Description
Sikh terrorism is sponsored by expatriate and Indian Sikh groups who want to carve out an independent Sikh state called Khalistan (Land of the Pure) from Indian terroritory. Active groups include Babbar Khalsa, International Sikh Youth Federation, Dal Khalsa, Bhinderanwala Tiger Force. A previously unknown group, the Saheed Khalsa Force, claimed credit for the marketplace bombings in New Delhi in 1997. Previously active groups included the Azad Khalistan Babbar Khalsa Force, Khalistan Liberation Front, and Khalistan Commando Force. Many of these groups operate under umbrella organizations, the most significant of which is the Second Panthic Committee.
Location/Area of Operation
Northern India, Western Europe, Southeast Asia, and North America.
External Aid
Sikh militant cells are active internationally, and extremists gather funds from overseas Sikh communities. Sikh expatriates have formed a variety of international organizations that lobby for the Sikh cause overseas. Most prominent are the World Sikh Organization and the International Sikh Youth Federation.
A distinguished contingency of 14 Sikhs from around the United States met in an hour long meeting with President Bush in the Roosevelt Room of the White House.
They discussed the importance of respecting diversity in America, Sikhs in the military, and that India is a strong ally of the US and in full support of the President
The following is a list of Sikh Community Leaders attending the Sept. 26 meeting with President Bush:
Avtar Gill, Sikh Community of Central Valley, California
Balwinder Cheema, president, Sikh Cultural Society of New York
Bhupinder Saini, executive committee member, Sikh Religious Society of Wisconsin
Charnjit Batth, president/chair Pacific Coast, Khala Diwan Society, Fresno, California Darshan Dhaliwal, president, Bulk Petroleum Corporation, Mequon,Wisconsin -- Charranjeet Dhaliwal, Sikh, Mequon, Wisconsin
Daya Singh Khalsa, senior vice president, Akal Security Inc. Santa Cruz, New Mexico
Didar Singh, ex-president and founder, World Sikh Organization, Yuba City, California
Jason Thompson, vice president, Bulk Petroleum Corporation Mequon, Wisconsin
Jaspreet Singh, Sikh Gurudwara, Bridgewater, New Jersey
Jessie Singh, B.J.S. Group, a computer company, Milpitas, California
Kulwant Hundal, president, Sikh Religious Society of Chicago
Mohinder Singh, president, Baba Makhan Shah Lubana Sikh Center and coordinator of relief supplies for victims of WTC tragedy
Dr. Prem Sharma, president, Wisconsin Coalition of Asian Indian Association and president, Milwaukee Ethnic Council, Milwaukee, Wisconsin
Dr. Rajwant Singh, founder and leader of the local Sikh congregation, Guru Gobind Singh Foundation.