Centre moves to cancel OCI cards of pro-Khalistan activists

New Delhi, September 24

Action of the National Investigation Agency (NIA) in seizing the properties of ‘designated individual terrorist’ Gurpatwant Singh Pannu was the first step in targeting pro-Khalistan activists living abroad.

The government has adopted a two-pronged plan. Firstly, it has asked investigative agencies to identify properties of all persons who are wanted in India, but are living abroad. Secondly, the Overseas Citizenship of India (OCI) cards, which allow visa-free entry, will be revoked in case of wanted persons and their sympathisers.

Sources said the government had asked the agencies to identify pro-Khalistan activists settled in countries like the US, UK, Canada and Australia and cancel their OCI cards so that they would not be able to gain visa-free entry to India.

The government plan came to the fore a day after the NIA confiscated the properties of Pannu in Chandigarh and Amritsar. So far, around two dozen such persons living in the US, UK, Canada, UAE, Pakistan and other countries have been identified. News agency IANS has named them as Paramjit Singh Pamma, based in the UK; Wadhwa Singh Babbar, alias Chacha in Pakistan; Kulwant Singh Muthda in the UK; JS Dhaliwal, US; Sukhpak Singh, UK; Harriet Singh, alias Rana Singh, US; Sarabjit Singh Benoor, UK; Kulwant Singh, alias Kanta, UK; Harjap Singh, alias Jappi Singh, US; Ranjit Singh Neeta, Pakistan; Gurmeet Singh, alias Bagga, Germany; Gurpreet Singh, alias Baaghi, UK; Jasmin Singh Hakimzada, UAE; Gurjant Singh Dhillon, Australia; Jasbir Singh Rode, Europe and Canada; Amardeep Singh Purewal, US; Jatinder Singh Grewal, Canada; Dupinder Jeet, UK’ and S Himmat Singh in the US.

Earlier, the security agencies had identified a group of 11 individuals, believed to be both gangsters and terrorists, currently residing in Canada, the US and Pakistan.