Mehal Singh Babbar, Notorious Babbar Khalsa Militant, Passes Away in Pakistan

Mehal Singh Babbar, a prominent Babbar Khalsa militant, died of kidney failure in Pakistan on March 24. He had been a wanted figure in India since 1990 and was recently accused of coordinating arms supplies from Pakistan. Babbar was connected to notable figures in the militant movement and remains a significant figure in ongoing investigations.

Mehal Singh Babbar, a notorious militant associated with Babbar Khalsa, passed away due to kidney failure in Pakistan on March 24, as reported by multiple sources. He had been a proclaimed offender since 1990, implicated in various acts of militancy within Amritsar, Jalandhar, and Faridkot districts during the 1980s, and his demise occurred at a private hospital in Nankana Sahib. Plans for his cremation are reportedly set for Wednesday evening.

Babbar was recently identified by the National Investigation Agency (NIA) as having coordinated with gangsters and facilitated arms supplies into India from Pakistan. The agency classified him as the deputy chief of Babbar Khalsa International. Having been a former officer in the Indian Air Force, Babbar resided in Pakistan since the early 1990s and reportedly traveled to France in 2003.

He was the brother of Sukhdev Singh Babbar, the head of Babbar Khalsa International in 1984, who was killed in 1992. His wife, Gurdev Kaur, currently resides in Amritsar. In the late 1980s, following allegations of police harassment, Gurdev Kaur and other women relatives of militants were reportedly detained by then Batala Senior Superintendent of Police Gobind Ram. This incident led to protests announced by Giani Darshan Singh Raggi, the then Jathedar of Akal Takht, against the police’s actions. Tragically, Ram was later killed in a bomb blast.

The death of Mehal Singh Babbar marks the end of a controversial figure linked to historical militancy in Punjab. His long-standing status as a proclaimed offender and affiliation with organized crime have been pivotal in ongoing investigations by Indian authorities, notably the NIA. Babbar’s family history and connections further illustrate the complex legacy of militancy in the region.

Original Source: indianexpress.com