Babbar Khalsa

Babbar Khalsa
Also known asLions of the True Faith[1]
FoundersTalwinder Singh Parmar †
Sukhdev Singh Babbar †
LeaderWadhawa Singh Babbar
FoundationApril 1978; 46 years ago (1978-04)
MotivesCreation of an independent state of Khalistan for Sikhs in the Punjabi speaking region of South Asia.
Active regionsCanada, Germany, Pakistan, United Kingdom[2]
IdeologySikh nationalism, Punjabi nationalism
Notable attacks
StatusActive
Part ofInsurgency in Punjab
Designated as a terrorist group by

Babbar Khalsa also known as Babbar Khalsa International (BKI, Punjabi: ਬੱਬਰ ਖ਼ਾਲਸਾ, [bəbːəɾ xɑlsɑ]), is a Sikh militant organisation that aims to create an independent nation-state of Khalistan in the Punjab region of South Asia. It has used armed attacks, assassinations and bombings in aid of that goal, and is deemed to be a terrorist entity by various governments. Besides India, it operates in North America and Europe, including Scandinavia.[2][3][4][5]

BKI was created in 1978 after clashes with the Nirankari sect of Sikhs.[6] It was active throughout the 1980s in the Punjab insurgency and gained international notoriety in June 1985, for killing 329 civilians (mostly Canadians) in Air India Flight 182 in Canada's worst case of mass murder[7][8] and for the associated 1985 Narita International Airport bombing – a bungled attempt at mass murder on a second Air India flight on the same day.[9] Its influence declined in the 1990s after several of its senior leaders were killed in encounters with Indian police.[6]

The organisation is officially banned and designated as an international terrorist organisation by the United States,[10][11] Canada,[12][2] the United Kingdom,[13] the European Union,[14][15] Japan,[16] Malaysia,[17] and India.[18]

  1. ^ Sikh Unrest Spreads To Canada Chicago Tribune, 24 June 1986
  2. ^ a b c "Babbar Khalsa International (BKI)". Public Safety Canada. Government of Canada. December 21, 2018. Archived from the original on June 18, 2023. Retrieved June 23, 2023.
  3. ^ "Operation Bluestar". November 5, 2011. Archived from the original on May 22, 2018. Retrieved May 21, 2018.
  4. ^ "India, Canada resolve to work together against Sikh militant outfits, terrorist groups like JeM, LeT". FirstPost. February 23, 2018. Archived from the original on July 20, 2018. Retrieved July 19, 2018.
  5. ^ "Enter Gurpreet, the Bilal of Ludhiana". The Telegraph. October 24, 2007. Archived from the original on July 20, 2018. Retrieved July 19, 2018.
  6. ^ a b Wright-Neville, David (2010). Dictionary of Terrorism. Polity. pp. 46–. ISBN 978-0-7456-4302-1. Archived from the original on January 5, 2024. Retrieved June 19, 2010.
  7. ^ Dowd, Allan (September 18, 2010). ""Canadian convicted of lying in Air India bomb case", Reuters Sept 18, 2010". Reuters. Archived from the original on December 30, 2010. Retrieved February 19, 2011.
  8. ^ "Men acquitted in Air India bombings". NBC News. March 16, 2005. Archived from the original on March 3, 2022. Retrieved March 3, 2022.
  9. ^ "Lessons to be learned". December 21, 2018. Archived from the original on February 10, 2021. Retrieved March 3, 2022.
  10. ^ "Terrorism Designations Press, Bureau of Counterterrorism and Countering Violent Extremism, US States Department, 2004". Archived from the original on March 27, 2023. Retrieved August 4, 2016.
  11. ^ "Individuals and Entities Designated by the State Department Under E.O. 13224, Bureau of Counterterrorism and Countering Violent Extremism, US States Department, 2004". Archived from the original on November 11, 2019. Retrieved August 4, 2016.
  12. ^ Bell, Stewart (2008). Cold Terror: How Canada Nurtures and Exports Terrorism Around the World. John Wiley & Sons. ISBN 978-0-470-84056-6.
  13. ^ "Proscribed Organisations". Terrorism Act 2000 (sched. 2). UK Public General Acts. Vol. 2000 c. 11. July 20, 2000. Archived from the original on January 21, 2013. Retrieved October 6, 2017.
  14. ^ "EU list of terrorist groups" (PDF). Archived (PDF) from the original on June 1, 2013. Retrieved August 9, 2009.
  15. ^ Freedman, Benjamin (2010). "Officially Blacklisted Extremist/Terrorist (Support) Organizations: a Comparison of Lists from six Countries and two International Organizations". Perspectives on Terrorism. 4 (2): 46–52. JSTOR 26298448. Archived from the original on February 9, 2022. Retrieved February 9, 2022.
  16. ^ "0705". Archived from the original on April 6, 2013. Retrieved November 21, 2013.
  17. ^ Archived copy Archived October 9, 2022, at Ghost Archive
  18. ^ "List of Banned Organisations". Ministry of Home Affairs, GoI. Government of India. Archived from the original on May 3, 2018. Retrieved May 3, 2018.