NIA summons farm union leader for questioning in Sikhs for Justice case

New Delhi: New Delhi has conveyed strongly to the United Kingdom for allowing the proscribed pro-Khalistan outfit, Sikhs for Justice to hold a referendum on the secession of Punjab in October.

National Security Advisor Ajit Doval conveyed in strong terms India's opposition to the allowing of a referendum on affairs relating to a third country. The message was conveyed to Doval's counterpart, Stephen Lovegrove.

India made it clear that there was total peace in Punjab. The radical Sikh elements have not managed to get even one per cent of the vote during the assembly of Lok Sabha elections. The UK government is turning a blind eye to the open radicalisation of the Indian Diaspora by banned Sikh groups, India also conveyed to the UK.

In SJF probe, NIA seeks details of bank accounts to check remittance of foreign funding

Sikh radicals have with the support of the ISI have been holding protesters on the three farm laws and also taking part in anti-India activities, India also said.

Doval further said that despite the SJF being a banned terror group and its leader Gurpatwant Singh Pannu being declared a terrorist, the UK allowed the group to conduct an illegal referendum on Punjab.

Sources said that there have been a lot of funds that have been channelized in the past couple of months. Over USD 1 lakh has been collected in the name of the farmer protests, the official cited above said.

The source further added that the agencies are looking into the source of funding. While there is no harm in collecting funds in the name of the protests, the NIA is looking to find if money is being collected in the name of the protests, but is being diverted to fund separatist activities of the SJF.

The probe was ordered after the SJF, a proscribed organisation arranged protests in front of Indian missions abroad. After the financial trail was found the ambit of the probe was widened.

The probe was handed over the NIA after the foreign nations where the protests were organised did not take action. The NIA after a recent amendment has foreign jurisdiction and hence was handed over the probe. Investigations have found that funds have been coming in from Canada, US and UK. The official cited above said that this money is being collected by the SJF in the name of the protests. However not all is going towards the protests. A good part of it is being diverted towards subversive and propaganda activities of the SJF.

While the farmer unions have decried this action, an Ministry of Home Affairs official said that if funds are coming from abroad, then the agencies have every right to known the source of the same.

The NIA had on December 15 filed a fresh FIR. In it the agency said that the SJF was sending foreign funds through NGOs to pro-Khalistani elements for on ground campaign and propaganda against the Government of India.