Khalistani separatists led by the banned Sikhs for Justice (SFJ) had planned to carry out bombings of Delhi airport and several metro railway stations in the national capital during the recently-concluded G20 summit of world leaders. The aim was to attract global attention to their secessionist demand.
The Free Press Journal has exclusively obtained minutes of a meeting of intelligence personnel which reveals the diabolic plan of the Khalistanis. The agencies had obtained transcripts of audio conversations between Khalistanis stationed abroad and their representatives holed up in India which were intercepted by them.
Interestingly, the intercepts showed Gurupanwant Singh Pannu of SFJ claiming that China was supporting the idea of Khalistan.
According to the intelligence input received on September 1,
the Intelligence Bureau (IB) intercepted a voice message purportedly of Pannu where he talks of plans to not only bomb Delhi airport and several metro stations, but also hoist Khalistani flags at the sites of the blasts. It said the saboteurs, who prayed at the Nankana Sahib temple in Pakistan, had already reached Delhi to carry out their mission. It further said there was a "message" for Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Union home minister Amit Shah and external affairs minister S Jaishankar.
The August 31, the IB's intercept pertains to a voice message from the UK to an India-based telephone number (995****909). This telephone number is associated with Sikhs for Justice (SFJ) and contains voice messages from Pannu.The call contains the following message: Khalistan activists are planning to wage war in Delhi. They are planning bomb blasts at various metro stations, and bombs are being readied as a part of the Khalistan referendum.
Another intercept on the same day talks of targeting the venue of the G 20 summit and hotels where the delegates are being put up.
The Bureau came to known that Pannu had sought the help of a Manila-based gangster Manpreet Singh Peeta to carry out his nefarious plans. Peeta is known to be a close associate of Canada-based gangster Arsh Dhalla.
The conspiracy was unearthed when the National Investigation Agency (NIA) had already apprehended gangster Manpreet Singh 'Peeta' and his brother Mandeep Singh and had them deported from Manila. Their close interrogation by the NIA and IB revealed their nexus with Pannu. The name of another terrorist who was simply known as Vikram also cropped during the investigation.
An August 25, intercept showed that Pannu had offered a reward of $ 1,00,000 to anyone who removed the Indian flag from Pragati Maidan, where an exhibition linked to the G20 summit was held and replaced it with the Khalistani flag.
