Avtar Singh Khanda, main handler of Amritpal Singh and pro-Khalistan activist, dies in London

Avtar Singh Khanda, the main organizer of Khalistan sympathizer Amritpal Singh and organizer of the protest outside the Indian High Commission in London, died in a UK hospital on Thursday, with his supporters suspecting that he had been poisoned.

He was suffering from blood cancer and was put on life support in a London hospital where he died. Born in Punjab's Moga district, Khanda took over the reins of the Khalistan Liberation Force, a separatist organization, after its chief Harmeet Singh was shot dead in Pakistan in 2020, TV9 Bharatvarsh reported.

Khanda, operating from the United Kingdom, helped Amritpal Singh rise among pro-Khalistan circles and planned his escape route and hideouts for 37 days after the Punjab Police launched a sweep to nab Amritpal. He was arrested in connection with a violent protest outside the Indian High Commission in London on March 19, during which a mob removed the Indian flag from the building's balcony.

According to sources, Khanda's associates are under the impression that he died of poisoning, but information suggests that he was undergoing treatment for a type of blood cancer for the past few days. The separatist allegedly operated sleeper cells in Punjab, which helped Amritpal Singh evade the police and remain in hiding until his arrest on April 23.

Khanda's name was included in a list of suspected Khalistani leaders submitted to the British government of India in 2015.