Lakhbir Singh Rode
Lakhbir Singh Rode is the nephew of Sikh militancy leader Jarnail Singh Bhindranwale, and currently heads the banned International Sikh Youth Federation (ISYF), which has branches in over a dozen countries in western Europe and Canada.[1] Lakhbir is also affiliated with the Khalistan Zindabad Force. He is also known Lakhbir Singh alias Singh Lakhbir Rode alias Singh Lakhbir.[2] He is suspected to be living in Lahore, Pakistan.
Lakhbir singh is said to be one of the main organizers of a KZF/ISYF unit at Birganj on the India-Nepal border.[3] In 1998, Lakhbir was arrested at Teku, near Kathmandu, Nepal with 20 kg of RDX explosives, and apparently confessed that the RDX was given to him by a counsellor in the Pakistan Embassy at Kathmandu.[4]
In July 2007, the investigative weekly Tehelka reported that in a confession by militant Talwinder Singh Parmar to the Punjab police days before his death on October 15, 1992,[5] he had identified Lakhbir as the mastermind behind the Air India 182 (Kanishka) bombing on June 23, 1985. However, this has been disputed by Canadian investigators,[6] who say they had talked to Lakhbir and that he is unlikely to be the Mr.X who, together with Inderjit Singh Reyat is likely to have masterminded the bombing.
References
- ↑ "Weekly Assessments & Briefings". South Asia Intelligence Review (SAIR), Volume 5, No. 50,. June 25, 2007. Retrieved 2007-07-24.
- ↑ "Punjab Assessment - Year 2006". South Asia Terrorism Portal. Retrieved 2007-09-24.
- ↑ "Khalistan Zindabad Force: Objective, Organisation and Leadership". South Asia Terrorism Portal.
- ↑ "The RDX Files". India Today,. 2001-02-01.
- ↑ Vikram Jit Singh (2007-08-04). "Operation Silence". Tehelka. Retrieved 2007-07-27.
- ↑ Kim Bolan, (September 25, 2007). "Confession had false details, inquiry told: RCMP 'fully' checked out alleged Parmar confession, inspector tells commissioner". Vancouver Sun.