in connection with the murder of a 17-year-old boy in the Seelampur area.
According to Delhi Police, the main accused, ‘Lady Don’ Zikra, along with Sahil (18), Zahida (42), Nafish (32), Sohaib (35), Aneesh (19), Vikas (29) and two minors aged about 17 and 15 years, have been taken into custody.
Police teams from the North-East District carried out raids across Delhi-NCR, including Ghaziabad, Meerut, Moradabad, and Amroha in Uttar Pradesh. Based on technical surveillance, clues, and local inputs, the suspects were arrested on April 20.
During the investigation, evidence was collected against Zikra, Sahil, and two minors referred to as “Children in Conflict with Law” (CCLs). Police allege that these individuals planned the attack on the victim, Kunal.
The police said, “Relevant evidence was collected, which confirmed the involvement of the accused in this heinous crime during the probe.”
It was revealed that Sahil had an old rivalry with Kunal. On April 17, the group allegedly caught Kunal and stabbed him multiple times.
Giving more details, police said, “On April 17, at about 7:38 PM, information regarding the stabbing of a person in J-Block, Jhuggi Seelampur, was received at the Seelampur Police Station.”
When the police team reached the location, they found the victim had already been taken to JPC Hospital by his family, where doctors declared him dead.
The victim was identified as Kunal, a 17-year-old boy from the New Seelampur area in Delhi.
A case was registered at Seelampur Police Station under Sections 103(1)/3(5), and an investigation began. Given the seriousness of the case, the Operations Wing of North-East Delhi joined the Seelampur Police team. Multiple teams were formed to trace and arrest those involved.
Based on the evidence collected from different sources, the suspects were identified. Zikra, one of the key accused, was arrested on the evening of April 18.
On Saturday, Delhi’s Karkardooma Court remanded Zikra to two days of police custody in connection with the case. She will be produced before the court again on Monday after her police remand ends.
During questioning, Zikra told the police that her cousin Sahil was attacked in November last year by two boys named Lala and Shambhu, who were friends of Kunal. Kunal was also present at the time, but his name was not mentioned in the FIR because he was a minor.
Zikra and Sahil believed Kunal was responsible for that attack, and they carried out this act as “revenge.”
Delhi Chief Minister Rekha Gupta reacted to the incident and said, “I have spoken to the Police commissioner about the murder of a 17-year-old boy, Kunal. He was attacked with knives and was rushed to the Jai Prakash hospital, where he was pronounced dead on arrival.”
Following the murder, Kunal’s relatives and residents in Seelampur held protests demanding justice.
(This news report is published from a syndicated feed. Except for the headline, the content has not been written or edited by OpIndia staff)
On 19th April, Congress MP Rahul Gandhi paid a personal tribute to his great-grandfather and first Prime Minister of India, Jawaharlal Nehru, via a podcast-style conversation with Congress leader Sandeep Dikshit. While doing so, he claimed that Nehru’s legacy lies not in politics but in giving the people of India the courage to confront fear and seek truth.
Nehru didn’t teach us politics – he taught us to confront fear and stand for the truth. He gave Indians the courage to resist oppression and ultimately claim freedom.
His greatest legacy lies in his relentless pursuit of truth – a principle that shaped everything he stood for. pic.twitter.com/chnckg02DB
During the discussion, which was shared on multiple social media platforms, Gandhi talked about the values he believes he has inherited from Nehru. He said, “Nehru didn’t teach us politics – he taught us to confront fear and stand for the truth,” while describing the freedom struggle as rooted in truth, not just ideology.
Gandhi claimed that Nehru was a “seeker” who faced danger with a smile. He credited his grandmother, and former Prime Minister of India, Indira Gandhi, with stories that shaped his understanding of his lineage. He said, “My mother still watches birds in the garden. I do judo. These aren’t just hobbies – they reflect who we are.”
Speaking on the current political situation in the country, Gandhi said, “In today’s India – where truth is inconvenient – I’ve made my choice. I’ll stand for it. No matter the cost.” He further claimed that he believes leadership is about compassion, not control. He said, “Whether I speak to Bill Gates or Chetram Mochi, I meet them with the same curiosity,” while calling truth and courage the foundation of resistance, art, and science.
While his statements look glittery from the outside, the reality is different from what has been said about Nehru, especially when it comes to facing “fear” with “courage”.
How Motilal Nehru pulled strings to get Jawaharlal out of Nabha prison
According to the plaque at the Nabha jail site, Nehru was arrested along with K Santanam and AT Gidwani on September 22, 1923, for defying an order banning entry into the princely state of Nabha. He was awarded a jail term of 2 years. However, not being able to withstand the complexities, Nehru, only after two-weeks signed a bond, never to enter the princely state of Nabha again. Prof Chaman Lal, renowned chronicler of India’s freedom struggle and an ex-professor at Delhi’s Jawaharlal Nehru University (JNU) had confirmed that “Nehru was detained for a few hours in the Jaitu police cell, while he was kept for around two weeks in the Nabha jail.”
Prof Lal stated that compared to other jails where Nehru was kept, including Naini and Gorakhpur, he received ill-treatment at the hands of the police and jail authorities in Nabha. “Nehru was released from the Nabha jail only after he signed a bond that he would never enter the princely state again!” he said.
It is believed that Nehru’s father, Motilal Nehru, had even reached out to the Viceroy asking for a recommendation to get him released. K Santanam, a freedom fighter who was imprisoned with Nehru, in his famous memoir ‘Handcuffed with Jawaharlal’ had said: “Our imprisonment in the Nabha jail was not known to the outside world. Pandit Motilal Nehru got worried and tried to ascertain our whereabouts from various officials and non-officials in Punjab. Failing to get any reply, he approached the Viceroy himself who got the information from Nabha.”
“This took two to three days. The authorities of the Nabha jail suddenly changed their attitude and arrangements were made for our bathing. Our clothes were given to us and friends from outside were allowed to send fruits and other eatables,” Santanam had recalled.
In his autobiography, Nehru had himself mentioned that the atrocities, he and his colleagues, faced in Nabha Jail, prompted them to sign a bond of compliance with the British, to never enter the territory of Nabha, again.
“In Nabha Jail we were all three kept in a most unwholesome and unsanitary cell. It was small and damp, with a low ceiling which we could almost touch. At night we slept on the floor, and I would wake up with a start, full of horror, to find that a rat or a mouse had just passed over my face,” wrote Jawaharlal Nehru.
Jawaharlal Nehru had deserted his colleague Acharya Gidwani
When violence broke out on 21st February February, 1924 during which 19 Sikhs were officially believed to have been killed, Nehru’s aide Acharya Gidwani had visited Jaitu to help the wounded. He was in turn arrested by the Nabha State police and had to spend almost a year in jail, before he was released on health grounds. A shrewd Jawaharlal Nehru, who conceded that he did not want to relive his short jail term in Jaitu, deserted Gidwani and chose not to remain loyal to his colleague and visit Jaitu.
In his own words, the former Prime Minister recounted, “I took shelter behind the advice of friends and made of it as a pretext to cover my own weakness. For after all it was my own weakness and disinclination to go to Nabha Gaol again that kept me away, and I have always felt a little ashamed of thus deserting a colleague. As often with us all, discretion was preferred to valour.”
While the Congress party and its trolls have been busy shaming freedom fighter Veer Savarkar despite the torture and ill-treatment meted out to him, a ‘valiant’ Jawaharlal Nehru was quick to get his sentence suspended by signing a bond with the aide of his influential father.
Ironically, Nehru who buckled under mere two weeks pressure and deserted his colleague is branded as a great leader, freedom fighter and a nationalist by the Congress.
On 19th April, over 550,000 people took to the streets of Newton for the annual Khalsa Day Vaisakhi Parade in Surrey. It is one of the world’s largest Sikh religious gatherings. While the event was described as a celebration of Sikh unity and diversity, the display of Khalistan flags and anti-India visuals, including “Wanted” posters featuring Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Home Minister Amit Shah, and External Affairs Minister S. Jaishankar, drew sharp criticism.
The procession began at Gurdwara Dashmesh Darbar and wound its way through the city with nearly two dozen floats. Despite its overt spiritual theme honouring the establishment of the Khalsa in 1699 by Guru Gobind Singh, it was marked by visible expressions of separatist sentiments.
Speaking to the media, spokesperson of the parade, Moninder Singh, called it a “beautiful expression of unity, diversity and shared joy”. He said, “The Surrey Nagar Kirtan is an opportunity for the Sikh community to share its history, practices, commitment to human rights and sovereignty.”
However, sovereignty for many at the event seemingly referred to the Khalistan movement. The attendees were seen waving Khalistan flags. There were visuals criticising the Government of India, including posters labelling PM Modi, HM Shah and EMA Jaishankar as wanted.
The parade also included a large trailer truck with a mock-up of a jail. Inside this ‘jail’, effigies of Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Home Minister Amit Shah, and Foreign Minister S Jaishankar were seen in orange jail uniforms. Beside the ‘jail’, posters calling for their arrest were displayed, calling them ‘enemies of Sikhs’ and accusing them of killing Khalistani terrorist Nijjar.
Another poster on the truck said ‘Balkanize India’, a call to break up India into several smaller territories. It also announced a ‘Khalistan Referendum’ at Vancouver on 1st November 2025.
The event, notably, took place just hours after a Vancouver Gurdwara was defaced by pro-Khalistani elements with anti-India and pro-Khalistan graffiti. There were chants of “Kill Modi Politics”, “Who killed Nijjar? Indian Government” and many such slogans raised during the parade. The Indian flag was desecrated during the parade as it was seen hanging behind the floats, touching the ground.
Happening now: World’s largest Khalsa Day Parade in Surrey, B.C.
Chants of “Kill Modi Politics” echo throughout the parade route, accompanied by Sikh hymns and martial arts demonstrations.
The event has attracted Liberal, NDP, and Conservative candidates promoting themselves.… pic.twitter.com/uE6T367uwY
Federal NDP leader Jagmeet Singh and Conservative leader Pierre Poilievre attended the parade but failed to condemn the separatist sentiments on display. Several local MLAs, MPs and municipal representatives were also present.
Interestingly, Khalistani terrorist Santokh Singh Khela was also present at the parade and called for separating Punjab from India to form Khalistan during his speech at the stage. Terrorists including Hardeep Singh Nijjar and Kanishka bombing mastermind Talwinder Singh Parmar were celebrated at the parade.
The broader message of the event appeared politically charged. For the second year in a row, questions are being raised in India over the lack of condemnation by Canadian leaders of the Khalistani elements increasingly visible at such public events. In fact, just for the sake of votes, the Canadian politicians are sheltering anti-India, pro-Khalistani elements including terrorists.
The Khalsa Day Parade has been happening in Surrey since 1998. It has grown into the largest of its kind outside India. The recurring appearance of separatist propaganda has resulted in growing concerns in New Delhi over Canada’s inaction against anti-India rhetoric on its soil.
On 19th April (local time), Khalsa Diwan Society Gurdwara, also known as the Ross Street Gurdwara, was desecrated with pro-Khalistan and anti-India graffiti. The management of the Gurdwara in Canada’s Vancouver has accused “extremist forces” of the vandalism. They claimed that it was an attempt to instil fear within the Sikh community in Canada. The miscreants used spray paint to desecrate the Gurdwara.
The management issued a statement that was published on their Instagram account. Calling for unity and reflection amidst extremism, the management said that the community was shocked to witness the act of vandalism at the Gurdwara. “A small group of Sikh separatists, advocating for Khalistan, defaced our sacred walls with divisive slogans like ‘Khalistan Zindabad’. This act is part of an ongoing campaign by extremist forces that seek to instil fear and division within the Canadian Sikh community,” the statement read.
The management further noted that such actions undermine the values of inclusivity, respect and mutual support that are “foundational to both Sikhism and Canadian society”. They added, “What occurred on April 19th is not only an attack on our Gurdwara but also an assault on the legacy our ancestors built – a legacy grounded in hard work, unity, and peaceful coexistence.”
They further called on all Canadians, Sikhs and people of goodwill to stand together in the face of extremism. “We must denounce these acts and reaffirm our shared commitment to the values of peace, unity, and respect. This attack is an attack on all of us – on the very unity that makes Canada strong. Let us unite against division and extremism, for the future we all share,” the management concluded in the press release.
Speaking to Hindustan Times, Joginder Sunner, a member of the Gurdwara management, said the incident occurred between midnight and 3 AM on 19th April and described it as a painful moment in the history of the community. “A group of unidentified men arrived in a truck and then spray-painted the slogans on the gates and outer walls of the Gurdwara,” he added.
The Gurdwara was established in 1906. It had organised the Baisakhi Parade or “Nagar Kirtan” – Khalsa Sajna Diwas – last weekend, terming it as a “day that symbolises the strength, unity, and resilience of Sikhs”. Notably, pro-Khalistan elements were not allowed to attend the event, which might have led to the incident of vandalism.
Probe underway
The Vancouver Police Department said in a statement that a probe is underway in the matter. Speaking to the media, Sergeant Steve Addison, spokesperson for the VPD, stated that police are investigating the graffiti at the Gurdwara, which included the word “murdabad”. He said that so far, police do not have a suspect and more information may be released later.
Hindu temple in Surrey also defaced
Soon after the incident in Vancouver, Lakshmi Narayan Mandir in Surrey, also in British Columbia, was defaced with similar graffiti. Speaking to the media, temple spokesperson Parshotam Goel said these incidents might be linked, as the Lakshmi Narayan Mandir was at the forefront of an effort to forge unity between the Sikh and Hindu communities in Canada. He said, “This is not a coincidence; this was done in a planned way. Somebody is trying to intimidate us.”
A history of vandalism
On 22nd July 2024, extremists defaced the Bochasanwasi Shri Akshar Purushottam Swaminarayan Sanstha (BAPS) Swaminarayan Mandir in Edmonton city in Alberta province of Canada. In the photographs, it could be seen that the wall of the Hindu temple vandalised with Hinduphobic, anti-Modi graffiti.
In September 2023, the Shree Mata Bhameshwari Durga Devi Society in Surrey British Columbia was sprayed with ‘Punjab is not India’ grafitti
In February 2023, a Ram temple in Mississauga was defaced with anti-India graffiti by unknown miscreants.
In January 2023, the Gauri Shankar Mandir was desecrated by Khalistani extremists in Brampton City in Ontario province of Canada. The walls of the temple were defaced with anti-India graffiti by Khalistanis associated allegedly with the banned outfit Sikhs For Justice (SFJ). The vicious slogan of ‘Khalistan Zindabad, Hindustan Murdabad’ was found spray-painted on the outer wall of Gauri Shankar Mandir.
In September 2022, some Khalistani terrorists defaced BAPS Swaminarayan Temple in Toronto with anti-India slogans. Several videos circulating on social media showed slogans of ‘Khalistan Zindabad, Hindustan Murdabad’ painted on the walls of the temple.
In February 2022 alone, six Hindu temples were attacked in Toronto.
A 33-year-old engineer, Mohit Yadav, committed suicide in Etawah, Uttar Pradesh, accusing his wife and in-laws of harassment. Yadav was reportedly found hanging in a room in the Jolly Hotel outside the Etawah railway station on Friday (18th April) by hotel staff. He checked into the hotel on Thursday (17th April). The hotel staff came to check after he did not leave the room the next morning, and found him hanging inside the room.
Yadav recorded a video before committing suicide
Yadav, a resident of Auraiya district, recorded a video before taking his life in which he alleged that he and his family were facing harassment by his wife and her family. The police found the video on his phone. “If I don’t get justice even after my death, throw my ashes into a drain,” Yadav said in the video. He expressed frustration over the lack of legal remedies available to men who face similar harassment. “By the time you get this video, I will be gone from this world. I wouldn’t have taken this step if there were a law for men. I couldn’t tolerate the harassment by my wife and her family,” he said.
He levelled serious allegations against his mother-in-law, saying that she made his wife abort their child after she got a teacher’s job in Samastipur, Bihar. He added that his mother-in-law kept his wife’s jewellery with her and threatened his family with false cases. Yadav said that he and his wife got married after 7 years of knowing each other. He said that he did not demand any dowry in his wedding as it was a love marriage, yet his wife threatened to file false dowry cases against him and his family if he did not register his house and property in her name. He said that his father-in-law filed a false complaint against him, and his brother-in-law threatened to kill him. Yadav, who worked as a field engineer in a cement company, concluded the video by apologising to his parents for failing to fulfil their expectations. Abhay Nath Tripathi, Superintendent of Police (City), said that the police are investigating the case.
Similar cases of suicide by men on the rise
Many cases of men taking their lives after facing harassment by their wives and in-laws have come to light recently. Last year, in December, a 34-year-old software engineer, Atul Subhash, committed suicide at his home in Marathahalli, Bengaluru, leaving a 24-page suicide note behind. In the same month, a head constable with Bengaluru Police, Tippanna Alugur, ended his life in the city, blaming his wife and her family.
In a similar case, in February 2025, Manav Sharma, who was an employee at Tata Consultancy Services (TCS), was found hanging at his home in Agra, Uttar Pradesh. Before taking his life, he recorded a video in which he pleaded for society to acknowledge the struggles that men face. He also repeatedly urged people to think and talk about men, while apologising to his parents for his decision.
West Bengal is in a state of chaos, with Muslim mobs running rampage in the garb of protests against the Waqf Amendment Act. While the Mamata government has remained a mute spectator to the carnage, it has co-opted the law enforcement authorities to work as its propaganda machinery.
The West Bengal police, which have failed to protect Hindus in riot-torn Murshidabad, prevent the destruction of their homes and properties, and stop the exodus of victims to the nearby Malda district, is now acting as the ‘mouthpiece’ of the Trinamool Congress (TMC).
On Sunday (20th April), it shared a so-called ‘peace appeal’ signed by the West Bengal Chief Minister on its X (formerly Twitter). This was despite the fact that the 4-page document was politically motivated and directly targeted the Opposition BJP.
The ‘peace appeal’, which was shared both in English and Bengali by the official X handle of the West Bengal police, attacked the BJP and the RSS for being ‘aggressive’ and supposedly running ‘false campaign’ in the State.
“These forces are using the backdrop of an unfortunate incident that happened on provocation. They are using the backdrop to play divisive politics. They are planning to play the ‘divide and rule’ game. This is sinister,” the so-called peace appeal claimed.
Mamata Banerjee made unsubstantiated claims about the BJP and RSS wanting to ‘play with fire’ during Ram Navami and tried to deviate from riots carried out by her Muslim vote bank in the name of protests against the new Waqf law.
“BJP and its allies are defaming the universal Hinduism of ours in the name of their so-called political agenda,” she brazened out. But this again did not stop the State police from amplifying such lies.
The West Bengal Chief Minister peddled falsehoods about other BJP-ruled States and claimed, “The BJP and their allies are propagating are false and narrow. Their utterances are garbage of lies, based on misquotes. Please do not trust them. They want to incite riots, and riots can affect everyone.”
She further attempted to downplay the role of Muslim mobs in Murshidabad by making shallow, secular-sounding remarks. “Please remember that riots are created neither by Hindus, nor by Muslims riots are engineered by criminals,” she continued her appeasement politics.
As part of her nefarious strategy to divide Hindus as ‘Bengalis vs outsiders’, Mamata Banerjee alleged, “Those who create riots always come from outside and then go away…Do not trust some outsiders who come, create communal tensions and generate riots for their narrow political gain.”
In reality, victim testimonies show that there were ‘no outsiders’ but local Muslims who orchestrated the riots. Despite such glaring falsehoods peddled by the CM, the police shared her ‘peace appeal’ from its official X handle.
Conclusion
While it is common for political parties to trade charges and seek to score political brownie points, it was shocking to witness the West Bengal police (which is supposed to act in a non-partisan manner) targeting the main Opposition party in the State.
This explains how institutions within the State have been captured by the Trinamool Congress, making it impossible to function without political directives.
Recently, a video went viral on social media, allegedly showing the vehicle of a senior police officer ferrying protestors during the anti-Waqf Act protests being organised at Shah Garden Grounds near Adyar Kannur in Mangaluru, Karnataka on 18th April. The video was widely shared on social media, raising questions about the police for facilitating the protestors who blocked the National Highway-73 in Adyar, Kannur.
Instead of detaining peacefuls who blocked NH-73 in Manguluru in defiance of court orders, Traffic ACP Najma Faruqui dropped them off in official police car with a beacon & siren !!
Refuting the allegations of the police vehicle being used to ferry protestors, Mangaluru City Police Commissioner, Anupam Agrawal, issued a clarification stating the police vehicle was not used for facilitating protestors but to carry an injured minor boy to the hospital.
Mangaluru :- After a video went viral showing ACP Najma Farooqi’s official vehicle dropping off Waqf protestors
Agrawal said that a 16-year-old boy was seriously injured by an overspeeding Tempo Traveller near Adyar Garden around 7:30 pm on the day of the protests. Meanwhile, the vehicle of the ACP traffic sub-division was passing from there, which was stopped by two on-duty women police officers and the boy’s associates to take him to a nearby private hospital.
He added that considering the condition of the injured boy and the heavy traffic jam in the area, the police officers promptly decided to use the police vehicle to take him for treatment. Later on, the driver of the Tempo Traveller was detained at the Mangaluru South Traffic police station, and a case was registered against him.
Anti-Waqf Act protesters unlawfully blocked the national highway
The Congress-ruled state witnessed a massive demonstration against the recently passed Waqf Act on 18th April. Lakhs of Muslim demonstrators gathered at Shah Garden Grounds in Mangaluru, under the leadership of the Ulema Coordination Committee, Karnataka. However, later on, some of the protestors deliberately gathered on the side and in the middle of NH-73 and blocked the free movement of the traffic. The protestors reportedly ignored the instructions of the officials to move away from the National Highway and continued to obstruct the movement of the traffic and the emergency services.
Subsequently, a case was filed by the police at Kankanady Town Police Station under sections 189(2), 126(2), 270, 324(4), 132, 285, and 190 of the BNS against the protestors including, Jaleel, a resident of Krishnapura, Fazal, a resident of Valachil and Mohammed Hanif Noufal. The police are trying to identify the other protestors using video footage.
The Hyderabad Cricket Association (HCA) has been ordered to remove the name of Mohammed Azharuddin from the North Pavilion Stand of the Rajiv Gandhi International Cricket Stadium in Hyderabad. The order has been issued by Justice V Eswaraiah, Ethics Officer and Ombudsman of the HCA.
The cricket body has also been ordered to ensure that no more tickets are printed for the ongoing IPL season with the name of Mohammed Azharuddin, former cricketer and Congress leader, who was accused of match fixing. The order was issued in response to a petition filed by the Lords Cricket Club.
The Ombudsman decided that putting his name on the pavilion is a case of conflict of interest, as Azharuddin was the president of the Hyderabad Cricket Association, and the stand was named after him. The order noted that he had taken the decision personally in his own favour, and it was not ratified by the general body of the association.
“The fact that there has been no ratification/modification of the decision by the General Body further strengthens the case against the Respondent No. 1 (Azharuddin), as the Respondent No. 1 has exceeded his authority to benefit himself. In consequence of my findings, a clear case of conflict of interest is made out,” the order stated.
The issue dates back to 2019, when a decision was made to name the North Stand ‘Azharuddin Stand’, and Azharuddin was the HCA president at that time. The stand was named V.V.S. Laxman Pavilion before that.
In February this year, the Lords Cricket Club of the city, one of the members under HCA, filed a plea stating that the renaming of the stand violated rules. It said that as per Rule 38 of the Memorandum of Association and Rules & Regulations of HCA, a member of the Apex Council cannot take any decision in their favour.
The plea also urged to revert the name of the stand to VVS Laxman Pavilion.
However, the former India skipper denied the allegations of any wrongdoing, saying there was no conflict of interest. Azharuddin also said that he will go to the court challenging the ombudsman’s decision.
“There’s no conflict of interest in this. I don’t want to comment, I don’t want to stoop to this level. The cricketing world will laugh at the association. 17 years of cricket, almost 10 years as captain of the side, and with distinction. This is how you treat cricketers in Hyderabad. It’s a very sad state of affairs. We will go to the court, 100%. The law will take its course,” he told The Hindu.
The Bharatiya Janata Party has distanced itself from the controversial statements made by its two MPs, Nishikant Dubey and Dinesh Sharma, regarding the Supreme Court.
BJP National President Jagata Prakash Nadda issued a statement on Saturday (19th April) clarifying that the remarks made by the two MPs were their personal opinions and the BJP does not concur with them.
Criticising the views expressed by Dubey and Sharma, Nadda emphasised that the BJP has always respected the judiciary and considered all the courts, including the Supreme Court, as an internal part of the democracy.
“The Bharatiya Janata Party has nothing to do with the statements made by BJP MPs Nishikant Dubey and Dinesh Sharma on the judiciary and the Chief Justice of the country. These are their personal statements, but the BJP neither agrees with such statements nor does it ever support such statements. The BJP completely rejects these statements. Bharatiya Janata Party has always respected the judiciary and gladly accepted its orders and suggestions because, as a party, we believe that all the courts of the country, including the Supreme Court, are an integral part of our democracy and are a strong pillar of the protection of the Constitution. I have instructed both of them and everyone else not to make such statements,” Nadda wrote on X on Sunday (20th April).
भाजपा सांसद निशिकांत दुबे और दिनेश शर्मा का न्यायपालिका एवं देश के चीफ जस्टिस पर दिए गए बयान से भारतीय जनता पार्टी का कोई लेना–देना नहीं है। यह इनका व्यक्तिगत बयान है, लेकिन भाजपा ऐसे बयानों से न तो कोई इत्तेफाक रखती है और न ही कभी भी ऐसे बयानों का समर्थन करती है। भाजपा इन बयान…
Speaking to the media yesterday (19th April), BJP MP Dinesh Sharma took a veiled dig at the Supreme Court, saying that no one has the right to issue directions to the Parliament or the President.
Sharma said, “There is an apprehension among the public that when Dr BR Ambedkar wrote the Constitution, the rights of the Legislative and Judiciary were clearly written. According to the Constitution of India, no one can direct the Lok Sabha and Rajya Sabha and the President has already given her assent to it. No one can challenge the President, as the President is supreme.”
#WATCH | Lucknow, UP | On BJP MP Nishikant Dubey's statement on the Supreme Court, BJP MP Dinesh Sharma says, "…There is an apprehension among the public that when Dr BR Ambedkar wrote the Constitution, the rights of the Legislative and Judiciary were clearly… pic.twitter.com/B28SA04SM3
BJP MP Nishikant Dubey had also made some contentious remarks against the Supreme Court and the Chief Justice of India, Sanjiv Khanna. Dubey accused the Supreme Court of driving the country towards a state of anarchy and overstepping the limits of its constitutional powers by interfering with the work of the legislature and the executive. He also held CJI Khanna responsible for the ‘civil wars’ happening in the country.
He added that the government will introduce the National Judicial Appointment Commission (NJAC) in the next session of the Parliament to get rid of nepotism in the appointment of judges to the Supreme Court.
Allegations of judicial overreach
The statements of the BJP MPs followed the remarks made by Vice President Jagdeep Dhankhar, questioning the Supreme Court for putting a time limit on the constitutional powers of the President and the Governors in a recent judgment.
The criticism of the Supreme Court by the BJP leaders and the Vice President came after two recent developments. The Supreme Court passed a judgment on 8th April in which it set a time limit, not envisaged in the Constitution, on the exercise of power to grant or refuse assent to a state Bill by the President and the Governor.
Apart from that, while considering a slew of petitions filed before it challenging the Waqf Act on Thursday (17th April), the Supreme Court hinted at staying the Act, after which the Centre assured the Court that no no-Muslims will be appointed to the Waqf Councils and that no Waqf properties, including ‘Waqf by user’ will be denotified.
The entire controversy around the recent observations of the Supreme Court and the criticism that followed has once again sparked the debate around judicial overreach.
On 20th April, Canada’s Conservative Party leader and candidate for the Prime Minister’s post in the General Elections, Pierre Poilievre, attended the Khalsa Day Parade in Surrey, British Columbia. He shared the stage with the Jathedar of the Khalistani terrorist organisation, Babbar Khalsa, Santokh Singh Khela, who is a convict in the AI-112 bombing plot. He was arrested shortly after the infamous Kanishka Bombing that killed 329 on-board, mostly Canadians.
Happening now: World’s largest Khalsa Day Parade in Surrey, B.C.
Chants of “Kill Modi Politics” echo throughout the parade route, accompanied by Sikh hymns and martial arts demonstrations.
The event has attracted Liberal, NDP, and Conservative candidates promoting themselves.… pic.twitter.com/uE6T367uwY
At the event, slogans such as “Kill Modi Politics” were chanted, and images of Kanishka bomber Talwinder Singh Parmar were glorified.
In videos shared by investigative journalist Bezirgan Mocha, Khalistan flags were seen. Also, cut-outs of Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Home Minister Amit Shah, and External Affairs Minister Dr S. Jaishankar were placed in a mock-up jail. All three cut-outs were dressed in orange prison outfits with handcuffs.
Mocha also shared a video of the speech given by Khela at the event. Khela, while holding an axe in his hand, stated, “We will keep fighting till Khalistan gets freedom.
We will fulfil the dream of Hardeep Bhai (Hardeep Singh Nijjar). We will lead the war for Khalistan.” There were posters of Khalistani terrorist Hardeep Singh Nijjar behind him on the stage.
On one stage, a Canadian politician speaks about diversity and cultures. On the stage next to him stands Santokh Singh Khela—convicted in the 1980s for an Air India bombing conspiracy—speaking about Babbar Khalsa (terrorist organization) with an axe in his hand.
Mocha also talked to Khela a day before the event. During the conversation, Khela admitted that he was convicted for conspiracy but refused to shed light on the details.
He was released six years after he was sent to prison for his crimes. However, he was released as the prosecution failed to prove his involvement in the bombing, reports suggest.
EXCLUSIVE: Santokh Singh Khela Breaks Silence on Life Imprisonment for Air India Bombing Conspiracy
Mr. Khela was convicted in 1986 by a Canadian court for conspiring to bomb an Air India flight departing from JFK Airport in the U.S., following the Canadian Air India bombings of… pic.twitter.com/WRbdFD3ZjZ
When asked if he was a Jathedar of Babbar Khalsa, a terrorist organisation, he said, “No, I am a sewadar of Khalsa Panth,” with a smile on his face.
When Mocha said he had the insignia of Babbar Khalsa on his back, he claimed it was the insignia of “Khalsa Panth”. He added, “We will continue the fight. We want to liberate Punjab from India. The fight will continue until we get the liberation, independent Khalistan. We are supporting the peaceful referendum which is going on.”
Shockingly, towards the end of the video, there were some Sikh youth donning t-shirts with AKF written on the back. AKF stands for Anandpur Khalistan Fouj, a new terrorist outfit that Khalistani separatist/preacher-turned-MP Amritpal Singh was raising at the time of his arrest. Amritpal Singh is currently lodged in Assam jail facing charges under the National Security Act (NSA). There were reports that his NSA was being revoked by the Punjab Government; however, recent reports suggest that it has been extended for another year.
Sikh youth wearing t-shirts with AKF logo spotted at Khalsa Parade in Canada. (Image: Left: Indian Express/ Right: SS from video shared by journalist Bezirgan Mocha)
Khela masterminded the Air India 112 bombing
In May 1986, five members of the terrorist organisation Babbar Khalsa were charged with plotting to blow up Air India Flight 112. Months after the proceedings, while the Canadian court freed three men, it found Santokh Singh Khela and Kashmir Singh Dhillon guilty of conspiring to commit mass murder by blowing up Air India (AI) Flight 112 which originated at JFK airport in New York City. He was sentenced to life imprisonment in 1987. The sentence was later overturned.
The Canadian government claimed that the alleged plot was conceived on 4th April 1986, targeting an Air India flight departing from John F Kennedy International Airport on May 30 in New York. All five men involved were from Montreal, Quebec. It was later revealed that Santokh Singh Khela had been under surveillance by the Canadian Security Intelligence Service (CSIS) since at least May 1985, when they recorded a phone call he made to Talwinder Singh Parmar, the mastermind of the Air India Flight 182 bombing.
When Khela and his associates were sentenced to life, Quebec Superior Court Justice Claire Barrette-Joncas said in her passing sentence that Santokh Singh Khela and Kashmir Singh Dhillon are examples to the world of how Canada treats terrorists.
“The crime you were found guilty of is so mind-boggling that the primary end of these sentences must be deterrence, a firm notice to you and any would-be terrorist that such conduct is not to be considered lightly in Canada,” she said.
However, six years later, he was aquitted as crown prosecutors failed to disclose crucial information, and Canadiam government had to issue an apology to him, which he had confirmed while talking to Mocha.
Khela was awarded by Ajaib Singh Bagri, a close associate of the mastermind of the Kanishka bombing and who pledged to kill 50,000 Hindus
As mentioned by journalist Mocha Bezirgan Santokh Singh Khela was this year, presented with an award in Calgary by Ajaib Singh Bagri. Notably, Ajaib Singh Bagri was a close associate of Talwinder Singh Parmar, the mastermind of the Kanishka bombing, which happened a year before the Air India Flight 110 bombing plot. Ajaib Singh Bagri is the same person who had also pledged to kill 50,000 Hindus.
The bombing of Air India Flight 182 on June 23, 1985, was one of the deadliest acts of terrorism in aviation history. The Boeing 747 aircraft, operating as “Kanishka” and en route from Montreal to London, was destroyed mid-air by a bomb, killing all 329 people on board, most of whom were Canadian citizens of Indian descent. The bomb was planted in the plane’s cargo hold, and it exploded over the Atlantic Ocean near the coast of Ireland.
The investigation into the bombing revealed that the conspiracy had been planned and executed in Canada, where members of the Sikh terrorist group Babbar Khalsa, including Talwinder Singh Parmar and Inderjit Singh Reyat, were involved.
Pierre Trudeau is vastly blamed for the Kanishka bombing, as it was only after the Trudeau-led government saved Parmar he started preparing for the bombing. In 1984, Parmar told his fellow Khalistanis that “Indian planes will fall from the sky”.
In the same year, Ajaib Singh Bagri, a close associate of Parmar, pledged to kill 50,000 Hindus. He said at the founding convention of the World Sikh Organization, “Until we kill 50,000 Hindus, we will not rest!” It was reported by Milewski, who extensively covered the Khalistani movement in Canada and abroad.
To date, many consider the Kanishka bombing one of the darkest moments in Canada’s history, and it highlighted the growing influence of Khalistani extremists operating from within the country.
The bombing of Air India Flight 182 stands as a tragic reminder of the impact of terrorism and the long-lasting scars it leaves on victims’ families, while also bringing attention to the international dimensions of extremism.
Santokh Singh Khela is associated with the banned terrorist organisation Sikh for Justice
Khela is also the organiser for the Khalistan referendum conducted by Sikhs For Justice (SFJ) at Dashmesh Gurdwara. Sikhs For Justice was banned by the Indian Government on July 10, 2019, under the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act for anti-India activities. The Indian government designated its founder, Gurpatwant Singh Pannu, a terrorist. The organization has announced Referendum 2020, demanding a separate state of Punjab from India. Since its inception, the organization has been trying to lure the youth of Punjab with monetary rewards for instigating war against the Indian government. A day ahead of the parade, he was seen preaching about the so-called Khalistan Referendum being organised by SFJ. He was also seen standing with pro-Khalistani Sikhs chanting “Khalistan Zindabad” in the video.
