Nine wanted men designated as terrorists under the anti-terror law
The Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) on Wednesday declared nine wanted men, including Gurpatwant Singh Pannun of Sikhs for Justice (SFJ) as designated terrorists under the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act (UAPA).
US-based Pannun has recently been running a campaign against India and motivating Sikh youngsters in his home state Punjab to join militancy.
The others designated as individual terrorists under UAPA include – Paramjit Singh of Babbar Khalsa International, Hardeep Singh Nijjar of Khalistan Tiger Force, Gurmit Singh Bagga of Khalistan Zindabad Force and Ranjeet Singh from the same outfit, among others.
Last September, the first four terrorists to be declared as individual terrorists under the changed provisions of UAPA were – Maulana Masood Azhar, Hafiz Saeed, Zaki ur Rehman Lakhvi and Dawood Ibrahim. With Wednesday’s listing, the total number of people declared individual terrorists now stand at 13. The nine men designated terrorists by the Centre are:
1. Wadhawa Singh Babbar, the Pakistan-based chief of terrorist organization Babbar Khalsa International.
2. Lakhbir Singh also based in Pakistan. He runs the International Sikh Youth Federation.
3. Ranjeet Singh, chief of Pakistan-based Khalistan Zindabad Force.
4. Paramjit Singh belonging to the Khalistan Commando Force.
5. Bhupinder Singh Bhinda, a Germany-based key member of Khalistan Zindabad Force.
6. Gurmeet Singh Bagga also based in Germany and affiliated to the Khalistan Zindabad Force.
7. Gurpatwant Singh Pannun, the US-based key member of the controversial outfit Sikhs for Justice.
8. Hardeep Singh Nijjar, who is based in Canada and runs the Khalistan Tiger Force.
9. Paramjit Singh from the United Kingdom and chief of terrorist outfit Babbar Khalsa International.
The nine men have allegedly been involved in various acts of terror in India from across the border and from foreign soil. Pannun has been attempting to revive militancy in Punjab through anti-national activities and some of the others through their support have displayed their involvement in the controversial Khalistan movement.
Source: Hindustan Times