New Delhi: Canada-based prison Lakhbir Singh Landa has been formally labeled as a terrorist by the Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA). This improvement arises within the context of the continued rigidity in diplomatic relations between New Delhi and Ottawa, sparked by Prime Minister Justin Trudeau’s earlier assertion of Indian involvement within the killing of the needed Khalistani terrorist Hardeep Singh Nijjar on Canadian soil.
As per an official assertion from the MHA, 34-year-old Lakhbir Singh Landa, the son of Niranjan Singh and Parminder Kaur, holds everlasting residence in VP0 Harike, located within the Tarn Taran district of Punjab, which shares a border with Pakistan.
Under the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act Mt. 1967 (37 of 1967), “Clause (a) of sub-section (1) and sub-section (2) of section 35 of the said Act empowers the central government to add the name of an individual in the Fourth Schedule to the said Act if it believes that he is involved in terrorism”, the MHA mentioned in a press release on Friday.
Landa at present resides in Edmonton, the capital of Alberta in Canada, and is a member of Babbar Khalsa International.
According to the MHA, Babbar Khalsa International is listed as a terrorist organisation as per “number I of the First Schedule to the said Act.” Landa was backed by the cross-border company and was concerned within the terror assault by way of a shoulder-mounted rocket-propelled grenade on the constructing of Punjab’s State Intelligence Headquarters at Mohali, the MHA added.
He was additionally “involved in the supply of Improvised Explosive Devices (IEDs), arms, sophisticated weapons, and explosives from across the border to various modules for carrying out terrorist activities in the State of Punjab, India”, in response to the MHA launch.
Landa was additionally concerned in varied prison circumstances associated to the elevating of terror modules, extortion, and killings. planting IEDs, smuggling weapons and narcotics and utilizing funds or proceeds thereof for terrorist acts within the Punjab and different elements of the nation, it added.
Landa and his associates have additionally been conspiring to disrupt peace and regulation and order in Punjab by finishing up focused killings, extortions and different anti-national actions in numerous elements of the nation, the MHA added.
“An open-ended warrant has been issued against Lakhbir Singh Landa and he is a subject of Look Out Circular No. 2144306 dated 09.06.2021,” the assertion added.
“In exercise of the powers conferred by clause (a) of sub-section (1) of section 35 of the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act, 1967, the Central Government hereby makes the following amendment in the Fourth Schedule to the said Act,” the MHA acknowledged.
The gangster-turned-terrorist, who has been dwelling in Canada since 2017, is the mastermind in a number of circumstances of terrorism, together with the 2022 RPG assaults on the Punjab Police Intelligence Headquarters and the Sarhali police station in Punjab, amongst different circumstances of terror assaults in India, the National Investigation Agency acknowledged earlier.
In August this yr, the Special Court of the NIA ordered the confiscation of the property of the absconding pro-Khalistan terrorist at Kirian village within the Tarn Taran district. As per the order of the NIA court docket underneath Section 33 (5) of the UA (P) Act, 1967, Landa’s property in his native village was confiscated by the state.
He was earlier declared a Proclaimed Offender on July 27, 2023.
Initially concerned in prison and gangster-related actions, Landa has been persevering with his anti-India actions from Canada, in response to officers.
