Seizing properties, revoking OCI status: India’s big crackdown on Khalistanis

It seems that India has had enough. Enough of the Khalistani threat. Amid worsening ties with Canada over the killing of Khalistani leader Hardeep Singh Nijjar, India has decided to go hard on Khalistani terrorists living on foreign soil – mostly the United Kingdom, the United States, Canada, Dubai, Pakistan, and Australia. Over the weekend, reports emerged that the government had tasked the National Investigation Agency (NIA) to draw up a list of Khalistanis and confiscate their properties in India. Moreover, India is also looking at cancelling their Overseas Citizenship Card (OCI) cards so as to not allow them to enter the country. The move comes after the NIA, on Saturday, seized properties in Punjab belonging to Sikhs for Justice (SFJ) group chief Gurpatwant Singh Pannun. Two of his properties were confiscated by the NIA team in Amritsar and Chandigarh. The probe agency also confiscated 46 kanals of Pannun’s agricultural land in his ancestral village of Khankot in Amritsar district. Let’s take a closer look at what India has in plans to choke the movement and activities of Khalistanis. Properties to be seized On Sunday, it was reported that the NIA had drawn up a list of 19 Khalistanis living abroad and would go after their properties in India. The action will be taken under the stringent anti-terror law UAPA – Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act. The aim of such a move would be to choke their finances in order to curb their spending and in turn, reduce their spending on activities hurtful to India. As per the list released, the NIA will be going after Paramjit Singh Pamma, who is in the UK, Wadhwa Singh Babbar alia Chacha in Pakistan, Kulwant Singh Muthra in UK, Jay Dhaliwal in US, Sukhpal Singh in UK, Harpreet Singh alia Rana Singh in US, Sarabjeet Singh Bennur in UK, Kulwant Singh alias Kanta in UK, Harjap Singh alias Jappy Singh in California, US, Ranjit Singh Neeta in Lahore, Pakistan, Gurmeet Singh alias Bagga alias Baba, Gurpreet Singh alias Baaghi in UK, Jasmeet Singh Hakimzada in Dubai, Gurjant Singh Dhillon in Australia, Lakhbir Singh Rode in Europe and Canada, Amardeep Singh Poorewal in California, US, Jatinder Singh Grewal in Canada, Dupinder Jeet in UK, S Himmat Singh in New York, US. The NIA has said that they would confiscate the properties of these 19 Khalistanis as allowed by the law – similar to what they did on Saturday (24 September) with Gurpatwant Singh Pannun . [caption id=“attachment_13164312” align=“alignnone” width=“640”] House of the chief of banned outfit Sikhs for Justice (SFJ) Gurpatwant Singh Pannun after the National Investigation Agency (NIA) confiscated his immovable properties, in Chandigarh. File image/PTI[/caption] For the unaware, on Saturday, NIA officials seized Pannun’s house in Punjab’s Chandigarh and confiscated land owned by him in Amritsar. Another property, house no 2033 in Sector 15-C, Chandigarh, was also seized. Due to this action, the SFJ chief has now lost rights to his property, which now belongs to the government. In fact, this is not the first time that such action has been taken against Pannun. In 2020, the authorities had attached his properties, meaning he could not sell them. Following the confiscation, the NIA had said, “The action comes as a big boost to the country’s crackdown on terror and secessionist network being operated from various countries, including Canada.” The confiscation of Pannun’s properties had come, incidentally, after the SFJ chief had threatened Indo-Canadian Hindus to leave the country and return to India.

The India-Canada row coverage _Backing Khalistani terrorists, farmers’ stir and more: Justin Trudeau’s anti-India politics_ _How Justin Trudeau’s anti-India antics have angered Canadians_ _What did India's intel reveal about Khalistani Hardeep Singh Nijjar?_ _How the pro-Khalistan sentiment has grown in Canada_ _Meet Jagmeet Singh, Canadian MP influencing Trudeau’s pro-Khalistan politics_ _Hardeep Singh Nijjar killing: Does spat with Canada threaten India-US bonhomie?_

Cancelling OCI cards And the government isn’t just stopping at seizing properties. The government is adopting a two-pronged plan – seize properties and also revoke OCI and PIO cards of Khalistanis. The government has asked agencies to revoke the OCI, and Persons of Indian Origin (PIO) cards to bar their entry into India. The OCI card effectively provides people with a multiple entry, multi-purpose, life-long visa to Indian-origin people living abroad. According to a Live Mint report, revoking OCI cards is rare. Of the estimated 4.5 million OCI cards issued till date, only around 150 have been cancelled after being found in violation of rules on the basis of inputs by intelligence and security agencies. This action also comes after India suspended visa services to all Canadian s for an indefinite period and also directed Canada to cut its diplomatic staff in India. [caption id=“attachment_13164322” align=“alignnone” width=“640”] United Hindu Front members stage a protest against Canada PM Justin Trudeau over his remarks alleging Indian involvement in the killing of a Sikh extremist leader in Canada. PTI[/caption] India-Canada ties nosedive India and Canada ties have taken a turn for the worse since last Monday when Canadian prime minister expelled an Indian diplomat, and accused “Indian agents” of being responsible for the killing of Canadian citizen – Hardeep Singh Nijjar , who is a known Khalistani leader. India refuted these claims, calling them “absurd and motivated,” and in a tit-for-tat move, also expelled a Canadian diplomat. The situation worsened further when India suspended all visa services for Canadians. Amid this row, the Canada has sought help from its allies – the US, UK, Australia and New Zealand – also known as the Five Eyes – to condemn India. Earlier, it was reported that it was intel collected by the Five Eyes that had led to Trudeau accusing India of having a role in the killing of Nijjar. However, the Western countries have refused to take sides, with the US and Australia saying that it had sought New Delhi to participate in a probe. Top security officials in New Delhi have said that Canada has not shared any credible evidence on the matter yet. “No credible evidence has been shared through either the diplomatic or the intelligence channel with India. Since India has nothing to do with Nijjar’s murder, it is ready to provide assistance provided Canada moves the legitimate legal process and prosecution of the identified killer or killers,” an official was quoted as saying to Hindustan Times. In fact, Indian officials have maintained that Trudeau’s allegation is politically motivated, with an eye on the Sikh diaspora in Canada. Moreover, a senior journalist in Canada also said to news agency ANI that the reason Trudeau has picked a fight with India is to divert attention from the China meddling issue. “If you want to have some Canadian context about what’s going on and why he may have done this, here’s what I think is maybe the leading theory we can say as to why Trudeau has started to fight with India. In Canada, we have this big, big spectre of foreign interference from China. That’s a major scandal right now. It’s Justin Trudeau’s Liberal party, was getting help from the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) at different points in elections… It’s a whole big thing that we need an investigation into,” said Daniel Bordman, adding that in order to shift the spectrum from Chinese foreign interference, we have a story of Indian foreign interference. With inputs from agencies