Hours before India celebrates Independence Day, the founder and CEO of the United Kingdom-based pro-Khalistan organisation Khalsa Aid inflamed separatist sentiments. As the country prepares to commemorate Azadi Ka Amrit Mahotsav tomorrow, Khalsa Aid founder Ravi Singh alias Ravinder Singh said on Facebook that he does not recognise India and that his homeland is “Panjab.” “We don’t trust that Desh either! Our is Desh Panjab!” Ravi said.
The comment is made below a Facebook post made by one Prime Asia TV seeking a response to some remarks made by a Bharatiya Janata Party leader from Uttarakhand. Uttarakhand BJP chief Mahendra Bhat made a statement seeking details of the houses of people who are not taking part in the Har Ghar Tiranga Abhiyaan launched by Prime Minister Narendra Modi.
It is notable that Khalsa Aid is a pro-Khalistan organisation and there are several reports of its leaders having separatist sentiments. Khalsa Aid played an important role during the farmer protests in India fuelling the agitation and supporting violence. Its CEO, Ravi Singh, has openly expressed his Khalistani sympathies and pursued its malevolent purpose beneath the guise of humanitarian help.
Khalsa Aid, a suspected offshoot of the Khalistani terror outfit Babbar Khalsa, accused of financing terror acts in India
The Khalsa Aid is suspected to be a front organisation for the Khalistani outfit Babbar Khalsa International (BKI). The NIA had registered a case in this regard in December 2012, alleging that Khalsa Aid was one of the organisations linked to the BKI funding the Indian BKI members to commit terror acts in the country.
“On the allegation that Punjab-based BKI operatives are receiving money from UK-based BKI operatives (viz. Balbir Singh Bains, Joga Singh) and its front organizations, including but not limited to, Sikh Organisation for Prisoner Welfare (SoPW), Akhand Kirtanee Jattha (AKJ) and Khalsa Aid, to commit terrorist acts in India, with the active support of Pakistan based BKI leaders (Wadhwa Singh, Jagtar Singh Tara). Further, Intelligence suggested that the money is being distributed to sleeper cells, jailed terrorists and the families of the terrorists in Punjab,” the NIA summarised the case.
Unfortunately, the case has hit a dead wall for the past one and a half years as the Britain government had declined to share evidence on the accused based in the UK in the terrorist funding case related to the Babbar Khalsa International (BKI).
The CEO of Khalsa Aid has almost always demonstrated his Khalistani affinities, taking up the cause of Khalistani terrorist Jarnail Singh Bhindranwale and using unconvincing justifications to claim that he was not a terrorist.
