London mission attack: NIA summons Behbal Kalan police firing victim’s son
Sukhraj Singh, who is to appear before the NIA on Thursday, says Avtar Singh Khanda (a pro-Khalistan activist based in the UK) had met him during his protest to seek justice for his father, who was among the two protesters killed in police firing on October 14, 2015, at Bargari in Faridkot district.
The National Investigation Agency (NIA) has summoned Sikh activist Sukhraj Singh, the son of one of the Behbal Kalan police firing victims, for questioning in the Indian Embassy attack case in London in March last year. He is to appear before the agency on September 19.
Sukhraj, who had recently announced to contest the Gidderbaha bypoll as an Independent, claimed he had no idea why he has been summoned.
“I don’t know if I have been summoned in the London High Commission attack case. When I was sitting on a protest Avtar Singh Khanda (a pro-Khalistan activist based in the UK) had come to meet me. This was before the attack on the embassy. So, they might want to question me regarding that,” he said.
As per the NIA notice, Sukhraj has been summoned in case (No-RC-05/2023/NIA/DLI) under Sections 109, 147, 148, 149, 120B, 448, 452, and 325 of the Indian Penal Code, Section 13 of the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act; Section 3(1) of the Prevention of Damage to Public Property Act; and Section 2 of the Prevention of Insults to National Honours Act.
The NIA notice reads, “Whereas it appears that you are acquainted with the circumstances of the case noted below, which is now under investigation by undersigned. You are hereby required to attend before the undersigned on 19.09.2024 at 1100 hrs for the purpose of answering certain questions relating to a case.”
Khanda, who passed away in June 2023, was one of the prime accused in the pulling down of the Tricolour at the Indian high commission during a protest by pro-Khalistan groups. Indian agencies had accused Khanda of radicalising Sikh youth in the UK with extremist and separatist ideology.
Sukhraj, son of Krishan Bhagwan Singh, led a 737-day-long protest from December 2021 to December 2023 to seek justice for his father, who was among the two Sikh protesters killed in police firing on October 14, 2015, during protest against a sacrilege incident at Bargari in Faridkot district.