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New Delhi: Khalistani terrorist Lakhbir Singh Rode, nephew of Jarnail Singh Bhindranwale, the self-styled chief of the banned outfits Khalistan Liberation Force (KLF) and International Sikh Youth Federation, has reportedly died in Pakistan. Sources said that Rode reportedly suffered a heart attack.
Sources also said Rode’s last rites were secretly performed in Pakistan following Sikh customs and traditions. Lakhbir Singh was listed as an ‘individual terrorist’ under the UA(P)A and had fled to Pakistan.
Lakhbir Singh’s brother and former Akal Takht Jathedar Jasbir Singh Rode confirmed his death. Bhindranwale was an erstwhile leader of the Khalistan movement. He was 72-year-old.
A native of village Rode in Moga, Lakhbir Singh had initially fled to Dubai. He later moved to Pakistan but kept his family in Canada. Lakhbir Singh Rode was involved in terrorist activities against India in Punjab at the behest of Pakistan’s intelligence agency ISI, according to signals from Pakistan’s secret agency ISI.
The National Investigation Agency (NIA) had confiscated the properties of Rode following a raid by the anti-terror agency in October. The raids were carried out in Moga, Punjab. In 2002, India had submitted a list of 20 terrorists demanding their extradition from Pakistan.
The anti-terror agency’s action came as it was investigating six cases against Rode for his active involvement in terror-related activities between 2021 and 2023. His criminal dossier includes armed attacks on law enforcement personnel, orchestrating IED and bomb blasts, targeted killings of members of the minority community, extortion, fundraising for terrorist operations, and instilling terror among the general populace.
