KHALISTAN EXTREMISM MONITOR
A project of the Institute for Conflict Management
A project of the Institute for Conflict Management
A day after Khalistani terrorist Hardeep Singh Nijjar was shot dead in Canada by two bike-borne assailants, Twitter is abuzz with claims that Sikh For Justice chief Gurpatwant Singh Pannun has been missing for 48 hours. Nijjar was the top leader of the Khalistani Tiger Force (KTF). He was the third Khalistani terrorist who got killed in recent months. In May, news emerged regarding the killing of Paramjit Singh Panjwar, a 63-year-old Khalistani terrorist based in Pakistan. Panjwar held a prominent position as one of the key figures within the Khalistan Commando Force (KCF). Recently, Avtar Singh Khanda, a pro-Khalistani leader involved in plotting an assault on the Indian Embassy, passed away in the United Kingdom. According to reports, he was suffering from blood cancer.
Gurpatwant Singh Pannun Missing
Many Twitter user claimed that Pannun is missing for more than 48 hours. However, there is no official report or confirmation available in this regard. Some users also claimed that Pannun has gone underground due to fear after the recent killings of Khalistani terrorists. As per recent reports, the unexpected demise and elimination of prominent Khalistani leaders have resulted in a decline in the size and influence of Khalistani terror organizations operating in the United Kingdom and Canada. The government has placed significant efforts into apprehending Gurpatwant Singh Pannu, a key figure in these outfits. It has been reported that a team from the National Investigation Agency (NIA) is currently in the United Kingdom, addressing the matter through diplomatic channels.
India has actively raised concerns regarding the support received by these terrorist groups in Canada, the United Kingdom, and the United States. Demands have been made for appropriate actions to be taken against such groups in order to curb their activities and ensure regional security. India had approached Interpol seeking a red notice against Pannun but the demand was rejected as Interpol cited a lack of documentary support.
Who Is Gurpatwant Singh Pannun?
Gurpatwant Singh Pannun, a lawyer by profession, is said to be born in Khankot, a village located in Punjab's Amritsar district. Pannun is the founder of Sikhs for Justice (SFJ), which was established in 2007 in the United States. The primary objective of SFJ is to advocate for the creation of an independent state called Khalistan, separate from India.
Utilizing his legal expertise, Pannun began filing cases against Indian political leaders who visited the United States or Canada starting in 2014. His legal actions targeted various individuals, including former Prime Minister Manmohan Singh, Congress leader Sonia Gandhi, Shiromani Akali Dal's Sukhbir Singh Badal, and even Prime Minister Narendra Modi.
In 2018, Gurpatwant Singh Pannun gained significant attention when he made an announcement in London regarding a "Referendum 2020" aimed at "liberating Punjab," which he claimed was currently under Indian occupation. However, the following year, the Indian government took action and banned Pannun's organization, Sikhs for Justice (SFJ), under the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act (UAPA). This move was made to prevent any activities or associations that were deemed unlawful or posed a threat to national security.
Designated terrorist Hardeep Singh Nijjar, a known anti-India face who was head of pro-Khalistan outfits Khalistan Tiger Force and the Canadian arm of Sikhs For Justice (SFJ), was shot dead by unknown assailants at a parking lot of a gurdwara in Surrey, Canada, on Monday.
According to reports reaching here, two unidentified gunmen shot 46-year-old Nijjar, who was the president of Guru Nanak Sikh Gurdwara in Surrey, British Columbia. He had forcibly taken control of the shrine and turned it into a prominent centre of Khalistani activities.
It was reported that Surrey Royal Canadian Mounted Police (RCMP), responding to a call, found an adult male inside a vehicle suffering from apparent gunshot wounds.
They provided medical assistance until emergency health services arrived on the scene, but he could not be saved.
Nijjar is the second associate of SFJ chief Gurpatwant Singh Pannu and the third Khalistani terrorist to have died in the last 45 days. The killing of Nijjar, who was listed as “most wanted” by the NIA and the Punjab police but led a double life as president of the Surrey gurdwara, came days after the sudden death of SFJ’s UK arm chief Avtar Singh Khanda in a London hospital spawned many conspiracy theories.
On May 6, Paramjit Singh Panjwar, the head of Khalistan Commando Force (KCF), was reportedly assassinated in Pakistan, reinforcing those quarters which suspect that ISI, Pakistan's notorious spy agency that has been the main patron of Khalistani terrorists, could be engaged in a purge to get rid of secessionists who have outlived their shelf lives and replace them with younger blood.
Originally from Bhar Singh Pura village in Jalandhar, and a permanent resident of Canada for the past several years, Nijjar was an accused or chargesheeted accused in multiple terror cases including ones relating to SFJ’s 2020 Sikh Referendum campaign in Punjab; conspiracy to carry out targeted killings, including at RSS gatherings, a Hindu priest and temple staff in Punjab; and funding the procurement of arms and ammunition and training Sikh youths to give shape to terrorist activities in India.
His notoriety grew after he raised an 80-foot-high Khalistani flag at the Indian consulate in Vancouver.
Nijjar also figured prominently in NIA cases relating to the organised crime syndicate run by KTF operatives in Punjab, Haryana, Delhi and Rajasthan to raise funds through extortion and carry out smuggling of arms, ammunition and explosives across the border.
In 2022, the NIA had declared a Rs 10 lakh reward for information leading to Nijjar’s arrest.
In 2020, it had attached his properties in Jalandhar.
Nijjar’s precision killing was reminiscent of last year’s shooting of Ripudaman Malik, an accused in the 1985 Air India Kanishka terror bombing case who was later acquitted, in the same town of Surrey in British Columbia.
Many radically-inclined Canadian Sikhs condemned Nijjar’s killing and alleged an attempt to silence Sikh leaders espousing the cause of Khalistan — the charge reflecting the fear that more Khalistani radicals who conveniently use their locations abroad to plot anti-India activities are no longer safe.
Nijjar had styled himself as a human rights activist to camouflage his antecedents. Canada-based independent journalist Gurpreet Singh on Monday made public his phone interview with Nijjar after Panjwar’s murder in Pakistan, during which he claimed that he faced a threat from Indian spy agencies. Referring to the government declaring him an “individual terrorist”, among nine other Khalistani activists, Nijjar said, “Let’s see who is on the hit list.
Agencies here have also been alerting us and we also have been telling the agencies here that contract killers here can kill those who talk about human rights violations.”
Significantly, a section in the Indian security establishment seems inclined to attribute the deaths of two prominent Khalistanis in quick succession to the rivalries among the various factions espousing the secessionist cause. They had earlier blamed Nijjar, a suspected ISI stooge, for facilitating Khanda’s death under directions of the Pakistani intelligence agency.
It was said that Khanda, who held an Indian passport, had become “inconvenient” with his role clearly established as leader of the mob that vandalised the Indian high commission in London in March. The ISI allegedly feared that Khanda could be deported to India, and might end up spilling the beans on how ISI has been using pro-Khalistani elements to foment trouble in Punjab.
Nijjar, agencies here suspect, was directed by ISI to eliminate Khanda through his aides in the UK.
“We have information that the remaining trio of Khalistani leaders — Lakhbir Singh Rode, Wadhawa Singh and Gajinder Singh — who find shelter under the guardianship of the ISI, have upped personal security measures in response to apprehensions of potential targeting,” a source said.
Posters
of a pro-Khalistan rally, glorifying Talwinder Parmar - the alleged mastermind
of the 1985 Air India bombing, were seen across several places in Canada.
The
poster referred to the separatist leader as 'Shaheed Bhai Talwinder Parmar' and
advertised a car rally, scheduled for June 25 (Sunday), at 12.30 pm (local
time).
Further,
the poster sought an investigation into "India's role in 1985 Kanishka
bombing".
The
development comes amid pro-Khalistan attacks on the Indian High
Commission in Canada,
other than in the UK and the US.
Taking
to Twitter, Terry Milewski, retired CBC correspondent and author of "Blood
for Blood - Fifty Years of the Global Khalistan Project", said Canadian
Khalistanis have again picked as their poster boy, the psychopath who bombed
Air India - Talwinder Parmar.
"Ensuring
that their reputation stays at rock-bottom, Canadian Khalistanis again pick as
their poster boy the psychopath who bombed Air India, Talwinder Parmar. He
murdered 331 innocents for nothing. And - a grotesque twist - he'll be honoured
at the memorial to his victims," Terry Milewski wrote on Twitter.
In
a series of tweets, the author said, "It's another mad bid to whitewash
Canada's worst-ever mass-murderer by demanding that Canada "investigate
India's role" in the bombing. But decades of investigations proved that
India had no such role and that Parmar led the bomb plot. The rally is about
spreading a lie."
1985 AIR INDIA BOMBING AND INVESTIGATION
On June 23, 1985, Air India Flight 182, carrying 329 passengers and crew
members, was blown mid-air off the coast of Ireland while en route from Toronto
to London. The bombing resulted in the loss of all lives on board. As per
initial speculation, Sikh extremists were accused of sabotaging the flight and
one suspect was convicted in 2003.
The sequence of events began when Canadian officials discovered three
suspicious packages during a routine stop in Montreal. The packages were
subsequently removed from the aircraft before it continued its journey to
London.
Approximately 45 minutes before reaching its destination, the plane
disintegrated mid-air without any warning or distress calls being issued.
Following the disappearance of the aircraft from radar screens,
emergency rescue teams were immediately dispatched to the scene. However, no
survivors were found. The rescue teams managed to recover 131 bodies from the
sea.
Airline officials initially suspected Sikh extremists of planting a bomb on the Air India flight. Subsequently, two suspects were arrested two months after the tragic incident.
Canadian
police alleged that Talwinder Singh Parmar was the mastermind behind the
attack. However, charges against him were dropped. Parmar was later killed by
the police in India.
The
other suspect, Inderjit Singh Reyat, a Sikh residing in Vancouver, pleaded
guilty to manslaughter in connection with the bombing.
In
2003, Reyat was sentenced to five years in prison.
It
is worth noting that Reyat had previously received a 10-year prison sentence
for his involvement in building a bomb that killed two baggage handlers at
Japan's Narita Airport on the same day as the Flight 182 disaster.
Two
additional suspects, Ripudaman Singh Malik and Ajaib Singh Bagri, were arrested
in 2000, but they were acquitted in 2005 due to insufficient evidence.
In 2006, a Canadian commission was established to conduct an inquiry
into the Air India Flight 182 bombing.
The commission released a five-volume report in 2010, which concluded
that the disaster was the result of a "cascading series of errors."
The report specifically highlighted the failure of Canadian intelligence
and security agencies to share crucial information with one another and their
engagement in "turf wars."
HOW CANADIAN PM TRUDEAU DESCRIBED 1985 AIR INDIA BOMBING
In 2018, 33 years after the 1985 Air India bombing, Canadian Prime
Minister Justin Trudeau described the incident as the "single worst
terrorist attack" in the country's history, as he paid tributes to the 329
victims.
"On this day in 1985, Canadians awoke to news that defied belief,
and left our country in a state of shock and suffering," Trudeau said,
marking the National Day of Remembrance for Victims of Terrorism in Canada.
"The Air India bombing remains the single worst terrorist attack in
Canada's history. This horrific act of malice and destruction left families and
friends grieving the loss of loved ones, and brought pain that will never
completely go away," the prime minister said.
"In times of tragedy and testing, Canadians have shown that the values which bring us together - inclusion, compassion, justice, and equality - are much stronger than the forces that try, and fail, to wedge us apart," Trudeau said.
"Terrorists
believe, through cowardly and violent acts, that they can make us question not
only our safety, but the democratic institutions that keep us safe. They are
wrong. Canadians are for facts and diversity, not fear and division. Our
society thrives on inclusivity, and these acts only strengthen our resolve for
unity," Trudeau said.
He
said, "Canada condemns all forms of terrorism. We stand in solidarity with
our allies, and the international community, in the ongoing fight to prevent
radicalization and fight terrorism at home and abroad".
"On behalf of the Government of Canada, I extend my condolences to
everyone everywhere who has lost loved ones to terrorism. We also thank and
honour those who work each day to keep our citizens, communities, and country
safe," he said, referring to several terror attacks across the world.
Avtar Singh Khanda, the Khalistan Liberation Force (KLF) leader who is believed to have planned the March 19 violence at the Indian high commission in London and played a key role in the rise of jailed Waris Punjab De head Amritpal Singh, died in a hospital in the UK on Thursday, officials in central intelligence agencies said, adding that the development comes as a major blow to the pro-Khalistan elements or PKEs.
Pro-Khalistan supporter and Waris-Punjab-de Chief Amritpal Singh's handler Avtar Singh Khanda (ANI)
While the exact cause of his death is not known, officials who track PKEs in the UK said Khanda was most likely diagnosed with blood cancer and admitted in a hospital in Birmingham about 14-15 days ago.
Intelligence agencies believe that he has been killed by Nijjar and Pamma as he was “proving to be liability to Khalistanis in the UK after his role in attack on Indian High Commission was exposed, said an officer, who didn’t want to be named.
As reported by HT on March 19, Khanda (35), a UK based Sikh radical and vice-president of Shiromani Akali Dal (Mann), who is also a close associate of Khalistani terrorist Jagtar Singh Tara, was the “main handler of Amritpal Singh and brain behind his meteoric rise” before his arrest in April.
Intelligence agencies have learnt that after the death of Harmeet Singh alias PhD in Lahore in 2020, Khanda took the mantle of KLF under the name of Ranjodh Singh.
“He used to frequently participate in protests outside the Indian high commission in London, including March 19 incident which was done after the police action against Amritpal Singh, whom he mentored and was funding. He had also helped Amritpal in evading arrest for over a month and in fact, after Amritpal’s arrest, he formed a committee of foreign based Khalistanis to run the affairs of Waris Punjab De,” said the officer cited above.
This officer added that Khanda was one of the persons behind turning late actor Deep Sidhu into a Khalistan icon, who later denigrated the national flat at the Red Fort on January 26, 2021 during a farmers’ rally in Delhi.
“Khanda was also a close aide of Paramjit Singh Pamma, who is associated with Babbar Khalsa international (BKI) and is known for holding theoretical radical training classes for the Sikh youth to mislead them. Not only Khanda did prop up Amritpal Singh in association with the Pakistani spy agency ISI, but he also worked like an idealogue for Sikh youngsters and brainwashed them against the Indian government,” said an intelligence officer who didn’t want to be named.
Agencies have established that Khanda, along with Pamma, and other Khalistanis such as Sikhs for Justice (SFJ) leader Gurpatwant Singh Pannun, Gursharan Singh, and Jasvir Singh were “working on a deadly plan to destabilizing Punjab” and Amritpal Singh, currently lodged in Dibrugarh prison in Assam, was sent to India for this purpose.
Officials said that Khanda was very close to important militants like Jagtar Singh Tara of KTF (Khalistan Tiger Force), Harminder Singh Mintoo of KLF and Paramjit Singh Panjwar of KCF (Khalistan Commando Force)/Panjwar (both deceased).
Besides Pamma, he was also working closely with KTF militant Hardeep Singh Nijjar, who along with Pannun is spearheading secessionist campaign ‘Referendum 2020’ of banned organisation SFJ, the officer cited above said.
Terming Khanda an expert in explosives, a second intelligence officer said : “They (Khanda and other PKEs in the UK) have been trying to make improvised explosive devices (IEDs) using common chemicals by giving live demonstrations in Birmingham and Glasgow”.
A National Investigation Agency (NIA) team last month travelled to London in connection with its investigation into the March 19 attack on the Indian high commission by a mob of PKEs and sought action against Khanda, who allegedly led the protestors there.
The agency has already released CCTV footage of the attack as well as pictures of five suspects while identifying at least 45 suspects from the mob.
As reported by HT last month, NIA is investigating a larger conspiracy by Pakistan-backed pro-Khalistan leaders in the UK behind the incident.
It took over the probe from the Delhi Police after the ministry of home affairs (MHA) met with UK home office representatives in April and raised the issue of security of Indian high commission and radicalization of Sikh youth in the UK by PKEs.
A senior NIA officer said Khanda was under scanner in three other cases related to PKEs’ terror activities in Punjab and other parts of India.
Khanda was the son of slain KLF militant Kulwant Singh alias Khukhrana. A native of Moga, Punjab, he moved to the UK in early 2010 on a study visa while his family still resides in Old Moga.
While in India, he was involved in petty clashes, but after moving to the UK, he got associated with pro-Khalistan elements.
Khanda had also been associated with the conspiracy and attempts to kill Sukhbir Singh Badal (president of Shiromani Akali Dal/Badal), former Punjab director general of police (DGP) Sumedh Singh Saini and senior advocate Rajwinder Singh Bains, officials said.
The KLF leader was also luring Indian students and illegal emigrants in UK to join Khalistani outfits in lieu of ‘sponsorship’ for political asylum.
“He had also actively participated during ‘Referendum 2020 voting’ in UK in 2021-22. He was also running a Khalistani TV Channel in the UK,” said the second officer.
The National Investigation Agency on Wednesday released the photographs of suspects involved in the violent protest at the Indian high commission in London by Khalistan supporters.
“REQUEST FOR IDENTIFICATION/INFORMATION. On 19.03.23 these persons were involved in an attack on the High Commission of India, London. They caused grievous injury and disrespected the Indian National Flag. If anyone has any information about them, please Whatsapp/DM @+917290009373”, the central agency tweeted.
This comes a day after the NIA released CCTV footage showing moments before the high commission was attacked by pro-Khalistani protesters. The central agency had taken over the probe after home ministry officials had met UK representatives after the attack. A team of NIA officials was also sent to London to investigate the arson which unfolded at the high commission.
The national flag at the Indian high commission in the UK capital was pulled down during a protest by Khalistani supporters. The viral videos of the incident showed several protesters carrying yellow and black Khalistan flag calling for Waris Punjab De chief and Khalistani preacher Amritpal Singh's release. During the protest, one of the protesters clambered on to a balcony of the high commission office and pulled down the tricolour.
The mastermind of the March 19 violence is said to be Avtar Singh Khanda alias Azad alias Ranjhodh Singh, the self-styled chief of designated terror outfit Khalistan Liberation Force (KLF). His main aim is to radicalise youth in Punjab and in countries like the UK, Canada, the US, Germany, Australia against India.
The National Investigation Agency has released the CCTV footage of the March 19 violent protest and attempt to vandalise the Indian high commission in London by pro-Khalistani supporters.
The central agency has appealed to the public to provide information regarding the people seen in the CCTV footage. The nearly three-minute footage shared by news agency ANI shows the crowd waving Khalistani reaching the high commission at around 1:46 pm local time.
A team of NIA investigators is in the UK since last month in connection with its probe into the violent protest at the high commission. On March 19, the Indian tricolour at the Indian high commission in London was pulled down during a protest by pro-Khalistan protesters.
Videos circulating on social media showed pro-Khalistan protesters carrying the yellow and black Khalistan flag and calling for Khalistani supporter Amritpal Singh to be ‘freed’. One of the protesters clambered on to a balcony and pulled down the Indian flag from a pole at the front of the high commission to cheers from the other men.
The British policemen arrived on the scene and prevented the protestors from approaching an entrance of the Indian high commission. The protesters shouted slogans and abuse at Indian officials within.
In 2019, the Centre had amended the NIA act, empowering the central agency to probe terror activities against Indians and Indian interests abroad apart from human trafficking and cybercrimes.
Hindustan Times had reported that the orchestrator of the violence is Avtar Singh Khanda, who apparently leads a double life in the UK. He is none other than Ranjodh Singh, the self-styled chief of designated terror outfit Khalistan Liberation Force (KLF). According to report, his main aim is to radicalise the youth in Punjab and in countries like UK, UK, Canada, Germany and Australia against India and in support of the so-called Khalistan movement.
Source: https://www.hindustantimes.com/india-news/nia-releases-cctv-video-of-march-19-pro-khalistan-violent-protest-at-indian-high-commission-in-uk-101686575748507.html
The Indian diaspora in Australia was attacked by pro-Khalistan supporters amidst a peaceful car rally organised by the group called Australian Hindu Association. As per reports, Khalistan goons wielded swords and damaged the cars that were present at the rally, however, no one was injured during this horrific act. After Canada, is Australia becoming the new safe haven for those propagating Khalistani ideology?
A SPECIAL court on Wednesday sentenced two men, arrested by the National Investigation Agency (NIA) for alleged links to a radical group attempting to revive Sikh militancy for a separate Khalistan, to five years in jail after they pleaded guilty.
Harpal Singh and Gurjeet Singh were convicted for criminal conspiracy and under relevant sections of the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act. Harpal, who was arrested on December 2, 2018, and Gurjeet on December 22, 2020, had made separate pleas before the court stating that they want to “voluntarily and wilfully” plead guilty.
The court granted them time to consider their decision. The two told the court that they had decided to go ahead with their decision of pleading guilty after they were explained the consequences of their pleas. Following this, the court proceeded to frame the charges against them and they pleaded guilty.
In its charge sheet, the NIA had alleged Harpal was active on social media and sought the creation of a separate Khalistan and had links with a radical group called Babbar Khalsa International. Gurjeet was alleged to have motivated co-accused Moin Khan and directed him to purchase a pistol to carry out illegal activities.
Harpal and Gurjeet allegedly posted videos containing praises of militant Jagtar Singh Hawara–who was convicted for the assassination of former Punjab CM Beant Singh–as well as posts on Operation Blue Star, 1984.
Pro-Khalistan slogans were raised on the Golden Temple premises on June 6 by supporters and activists of radical Sikh outfits on the 39th anniversary of Operation Blue Star.
Slogans of “Khalistan Zindabad” were also raised by activists of Shiromani Akali Dal (Amritsar) led by MP Simranjit Singh Mann and his associate former MP Dhian Singh Mand at the Akal Takht. Mr. Mann was also present on the spot.
Radical Sikh outfit Dal Khalsa’s activists were seen holding placards bearing portraits of slain militant leader Jarnail Singh Bhidnrawale and raising pro-Khalistan slogans.
Hundreds of Sikh youths, led by the Dal Khalsa, were carrying Khalistani flags and photographs of damaged Akal Takht.
The entire marbled periphery of the Golden Temple near Akal Takht, the supreme temporal seat of Sikhs, echoed with pro-Khalistan slogans.
Elaborate security arrangements were put in place in Amritsar to ensure that the event passed off peacefully.
The Jathedar of Akal Takht, Giani Harpreet Singh, said in his message to the Sikh community that the need of the hour was that Sikh preachers and scholars should visit villages to promote Sikhism to apprise the youth with rich Sikh tenets and Sikh history in order to unite them under the banner of the Akal Takht.
He spoke about the issue of drug-addiction which has afflicted many youths.
He alleged that governments would never help the Sikh community to make them strong.
He said Sikhs were never scared or panicked even after the incidents that happened in 1984. “Rather, all such incidents had made the Sikh community stronger and Sikhs would continue their struggle to get justice and would never be scared to stand with the truth,” he said.
The Jathedar alleged that conspiracies were being hatched to weaken the Sikh community socially, economically and politically.
Now the time has come for the community to get united, he said.
He said the Sikh community did not have any hopes or expectations from successive governments as they were attempting to take over Sikh religious institutions and also playing a major role in dividing the community through unfair means.
On this occasion, the Shiromani Gurdwara Parbandhak Committee (SGPC), the apex Sikh religious body, displayed the bullet-ridden holy “saroop” (physical copy) of the Guru Granth Sahib. The saroop, which was installed in the sanctum sanctorum at that time, was hit by a bullet during the army action in 1984.
The Operation Blue Star was a military operation carried out in 1984 to flush out militants from the Golden Temple.
Source: https://www.thehindu.com/news/national/other-states/pro-khalistan-slogans-raised-on-operation-blue-star-anniversary/article66936914.ece
Congress leader Rahul Gandhi was heckled by Khalistani supporters at an event in United States (US), while he was addressing a gathering of people, comprising of Non-Resident Indians (NRIs).
The radicals raised ‘Khalistan zindabad’ slogans to disrupt the event and also corner the Gandhi scion over 1984 anti-Sikh riots during Congress rule.
The slogan-shouting radicals reportedly belonged to Khalistani terror group Sikhs for Justice (SFJ).
Many videos of the incident went viral on social media and they could be seen heckling Rahul Gandhi with Khalinstani slogans during his speech.
Rahul Gandhi, on a week-long trip to US, was holding an interaction with the NRIs in San Francisco and taking swipes at Narendra Modi government when the incident occurred
The sloganeering of ‘Khalistani Zindabad’ at Rahul’s event resulted in political slugfest between the BJP & Congress, back home.
BJP IT cell chief Amit Malviya tweeted the video and wrote that the Congress leader was ‘paying’ for the genocide that party workers unleashed on Sikhs during 1984 riots.
“Aisi nafrat ki aag lagayi thi, jo ab tak nahi bujhi”, read BJP spokesperson’s stinging remarks.
As expected, this invited sharp rejoinder from the Congress party, which accused the BJP of spreading ‘fake news’ and suggested that it should ‘see the event with open eyes’.
Countering Amit Malviya, Cong’s Supriya Srinate shared a video and asked why was he supporting Khalistanis to oppose Rahul Gandhi.
“If you had listened further, you would have heard that people countered Khalistani slogans with Bharat Jodo slogan. For once, you also take the Tiranga and say ‘Bharat Jodo’, she tweeted.
Did Rahul smile during Khalistani slogans?
Heckling of Rahul’s speech by Khalistani supporters also drew many reactions on social media. Filmmaker Vivek Agnihotri claimed that Rahul was all smiles when anti-national slogans were raised and commented, ‘dangerous times ahead’.
Rahul Gandhi was speaking about ‘mohabbat ki dukaan’ in ‘nafrat ki bazaar’. When some people at the back raised slogans, the Cong leader reiterated, ‘nafrat ke bazaar mein mohabbat ki dukan’.
Moments later, Bharat Jodo slogans were raised from the attending audience, to which Rahul also joined.