From Hardeep Singh Nijjar to Harmeet Singh: timeline of Khalistani leaders killed abroad

Khalistani leader Hardeep Singh Nijjar was shot dead outside a gurdwara in Canada's Surrey on June 18. Nijjar was the chief of Khalistan Tiger Force and was declared a terrorist by India in 2020.

Just a few days before Nijjar's killing, Khalistan leader Avtar Singh Khanda died in UK's Birmingham on June 15. Khanda was suffering from cancer but his supporters alleged that the chief of the Khalistan Liberation Force had been poisoned. Khanda was the handler of Amritpal Singh and led the Khalistan group that vandalised the Indian High Commission in London in March.

On May 6, Khalistan Commando Force chief Paramjit Singh Panjwar was shot dead near his residence in Lahore when he was out for a morning walk. Panjwar was also on India's terror list.

In July 2022, Ripudaman Singh Malik, an accused in the 1985 Air India bombing, was killed in Canada's Surrey. 331 people died in the bombing. However, he was acquitted by Canada in 2005. He was allegedly linked to Babbar Khalsa.

In January 2020, Harmeet Singh was killed outside a gurdwara in Lahore. At first officials said he was killed due to a financial dispute with another gang. They later suspected he was killed by the family of the Muslim woman he was in love with. Harmeet was a wanted Khalistani terrorist and his name was on the list given by India to Pakistan. He was accused of masterminding the killings of two RSS leaders in Punjab.

Also Watch: Who was Hardeep Singh Nijjar, Khalistani whose murder strained India-Canada relations?