HOME

TheInfoList



OR:

Talwinder Singh Parmar (or Hardev Singh Parmar; 26 February 1944 – 15 October 1992) was a Sikh militant and the mastermind of the 1985 Air India Flight 182 bombing, which killed 329 people. It was the worst single incident of aviation terrorism in history until the
September 11 attacks The September 11 attacks, also known as 9/11, were four coordinated Islamist terrorist suicide attacks by al-Qaeda against the United States in 2001. Nineteen terrorists hijacked four commercial airliners, crashing the first two into ...
in the United States. In addition, another bomb was meant to explode aboard Air India Flight 301 in Japan the same day, but it exploded while the plane was still grounded, killing two people. Parmar was also the founder, leader, and
jathedar A jathedar () is a leader of high regard chosen to head and ensure discipline within a jatha, a troop of Sikhs. In modern-times, the term is used to in-reference to leaders of Sikh spiritual organizations, such as any of the Panj Takhts. Hist ...
(head) of
Babbar Khalsa International Babbar Khalsa, officially Babbar Khalsa International (BKI, , ), is a Khalistani militant organisation that aims to create an independent nation-state of Khalistan in the Punjab region. It has used armed attacks, assassinations and bombings in ...
(BKI), better known as Babbar Khalsa, a Sikh militant group involved in the
Khalistan movement The Khalistan movement is a separatist movement seeking to create a homeland for Sikhs by establishing an ethno-religious sovereign state called Khalistan () in the Punjab region. The proposed boundaries of Khalistan vary between different gr ...
. Talwinder was accused of founding Babbar Khalsa International along with Sukhdev Singh Babbar in 1978, and leading Babbar Khalsa in Canada. In 1981, he was accused by India of killing 2 Punjab Police officers and was arrested in 1983 in
West Germany West Germany was the common English name for the Federal Republic of Germany (FRG) from its formation on 23 May 1949 until German reunification, its reunification with East Germany on 3 October 1990. It is sometimes known as the Bonn Republi ...
. He was released in 1984 after which he immediately returned to Canada. After the bombing of
Air India Flight 182 Air India Flight 182 was a passenger flight operating on the Montréal–Mirabel International Airport, Montreal–Heathrow Airport, London–Indira Gandhi International Airport, Delhi–Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj International Airport, Mumb ...
in 1985, Parmar returned to India and was allegedly killed in a gun fight with Punjab Police on 15 October 1992. He was later named as the mastermind of the 1985 Air India bombing.


Early life

Talwinder Singh Parmar was born in a Sikh family of village Panchhat,
Kapurthala Kapurthala () is a city in Punjab state of India. It is the administrative headquarters of Kapurthala District. It was the capital of the Kapurthala State, a princely state in British India. The aesthetic mix of the city with its prominent b ...
,
Punjab Punjab (; ; also romanised as Panjāb or Panj-Āb) is a geopolitical, cultural, and historical region in South Asia. It is located in the northwestern part of the Indian subcontinent, comprising areas of modern-day eastern Pakistan and no ...
,
India India, officially the Republic of India, is a country in South Asia. It is the List of countries and dependencies by area, seventh-largest country by area; the List of countries by population (United Nations), most populous country since ...
on 26 February 1944. He immigrated to Canada in May 1970, and became a
naturalized citizen Naturalization (or naturalisation) is the legal act or process by which a non-national of a country acquires the nationality of that country after birth. The definition of naturalization by the International Organization for Migration of the ...
of Canada.


Militancy

As per ''The Tribune'', Talwinder Singh Parmar and Sukhdev took the pledge to take revenge on the Nirankari. Following the
1978 Sikh–Nirankari clash The 1978 Sikh–Nirankari clash occurred between the Sant Nirankari Mission and Sikhs of Damdami Taksal and Akhand Kirtani Jatha on 13 April 1978 in Amritsar, Punjab, India. Sixteen people—thirteen traditional Sikhs and three Nirankari follow ...
, which saw 13 Sikh killed and 150 injured, Nirankari were also expelled by the
Akal Takht The Akal Takht (; ), also spelt as Akal Takhat and historically known as Akal Bunga, is the most prominent of the Takht (Sikhism), five takhts (Seat (legal entity), seats of authority) of the Sikhs. Located within the Golden Temple, Darbar Sah ...
out of the Sikh fold. Sukhdev founded the organization Babbar Khalsa along with Talwinder Singh Parmar with the objective to secede from
India India, officially the Republic of India, is a country in South Asia. It is the List of countries and dependencies by area, seventh-largest country by area; the List of countries by population (United Nations), most populous country since ...
and form the state of Khalistan for Sikhs. Babbar Khalsa's first goals were to kill the Nirankari head and the "Nirankari Seven Stars" who were the Sant Nirankari version of the
Panj Pyare Panj Pyare (, ', the five beloved ones) refers to a gathered ad hoc quintet of five baptised (''Amritdhari'') Khalsa Sikhs who act as institutionalized leaders for the wider Sikh community. Function The Panj Pyare are convened for pressing ma ...
. Talwinder Singh Parmar became Babbar Khalsa's leader in Canada in 1979. After Parmar's return to Canada in 1984 following his incarceration in
West Germany West Germany was the common English name for the Federal Republic of Germany (FRG) from its formation on 23 May 1949 until German reunification, its reunification with East Germany on 3 October 1990. It is sometimes known as the Bonn Republi ...
for a year, he embarked on a nationwide tour to establish himself as the pro-leading Khalistani Sikh. On 15 July 1984, Talwinder Singh Parmar strongly urged Sikhs to "unite, fight and kill" in order to punish the Indian government for
Operation Blue Star Operation Blue Star was a military operation by the Indian Armed Forces conducted between 1 and 10 June 1984 to remove Jarnail Singh Bhindranwale and other Sikh militants from the Golden Temple (Harmandir Sahib), a holy site of Sikhism, and i ...
.


Early militancy

Babbar Khalsa members killed a Thanedar in Ghul Khurd and Master Darshan in Kot Shameer for alleged crimes against Sikhs.


Attacks on Nirankaris

Babbar Khalsa's first goals were to kill the Nirankari head and the Nirankari seven stars who were the Sant Nirankari version of the
Panj Pyare Panj Pyare (, ', the five beloved ones) refers to a gathered ad hoc quintet of five baptised (''Amritdhari'') Khalsa Sikhs who act as institutionalized leaders for the wider Sikh community. Function The Panj Pyare are convened for pressing ma ...
over the 1978 Sikh-Nirankari Clash. Babbar Khalsa claimed responsibility for killing the Nirankari head
Gurbachan Singh Gurbachan Singh (10 December 1930 – 24 April 1980) was the third guru of the Sant Nirankari mission, considered to be heterodox by mainstream Sikhs. He was born in Peshawar (modern-day Pakistan). He was declared next Guru by his father and ...
and one of the Nirankari stars Partap Singh on 24 April 1980. One of Babbar Khalsa's earliest activities was the killing of Nirankari Shaadi Lal. He was the President of
Anandpur Sahib Anandpur Sahib, also referred simply as Anandpur (), is a city in Rupnagar district (Ropar), on the edge of Shivalik Hills, in the Indian state of Punjab. Located near the Sutlej River, the city is one of the most sacred religious places in Si ...
Municipality and one of the Nirankari Seven Stars. On 16 October 1981, Babbar Khalsa members attacked Niranjan Singh who was a Nirankari and
Indian Administrative Service The Indian Administrative Service (IAS) is the Public administration, administrative arm of the All India Services of Government of India. The IAS is one of the three All India Services along with the Indian Police Service (IPS) and the Indian ...
officer. He was the
Deputy Commissioner A deputy commissioner is a police, income tax or administrative official in many countries. The rank is commonplace in police forces of Commonwealth of Nations, Commonwealth countries, usually ranking below the Commissioner. Australia In all Aust ...
of
Gurdaspur Gurdaspur is a city in the Majha region of the Indian state of Punjab, between the rivers Beas and Ravi. It houses the administrative headquarters of Gurdaspur District and is in the geographical centre of the district, which shares a bord ...
. He was a key accused in the 1978 Sikh-Nirankari clash. Niranjan managed to survive the attack in an injured state, but his brother was killed. On 23 October 1981, Babbar's killed the
Sarpanch A sarpanch, gram pradhan, mukhiya, or president is a decision-maker, elected by the village-level constitutional body of local self-government called the gram sabha (village government) in India. The sarpanch, together with other elected panchay ...
of Pannchata Mohinder Pal. On 16 November 1981, 2 Babbar Khalsa members on motorcycles under Sukhdev Singh Babbar killed Parhal Chand the Nirankari head of Kapurathala district. He was one of the seven Nirankari stars. In the killing, Chand's father was killed and his brother was injured. On 22 May 1982, Babbar Khalsa members opened fire directed at Nirankari's in Patti killing 4 and injuring many more. On 27 October 1982, Surinder Singh Sodhi, Babbar Khalsa mebbers and Labh Singh killed Resham Singh. Resham was the Sant Nirankari head of
Hoshiarpur District Hoshiarpur district is a district of Punjab, India, Punjab state in northern India. Hoshiarpur, one of the oldest districts of Punjab, is located in the North-east part of the Punjab state and shares common boundaries with Gurdaspur district in ...
and 1 of the 7 stars. Babbars, Sodhi and Labh Singh had disguised themselves as police. They had approached Resham posing as officers who just wanted to chat. As Resham was talking about Bhindranwale, supposedly negatively, Babbars, Labh Singh and Sodhi pulled out stenguns and opened fire killing him instantly. It is said that Babbars, Sodhi and Labh Singh fled on a
Royal Enfield Bullet The Royal Enfield Bullet is an overhead valve, single-cylinder, four-stroke motorcycle initially made by Royal Enfield in Redditch, Worcestershire England. It is now produced by Royal Enfield at Chennai, Tamil Nadu, India, a company originally ...
and fired victory shots.ਖਾੜਕੂ ਯੋਧੇ in Punjabi by Maninder Singh Baja Ajit Newspaper 15 July 1988 On 10 September 1983, Babbar killed Kulwant Singh the Nirankari head of Faridkot. In 1984 Babbar Khalsa co-chief Sukhdev Singh Babbar claimed responsibility for the killing of 76 Nirankaris.


Assassination of Lala Jagat Narain

On 9 September 1981, Lala Jagat Narain was assassinated. Jagat was a former Punjab Legislative Assembly member and a former Member of Parliament. He was also the founder of Hind Samachar. Jagat was an outspoken critic of
Jarnail Singh Bhindranwale Jarnail Singh Bhindranwale (; born Jarnail Singh Brar; 2 June 1947– 6 June 1984) was a Sikh militant. After Operation Bluestar, he posthumously became the leading figure for the Khalistan movement, although he did not personally advocate for ...
and of the Khalistan movement and had been accused of portraying
Sikh gurus The Sikh gurus (Punjabi language, Punjabi: ਸਿੱਖ ਗੁਰੂ; Hindi: सिख गुरु) are the spiritual masters of Sikhism, who established the religion over the course of about two and a half centuries, beginning in 1469. The year ...
as "lovers of wine and women". Talwinder Singh Parmar claimed responsibility.


Bhindranwale's arrest

Jarnail Singh Bhindranwale Jarnail Singh Bhindranwale (; born Jarnail Singh Brar; 2 June 1947– 6 June 1984) was a Sikh militant. After Operation Bluestar, he posthumously became the leading figure for the Khalistan movement, although he did not personally advocate for ...
offered himself to the police for arrest on 20 September 1981, and was taken to a circuit house instead of prison. Shortly after Bhindranwale courted arrest, agitated Sikhs clashed with the police and paramilitary forces, resulting in the death of 18 protestors. On the day of his arrest, three armed men, from Babbar Khalsa, on a motorcycle opened fire using machine guns in a market in
Jalandhar Jalandhar () is a city in the state of Punjab, India, Punjab in India. With a considerable population, it ranks as the List of cities in Punjab and Chandigarh by population, third most-populous city in the state and is the largest city in the ...
in retaliation, killing four people and injured twelve. The next day, in another incident at Tarn Taran one Hindu man was killed and thirteen people were injured. On 14 October 1981 Bhindranwale was released by the Punjab Police.


Murder charges and arrest

On 19 November 1981, the Punjab Police were looking for Tarsem Singh Kalasinghian and his accomplices, when on the morning of 19 November 1981 an encounter took place at Daheru village in
Ludhiana Ludhiana () is the most populous Cities in India, city in the Indian state of Punjab, India, Punjab.164.100.161.224 http://164.100.161.224 › filesPDF Ludhiana State: Punjab Business & Industrial Centre, Tier 2 1 ... The city has an estima ...
district in which Police Inspector Pritam Singh Bajwa and Constable Surat Singh of
Jalandhar Jalandhar () is a city in the state of Punjab, India, Punjab in India. With a considerable population, it ranks as the List of cities in Punjab and Chandigarh by population, third most-populous city in the state and is the largest city in the ...
were gunned down. All of the militants hiding in a house of Amarjit Singh Nihang managed to escape. Among those named in the First Information Report (FIR) were Wadhawa Singh (present chief of Babbar Khalsa, now based in
Pakistan Pakistan, officially the Islamic Republic of Pakistan, is a country in South Asia. It is the List of countries and dependencies by population, fifth-most populous country, with a population of over 241.5 million, having the Islam by country# ...
), Talwinder Singh Parmar, Amarjit Singh Nihang, Amarjit Singh (Head Constable), Sewa Singh (Head Constable) and Gurnam Singh (Head Constable). This is believed to be the first act which gained Babbar Khalsa and its chief, Talwinder Singh Parmar, notoriety. In 1982, India issued a warrant for Talwinder Singh Parmar's arrest for six charges of murder, stemming from the killing of police officers. In 1983, he was arrested in Germany on charges of murdering two police officers in Punjab in 1981. Talwinder Singh Parmar went on a hunger strike in jail for his right to wear a
turban A turban (from Persian language, Persian دولبند‌, ''dolband''; via Middle French ''turbant'') is a type of headwear based on cloth winding. Featuring many variations, it is worn as customary headwear by people of various cultures. Commun ...
and have
vegetarian Vegetarianism is the practice of abstaining from the Eating, consumption of meat (red meat, poultry, seafood, insects as food, insects, and the flesh of any other animal). It may also include abstaining from eating all by-products of animal slau ...
meals. Talwinder Singh Parmar was acquitted by German authorities and then returned to Canada. India requested for his extradition from Canada, but the request was turned down, and Canada declined to extradite Singh to India.


Various assassinations

In February 1986 Babbar Khalsa members killed DSP (Deputy Superintendent of Police) Harpal Singh. He was killed along with his father. On 19 January 1987, Babbar Khalsa members under Talwinder Singh Parmar killed Joginder Pal Pandey in
Ludhiana Ludhiana () is the most populous Cities in India, city in the Indian state of Punjab, India, Punjab.164.100.161.224 http://164.100.161.224 › filesPDF Ludhiana State: Punjab Business & Industrial Centre, Tier 2 1 ... The city has an estima ...
. He was the general secretary of the Indian National Congress Party in Punjab and a member of the
Punjab Legislative Assembly The Punjab Legislative Assembly or the Punjab Vidhan Sabha is the unicameral legislature of the state of Punjab (India), Punjab in India. The Sixteenth Punjab Legislative Assembly was constituted in March 2022. At present, it consists of 117 M ...
. In the attack Pandey's security guard Sohan Lal was killed. Three Babbars in a vehicle had opened fire when Pandey's car was stopped at a gas station. This incident led to a curfew in Ludhiana. Babbar Khalsa launched an attack in September 1987 with Gurjant Singh Budhsinghwala. The target was S.H.O. (Station house officer)
Sub-Inspector Sub-inspector (SI), or sub-inspector of police or police sub-inspector (PSI), is a rank used extensively in South Asia: in the police forces of Bangladesh, Pakistan, India, and Sri Lanka, which are primarily based on the British model. It was form ...
Mith Singh. Mith Singh had been hand-picked by then chief of Punjab Police Julio F. Riberio. He was picked to deal with Budhsinghwala. Mith Singh had been accused of police brutality and targeting Budhsinghwala's family and father. Budhsinghwala began plotting to kill Mith Singh in revenge for his actions with Husan Singh and Babbar Khalsa members. The attack was carried out by Budshinghwala and fellow Sikh militants on 15 September 1987 at around 9am. Mith Singh was shot while he was walking along with his guard, a police
constable A constable is a person holding a particular office, most commonly in law enforcement. The office of constable can vary significantly in different jurisdictions. ''Constable'' is commonly the rank of an officer within a police service. Other peo ...
. Both of their guns were taken by Budhsinghwala. In the crossfire a schoolboy was also killed and five others were injured. The killing is said to have greatly alarmed Riberio. Commandant Gobind Ram was killed on 10 January 1990. Gobind Ram was killed in a bomb blast at the headquarters of the 75th battalion of the Punjab Armed Police in
Jalandhar Jalandhar () is a city in the state of Punjab, India, Punjab in India. With a considerable population, it ranks as the List of cities in Punjab and Chandigarh by population, third most-populous city in the state and is the largest city in the ...
. He was commandant of the 75th battalion. The planning of the killing was done by Toofan Singh and Babbar Khalsa members. The bomb was planted in the cooler of his office. In the blast, three others, including
Sub Inspector Sub-inspector (SI), or sub-inspector of police or police sub-inspector (PSI), is a rank used extensively in South Asia: in the police forces of Bangladesh, Pakistan, India, and Sri Lanka, which are primarily based on the British model. It was form ...
Prem Kumar, were killed and at least four were critically wounded. The blast also caused major damage to the building. All the windows of the second floor were broken and a fire broke out on the first floor. Multiple vehicles parked were also damaged. Gobind Ram had been on the hit list of Sikh militants over his alleged role in 38 fake encounters and torturing Sikhs. On 16 February 1990, KCF, BTFK (Sangha), BKI, and SSF collectively claimed responsibility for an explosion in
Phillaur Phillaur is a town and a municipal council as well as a tehsil in Jalandhar district in the Indian state of Punjab. The city is situated 20 km from Ludhiana, 45 km from Jalandhar and 140 km from Amritsar. It is situated on the border of the Doa ...
that killed Inspector Harcharan Singh Soori and Assistant Sub-Inspector Ram Moorti on the 11th. The bomb also wounded 2 Sergeants. The explosion happened in an armoured and guarded police training facility. Both were put in a special armoured room for extra safety, but were killed at 9 pm from an explosion within their room. Both officers had been accused of torturing Sikhs. Inspector Soori had survived a previous assassination attempt in 1988. On 24 November 1990, at 9 am Parmar along with other militant groups part of the Sohan Singh Committee killed Superintendent of Police (Operations) Harjit Singh in a bomb blast at Tarn Taran. Sikh militants had been studying Harjit's travel routes for some time. A remote-controlled bomb had been placed on a road Harjit usually drove by to go to the doctor. When Harjit's lead security vehicles drove by and it was just his vehicle over the bomb it was detonated. In the explosion three of his security guards were killed and his vehicle was destroyed. A permanent curfew was put on the town after. A saying about the incident is, “He had a security vehicle in front of him and behind him, so he would be safe from all sides. But he didn’t count on his death coming from below”. Twenty-two days prior to his death Harjit had killed the chief of BTFK (S) Sukhwinder Singh Sangha along with four other militants. KLF, KCF, Babbar Khalsa, SSF, and BTFK (S) members held a meeting afterward pledging to kill Harjit within 31 days of Sangha's death. Major Singh of KCF was given the lead role in the killing.


Attacks on police

On 2 March 1990, KCF, KLF, BKI, and SSF collectively claimed responsibility for killing 1
Sergeant Sergeant (Sgt) is a Military rank, rank in use by the armed forces of many countries. It is also a police rank in some police services. The alternative spelling, ''serjeant'', is used in The Rifles and in other units that draw their heritage f ...
and 1 Constable of Punjab Police in Nagoke for alleged “misdeeds”. On 2 March 1990, KCF, KLF, BKI, and SSF collectively claimed responsibility for a bomb attack in Philaur that killed 1 police constable and 2 others. They stated that they were killed because they had put fake cases on locals.World Sikh News (Punjabi) 2 March 1990 Page 2


Babbar Khalsa activities from Canada

During his residence in Canada, Parmar continued to advocate for the
Khalistan movement The Khalistan movement is a separatist movement seeking to create a homeland for Sikhs by establishing an ethno-religious sovereign state called Khalistan () in the Punjab region. The proposed boundaries of Khalistan vary between different gr ...
.


Involvement in the bombing of Air India 182

On 23 June 1985,
Air India Flight 182 Air India Flight 182 was a passenger flight operating on the Montréal–Mirabel International Airport, Montreal–Heathrow Airport, London–Indira Gandhi International Airport, Delhi–Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj International Airport, Mumb ...
was bombed. It was a part of an attempted double-bombing which included Air India Flight 301. In March 2005 judgment, Justice Josephson of the British Columbia Supreme Court concluded that one of the leaders of the conspiracy was Talwinder Singh Parmar, belonging to Babbar Khalsa movement. The plane was destined to make its route from
Montreal, Canada Montreal is the largest city in the province of Quebec, the second-largest in Canada, and the ninth-largest in North America. It was founded in 1642 as '' Ville-Marie'', or "City of Mary", and is now named after Mount Royal, the triple-pe ...
to
New Delhi, India New Delhi (; ) is the Capital city, capital of India and a part of the Delhi, National Capital Territory of Delhi (NCT). New Delhi is the seat of all three branches of the Government of India, hosting the Rashtrapati Bhavan, New Parliament ...
, over the
Atlantic Ocean The Atlantic Ocean is the second largest of the world's five borders of the oceans, oceanic divisions, with an area of about . It covers approximately 17% of Earth#Surface, Earth's surface and about 24% of its water surface area. During the ...
. All 329 passengers were killed, including 268 Canadian, 27 British and 24 Indian citizens. From the time of Parmar's return to Canada following his incarceration in West Germany, he was considered a person of interest to the Canadian authorities. Surveillance on Parmar began as early as 1982, with agents being sent to follow his movements. A warrant under the '' CSIS Act'' to intercept communications on Mr. Parmar was sought in the Federal Court and granted commencing 14 March 1985.


Death

Parmar returned to India after the bombing of
Air India Flight 182 Air India Flight 182 was a passenger flight operating on the Montréal–Mirabel International Airport, Montreal–Heathrow Airport, London–Indira Gandhi International Airport, Delhi–Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj International Airport, Mumb ...
and was later killed in an encounter with the Punjab police in 1992.


Legacy

In July 2023, posters of Parmar were seen across several places in Canada advertising a car rally in his honor. The posters referred to Parmar as a "shaheed" (martyr). The posters were widely condemned by the Canadian government and by many Sikh Canadians. The
Canadian government The Government of Canada (), formally His Majesty's Government (), is the body responsible for the federal administration of Canada. The term ''Government of Canada'' refers specifically to the executive, which includes ministers of the Crown ( ...
called the posters "disgusting" and said that they "glorify violence and terrorism." Many Sikh Canadians also expressed their disgust at the posters, saying that they did not represent the views of the Khalistani. The Khalistan Liberation Force defended the posters, saying that they were simply honoring a "martyr" who had fought for the Sikh cause.


References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Parmar, Talwinder Singh Khalistan movement people Punjabi Sikhs 1944 births 1992 deaths Air India Flight 182 Indian emigrants to Canada People from Kapurthala district People shot dead by law enforcement officers in India Insurgency in Punjab People charged with murder Fugitives wanted on murder charges Fugitives wanted by India Encounters in India Sikh terrorism in India Naturalized citizens of Canada People who lost Indian citizenship