Who was Lakhbir Singh Rode, Khalistani terrorist & Bhindranwale's nephew, who died in Pakistan?

Lakhbir Singh Rode, the self-styled chief of the banned outfit Khalistan Liberation Force (KLF) and International Sikh Youth Federation has reportedly died in Pakistan due to a heart attack. He was 72.

Lakhbir Singh was a nephew of slain Khalistani terrorist Jarnail Singh Bhindranwale, who was killed by Indian security forces inside the Golden Temple in Punjab’s Amritsar during Operation Blue Star, ordered by India’s former Prime Minister Indira Gandhi.

A report by The Indian Express quoted Jasbir Singh Rode, brother of Lakhbir Singh, saying that Lakhbir was highly diabetic and died of a heart attack in Pakistan. He has been cremated there. He is survived by his wife, two sons and a daughter who live in Canada.

Who was Khalistani terrorist Lakhbir Singh Rode?

1 – Lakhbir Singh, who as per intelligence agencies had been living in Lahore, was allegedly involved in terror activities against India. For several years, Lakhbir Singh has been running the banned outfit KLF from Pakistan.

2 – He was listed as an ‘individual terrorist’ under the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act, or the UA(P)A, by the Indian government. He had fled the country to reside in Dubai but later moved to Pakistan.

3 – Lakhbir Singh, had on several occasions, confessed that he had been working closely with the Pakistani government to launch attacks against India. He was arrested with 20 kg of RDX and said it was given to him by a councillor in the Pakistani Embassy in Kathmandu.

4- Lakhbir Singh was named as the mastermind of the 23 June 1985 Air India 182 bombing during confession by terrorist Talwinder Singh Parmar to the Punjab Police.

5-  In 2002, India had submitted a list of 20 terrorists, including Lakhbir Singh Ride, demanding their extradition from Pakistan. As per the Indian government, he was “allegedly engaged in sending weapons and explosives consignments from across the border to India to carry out terrorist activities in Punjab and to target various Very Very Important Persons (VVIPs) and political leaders.”

6- He was also the primary organiser of the Khalistan Zindabad Force cell near the India-Nepal border and was responsible for creating disturbances.

7- The NIA is investigating six cases against Lakhbir Singh for his alleged ‘active involvement’ in terror-related activities between 2021-2023.

8 – In October this year, the National Investigation Agency (NIA) Special Court in Punjab’s Mohali had ordered to requisition of land belonging to Lakhbir Singh under Section 33 (5) of the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act.

The court order stemmed from the case filed against Rode on 1 October, 2021, of multiple charges, including sections 3, 4, 5 & 6 of the Explosive Substances Act 1908; sections 16, 17, 18, 18B, 20, 38 & 39 of UA(P) Act 1967, Section 21B, 27A, 29 of NDPS Act 1985, and section 120B of IPC.

With inputs from agencies