A little more than a month ago, India’s external intelligence agency the Research and Analysis Wing (R&AW) sent a report to the Prime Minister’s Office (PMO), detailing the resurgence of “Sikh radical organisations” across the globe.
The report, the contents of which are available with The Hindu, was sent on June 16 and it spoke about the activities of Sikh radical organisations in countries such as Germany, U.K., France, U.S., Pakistan and Malaysia.
It said that on June 6 in Germany, Sikh radical organisations such as Babbar Khalsa International (BKI-G) and Sikh Federation (SF-G) staged a protest in front of the Consulate General of India, Frankfurt. The event was attended by 8-10 Pakistan/Pakistan-occupied Kashmir (PoK) origin persons as well. A few new Sikh families, which arrived from Portugal, were also seen participating in the protest. “A Kashmiri youth also spoke at length saying Kashmiris supported the demand for Khalistan,” the report said. “There was an increase in the number of protesters this year in comparison to last year,” said the report.
Similarly in U.K., radical groups under the banner of Sikh Federation held a remembrance march and freedom rally to commemorate the 31st anniversary of Operation Blue Star. Around 3,000 people attended the event. It was also attended by several British parliamentarians and also Raja Ahmad Khan, Chairman, All Parties Kashmir Coordination Committee.
One speaker called upon the Sikhs in Jammu and Kashmir to revive their efforts to secure self-determination in their respective homelands.
In the U.S., the RAW report suggested that a fiery woman speaker who has delivered anti-India speeches has come to notice. In San Francisco, around 60-70 people participated in anti-India protests while in California, around 6000-8000 people attended a similar meet. There have been concerns that the BKI and Khalistan Liberation Force (KLF) — both banned in India — were trying to regroup with the help of Pakistan’s ISI.
