Canadian Sikhs call for a separate Sikh state in a protest in Malton, Ontario, in 2012. Getty
Canadian Sikhs call for a separate Sikh state in a protest in Malton, Ontario, in 2012. Getty
Canadian Sikhs call for a separate Sikh state in a protest in Malton, Ontario, in 2012. Getty
Canadian Sikhs call for a separate Sikh state in a protest in Malton, Ontario, in 2012. Getty

India fails to have suspected Sikh extremist extradited over terrorist plots


Paul Peachey
  • English
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India has failed to secure the extradition of a UK-based activist it claimed was a key player in a plot by Sikh extremists to murder the chief minister of India’s Punjab region.

Kuldeep Singh was arrested in the UK in 2019 and accused of conspiring with members of the Khalistan Zindabad Force to carry out gun and bomb attacks targeting the region’s leaders as part of the group’s aim to create a Sikh homeland.

He was said by the Indian authorities to be a UK-based middleman with contacts in India, Pakistan and Belgium for the organisation, which in 2005 was listed as a terrorist organisation by the UK.

Indian prosecutors said the group was stockpiling weapons as part of a plan to attack Punjab’s chief minister, his deputy and other leaders.

Sikh devotees pay their respect on the occasion of the martyrdom day (Shaheed Diwas) of the 9th Sikh Guru, Guru Tegh Bahadur, at the Golden Temple in Amritsar on December 8, 2021. (Photo by NARINDER NANU / AFP)
Sikh devotees pay their respect on the occasion of the martyrdom day (Shaheed Diwas) of the 9th Sikh Guru, Guru Tegh Bahadur, at the Golden Temple in Amritsar on December 8, 2021. (Photo by NARINDER NANU / AFP)

The attacks were never carried out and India’s case for extradition relied on police interviews with two other accused men who named Mr Singh after they were arrested in India when the plot unravelled.

A British judge earlier this year ruled that the evidence of two men accused of the same crime could not be used to justify Mr Singh’s extradition. Two judges dismissed an appeal by the Indian authorities, in a ruling by the High Court in London published on Thursday.

The court was told that Mr Singh entered the UK illegally in 2005 and stayed under the radar for more than eight years before embarking on a series of unsuccessful claims to remain in Britain. He was awaiting the result of an asylum claim last year, according to court documents.

The failure is the latest in a long string of failures by the Indian authorities that has allowed the UK to become a key destination of choice for Indian fugitives from justice.

The Indian authorities were successful in persuading British judges to extradite high-profile businessmen – such as jeweller Nirav Modi and airline tycoon Vijay Mallya. But those cases – which are subject to legal challenges – have obscured three decades of predominantly failed efforts since an agreement was signed in 1992.

“The judgment in the Kuldeep Singh extradition case shows profound lack of professionalism on the part of investigating agencies in India,” said Danish Khan, a historian and journalist in London, who has written a book charting India’s unsuccessful extradition efforts.

“Singh faced very serious charges of involvement in terrorism and planning to assassinate senior politicians, but the evidence produced in the English courts were just summaries of what co-accused told a police officer.”

The armed fight for a state of Khalistan – which its advocates say would be formed from the Punjab region straddling the border between India and Pakistan – reached its height in the 1980s.

It culminated in the assassination of prime minister Indira Gandhi by two of her Sikh bodyguards in reprisal for the storming by Indian troops of the Golden Temple of Amritsar, the most holy place for Sikhs. Thousands were killed in the subsequent crackdown.

What can victims do?

Always use only regulated platforms

Stop all transactions and communication on suspicion

Save all evidence (screenshots, chat logs, transaction IDs)

Report to local authorities

Warn others to prevent further harm

Courtesy: Crystal Intelligence

UAE jiu-jitsu squad

Men: Hamad Nawad and Khalid Al Balushi (56kg), Omar Al Fadhli and Saeed Al Mazroui (62kg), Taleb Al Kirbi and Humaid Al Kaabi (69kg), Mohammed Al Qubaisi and Saud Al Hammadi (70kg), Khalfan Belhol and Mohammad Haitham Radhi (85kg), Faisal Al Ketbi and Zayed Al Kaabi (94kg)

Women: Wadima Al Yafei and Mahra Al Hanaei (49kg), Bashayer Al Matrooshi and Hessa Al Shamsi (62kg)

New UK refugee system

 

  • A new “core protection” for refugees moving from permanent to a more basic, temporary protection
  • Shortened leave to remain - refugees will receive 30 months instead of five years
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  • To encourage refugees to integrate the government will encourage them to out of the core protection route wherever possible.
  • Under core protection there will be no automatic right to family reunion
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COMPANY%20PROFILE
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Company: Justmop.com

Date started: December 2015

Founders: Kerem Kuyucu and Cagatay Ozcan

Sector: Technology and home services

Based: Jumeirah Lake Towers, Dubai

Size: 55 employees and 100,000 cleaning requests a month

Funding:  The company’s investors include Collective Spark, Faith Capital Holding, Oak Capital, VentureFriends, and 500 Startups. 

The five pillars of Islam

1. Fasting 

2. Prayer 

3. Hajj 

4. Shahada 

5. Zakat 

The specs

Engine: 2.2-litre, turbodiesel

Transmission: 6-speed auto

Power: 160hp

Torque: 385Nm

Price: Dh116,900

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Winner: Baccarat, William Buick (jockey), Charlie Appleby (trainer)

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Winner: Oh This Is Us, Tom Marquand, Richard Hannon

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Australia squads

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T20: Aaron Finch (capt), Alex Carey (vice-capt), Ashton Agar, Travis Head, Nic Maddinson, Glenn Maxwell, Jhye Richardson, Kane Richardson, D’Arcy Short, Billy Stanlake, Marcus Stoinis, Mitchell Swepson, Andrew Tye, Jack Wildermuth.

COMPANY PROFILE
Name: Kumulus Water
 
Started: 2021
 
Founders: Iheb Triki and Mohamed Ali Abid
 
Based: Tunisia 
 
Sector: Water technology 
 
Number of staff: 22 
 
Investment raised: $4 million 
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Starring: Kareena Kapoor Khan, Ash Tandon, Prabhleen Sandhu

Director: Hansal Mehta

Rating: 4 / 5

How to wear a kandura

Dos

  • Wear the right fabric for the right season and occasion 
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  • Wear a white kandura, white ghutra / shemagh (headwear) and black shoes for work 
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Terror attacks in Paris, November 13, 2015

- At 9.16pm, three suicide attackers killed one person outside the Atade de France during a foootball match between France and Germany- At 9.25pm, three attackers opened fire on restaurants and cafes over 20 minutes, killing 39 people- Shortly after 9.40pm, three other attackers launched a three-hour raid on the Bataclan, in which 1,500 people had gathered to watch a rock concert. In total, 90 people were killed- Salah Abdeslam, the only survivor of the terrorists, did not directly participate in the attacks, thought to be due to a technical glitch in his suicide vest- He fled to Belgium and was involved in attacks on Brussels in March 2016. He is serving a life sentence in France

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UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
Key facilities
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  • Premier League-standard football pitch
  • 400m Olympic running track
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  • 600-seat auditorium
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  • An elevated football field that doubles as a helipad
  • Specialist robotics and science laboratories
  • AR and VR-enabled learning centres
  • Disruption Lab and Research Centre for developing entrepreneurial skills
The%20specs%20
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Gifts exchanged
  • King Charles - replica of President Eisenhower Sword
  • Queen Camilla -  Tiffany & Co vintage 18-carat gold, diamond and ruby flower brooch
  • Donald Trump - hand-bound leather book with Declaration of Independence
  • Melania Trump - personalised Anya Hindmarch handbag
GIANT REVIEW

Starring: Amir El-Masry, Pierce Brosnan

Director: Athale

Rating: 4/5

Updated: December 10, 2021, 2:20 PM