New Delhi: The Ministry of Home Affairs has declared Lakhbir Singh Landa, a Canada-based gangster and leader of listed terrorist organisation Babbar Khalsa International (BKI), as an “individual terrorist”.
In a gazette notification released Friday, the ministry said that Landa has been “backed by a cross-border agency” and has been involved in several “terrorist activities”, such as the attack on the Punjab State Intelligence Headquarters in Mohali by a rocket-propelled grenade in May last year.
Landa has been declared an individual terrorist under Section 35 of the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act, 1967. He joins 54 others on the list, including former chief of Khalistan Tiger Force Hardeep Singh Nijjar, whose killing in June led to a diplomatic row between Canada and India, and chief of the outlawed Sikhs for Justice Gurpatwant Singh Pannun.
BKI is one of the oldest Sikh extremist outfits seeking an independent Sikh state of Khalistan. It traces its roots in the 1920 Babbar Akali movement but shot to prominence when followers of Bibi Amarjit Kaur — leader of the Akhand Kirtani Jatha sect — called themselves “Babbar Khalsa” and came out in the open after the killing of Nirankari chief Gurbachan Singh in 1980.
The ministry notification also referred to other activities such as the supply of Improvised Explosive Devices, (IEDs), arms, sophisticated weapons, and explosives from across the border as well as planned disruption of peace, law, and order in Punjab.
“Lakhbir Singh @ Landa backed by cross border agency was involved in the terror attack through shoulder mounted Rocket Propelled Grenade on the building of Punjab State Intelligence Headquarter at Mohali,” the ministry said in the gazette notification.
“Lakhbir Singh @ Landa has been involved in the supply of Improvised Explosive Devices (IEDs), arms, sophisticated weapons, and explosives from across the border to various modules for carrying out terrorist activities in the State of Punjab, India.”
Landa, the notification said, was living in Edmonton in Canada’s Alberta province.
(Edited by Uttara Ramaswamy)