Babbar Khalsa
Babbar Khalsa International (BKI, Punjabi: ਬੱਬਰ ਖ਼ਾਲਸਾ, [bəbːəɾ xɑlsɑ]), better known as Babbar Khalsa, is a Sikh militant organisation that aims to create an independent Sikh nation of Khalistan in the Indian and Pakistani states of Punjab. It has used armed attacks, assassinations and bombings in aid of that goal, and is deemed to be a terrorist entity by various governments. Besides India, it operates in North America and Europe, including Scandinavia.
| Babbar Khalsa International | |
|---|---|
| ਬੱਬਰ ਖ਼ਾਲਸਾ | |
| Also known as | Lions of the True Faith |
| Founders | Talwinder Singh Parmar † Sukhdev Singh Babbar † |
| Leader | Wadhawa Singh Babbar |
| Foundation | April 1978 |
| Motives | Creation of an independent state of Khalistan for Sikhs in the Punjabi speaking region of South Asia. |
| Active regions | Canada, Germany, Pakistan, United Kingdom |
| Ideology | Sikh nationalism, Punjabi separatism |
| Notable attacks |
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| Status | Active |
| Part of | Insurgency in Punjab, India |
| Designated as a terrorist group by |
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BKI was created in 1978 after clashes with the Nirankari sect of Sikhs. It was active throughout the 1980s in the Punjab insurgency and gained international notoriety in June 1985, for killing 329 civilians (mostly Canadians) in Air India Flight 182 in Canada's worst case of mass murder and for the associated 1985 Narita International Airport bombing – a bungled attempt at mass murder on a second Air India flight on the same day. Its influence declined in the 1990s after several of its senior leaders were killed in encounters with Indian police.
The organisation is officially banned and designated as an international terrorist organisation by the United States, Canada, the United Kingdom, the European Union, Japan, Malaysia, and India.