Who was Avtar Khanda, Amritpal Singh’s ‘mentor’, who died in the UK?

Avtar Khanda, the aide of Waris Punjab De chief Amritpal Singh, has passed away in the UK.Khanda, the face of the protests at the Indian High Commission in London, was also chief of the UK-based terrorist group Khalistan Liberation Force (KLF).Let’s take a closer look at what we know about Khanda:As per The Tribune, Khanda was born in Moga district.His father Kulwant Singh Khukrana was a KLF terrorist who was gunned down by security forces in 1991. Khanda’s mother was related to Gurjant Singh Budhsigwala – a KLF terrorist with links to the Pakistani deep state.According to Live Mint, Khanda was also known as Ranjodh Singh.Khanda entered Britain on a student visa and was then granted political asylum.Khanda was heavily involved in radicalising Sikh youth and close to other KLF leaders Jagtar Singh Tara and Paramjit Singh Pamma.

As per Economic Times, Khanda’s name was on a 2015 list given to the British government by India.

The Times of India reported that Prime Minister Narendra Modi had shared concerns about Khanda with his then counterpart David Cameron.According to Hindustan Times, Khanda fell in with the separatists at gurudwaras in the UK run by Khalistani supporters.These gurudwaras collect funds for terrorism in the name of human rights violations against the Sikh community in India.According to The Tribune, Khanda is believed to have been the mastermind behind the 19 March violence at the Indian High Commission in London.It was Khanda who allegedly brought down the Tricolour outside the High Commission.[caption id="attachment_12344352" align="alignnone" width="640"]

A Khalistani supporter attacking Indian High Commission. Screengrab/Twitter.[/caption]Khanda was named as a key suspect filed by the Delhi Police, along with Gurcharan Singh and Jasvir Singh in the incident, as per The Week.Khanda worked in tandem with other London-based extremists Joga Singh, Kuldip Singh Chaheru and Gursharan Singh to repeatedly stage demonstrations outside the Indian High Commission.Khanda and Jagjeet Singh Jeeta would repeatedly speak out against India on the UK-based pro-Khalistani KTV, as per Hindustan Times.The UK eventually shut the channel down in April 2022 after the Indian community repeatedly spoke up against it.As per Economic Times, Khanda was said to be an expert in making Improvised Explosive Devices (IEDs). It was reported that he had even given some live demonstrations on bomb-making at UK Gurudwaras.Intelligence reports stated that Khanda gave these demonstrations at Guru Nanak Gurdwara, Birmingham (December 2014) and Gurdwara Singh Sabha, Glasgow (January 2015).Khanda had denied such allegations, as per Indian Express.It was Khanda that trained Amritpal and was vital to his elevation to the leadership of Waris Punjab De after the death of Deep Sidhu, the newspaper reported.According to Indian Express, Khanda was in contact with Amritpal when he was evading arrest and police had even detained Khanda’s mother and sister during that period.Amritpal, who was on the run since 18 March when a police crackdown was launched against him and his outfit Waris Punjab De,  was arrested from Punjab's Moga on 23 April.Khanda in March was arrested by the British authorities after he and his supporters engaged in vandalism to protest the crackdown on Amritpal, as per The Week.Khanda has also been associated with a radical channel Khalistan TV.Cause of death awaitedUK-based Khalsa Aid founder Ravi Singh confirmed Khanda's death on Instagram.As per Hindustan Times, Khanda was admitted to the Sandwell and West Birmingham hospital around a fortnight ago and had been suffering from blood cancer.Mint quoted reports as saying Khanda was on life support since Wednesday and that he died from a burst clot.According to Indian Express, some reports stated that Khanda had been suffering from food poisoning.But Khanda’s supporters are trying to claim that he was poisoned so that they can call him a martyr and claim that Indian security agencies are behind his demise, as per Hindustan Times.However, the medical report determining his cause of death remains pending.With inputs from agenciesRead all the Latest News, Trending News, Cricket News, Bollywood News, India News and Entertainment News here. Follow us on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.