Avtar Singh Khanda is a UK-based activist. He is the vice president of the youth wing of Shiromani Akali Dal (Mann). In 2023, Khanda hit the headlines when a group of pro-Khalistan supporters vandalised the Indian High Commission in London, UK, during a protest against Punjab Police’s attempt to nab the Waris Punjab De chief Amritpal Singh; Khanda is believed to be the mentor of Amritpal Singh.
Wiki/Biography
Avtar Singh Khanda was born in 1988 (age 35 years; as of 2023) in Rode village of Moga district in Punjab Province, British India (now in Punjab, India). He studied in a model school governed by Arya Samaj. Owing to his father’s image as a separatist in India, various agencies including the police would often raid their premises due to which the family shifted their homes to various locations in the country like Patiala, Ludhiana, and Moga.
Physical Appearance
Height (approx.): 5′ 8″
Hair Colour: Black
Eye Colour: Dark Brown
Family
Avtar Singh Khanda belongs to a Sikh family.
Parents & Siblings
His father, Kulwant Singh Khukrana, was a terrorist and was associated with the ‘Khalistan Liberation Force’ and ‘Khalitan Commando Force.’ He died on 3 March 1991 in a police encounter during the anti-Sikh riots after Indira Gandhi’s assassination in 1984. Khanda’s uncle, Balwant Singh Khukrana, also died during anti-Sikh riots. Avtar Singh has a younger sister.
Wife
There is not much information about his marital status.
Religion/Religious Views
Avtar Singh Khanda follows Sikhism.
“Mission Khalistan”
Khanda is a pro-Khalistan supporter. He is often spotted expressing his views on separatism in various interviews. Khanda strongly advocates for the establishment of a ‘Sikh rule’ in India and seeks to share his vision with others.
Career
Presenter
Avtar Singh has worked as a presenter for the shows ‘Shera Di Kaum’ and ‘Itihaas’ on the channel Khalsa Television (KTV).
Avtar Singh Khanda (left) while interviewing an activist on the KTV channel
Controversy
Vandalism at the High Commission of India in London
On 21 March 2023, Avtar Singh Khanda was taken into custody in connection with the vandalism at the Indian High Commission in London. Two days prior to the arrest, i.e., on 19 March 2023, Pro-Khalistan supporters removed the Indian flag from atop the High Commission building in a protest against the Punjab Police’s crackdown on Amritpal Singh and his followers. The demonstration included Khalistan supporters and other anti-national elements who gathered outside the High Commission in London, chanting slogans in support of ‘Khalistan Zindabad.’ During the protest, one person attempted to take down the tricolour, but security personnel intervened and prevented the act. The individual was subsequently identified as Avtar Singh Khanda.
Avtar Singh Khanda vandalising the Indian High Commission in London along with a group of pro-Khalistan supporters while trying to take down the national flag of India from its top in 2023
An IED Specialist
In 2015, Khanda was mentioned in an Indian report on Khalistani activities that was prepared for the British authorities. India expressed concerns about Khalistani groups conducting ideological indoctrination sessions and practical bomb-making demonstrations at certain gurudwaras in the UK for Sikh diaspora youth. Intelligence reports suggested that Khanda was planning to conduct radicalisation training courses for Sikh youth, which included instructions on assembling improvised explosive devices (IEDs) using locally available chemicals. According to sources, similar courses were held at Guru Nanak Gurdwara, Birmingham in December 2014 and at Gurdwara Singh Sabha, Glasgow in January 2015.
Facts/Trivia
- Avtar Singh was born in the house of Jarnail Singh Bhindranwale, an Indian militant. In an interview, he said that due to the frequent visits of police officials to their home in search of his fugitive father, Kulwant Singh Khukrana, his family was unable to reside at their house; however, Bhindranwale provided his family with a place in his house to stay.
- Khanda is believed to be a close aide of the Khalistani nationalist Paramjit Singh Pamma.
- Khanda, in an interview, revealed that he never attended morning assembly at his school. He said that he believed that singing the national anthem of India was against the principles of the Sikh community.
- While talking about his childhood memories in an interview, Khanda recollected how his classmates used to mock him by calling him the child of a terrorist. He added that his mother had told him that his father, Kulwant Singh Khukrana, who had been killed by the police, was living overseas and would return to him shortly; however, in 5th grade, he stumbled upon an old newspaper at home, which revealed the truth about his father’s death. After Kulwant Singh Khukrana’s death on 3 March 1991, the police officials arrested Khanda, along with his mother and sister, on 1 April 1991 at 5 am for investigation purposes.
- In an interview, Khanda shared his views on the 1984 Sikh Massacre and said that it was a premeditated attack on the Sikh community. He went on to claim that the Indian government had been planning the massacre since the country gained independence in 1947.
- It is claimed that Avtar Singh Khanda groomed Amritpal Singh when he was in Dubai. According to Khanda, although he had been in contact with Amritpal for a long period of time, he had never met him in person.
Waris Punjab De chief Amritpal Singh
- Indian intelligence agencies believe Khanda has ties with the Pakistani ISI.
- Avtar Singh often shares posts against the Indian government and its leaders. In one such post, he was spotted chocking former Indian Prime Minister Indira Gandhi‘s statue at a museum.
Avtar Singh Khanda while chocking former Indian Prime Minister Indira Gandhi’s statue at a museum