The Asian Age

Khalistan Liberation Force chief dies in jail

- TANVEER THAKUR

K hali stan Liberation Force chief Har minder Singh Mintoo died of “cardiac arrest” in Pa ti ala Central Jail where he was lodged said.

Police has recommende­d a judicial inquiry into the death of Mintoo. Mintoo felt uneasy before appearing in a video- conference in an ongoing case trial.

He was lodged in the jail from past over a year. Senior Intelligen­ce officials rushed to Patiala to ascertain the detailed cause of his death, as his links with ISI and various internatio­nal spy agencies were under scanner.

Mintoo had escaped from Nabha jail in a sensationa­l jailbreak on November 28, 2016, only to be arrested later.

In November 2014, Harminder Singh Mintoo was arrested by Punjab Police from the Indira Gandhi Internatio­nal airport on his return from Thailand.

At the time of his arrest, Mintoo was accused of being involved in 10 terrorrela­ted cases.

Mintoo was using Thailand as his base to mobilise funds for the banned organisati­on. He was using online resources to enlist support for the Khalistan cause and to radicalise youth.

Using a fake Malaysian passport and identity card, Mintoo travelled extensivel­y across Europe and South East Asia in order to develop contacts. He frequently made trips to Pakistan, where he was reported to have acquired funds and support.

In India, Mintoo was named accused in several terror cases, including the attack on Sirsa- based Dera Sacha Sauda chief Gurmeet Ram Rahim Singh and on three Shiv Sena leaders.

 ??  ?? Harminder Singh Mintoo
Harminder Singh Mintoo

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