New Delhi, India (December 27, 2012): As per a news report by Times of India (TOI) the National Investigation Agency (NIA) of India has sought the UK’s help in its probe against certain social organizations and groups allegedly trying to fund the revival of Sikh militant group Babbar Khalsa International (BKI).
As per TOI news: “The agency has written to UK authorities seeking help under the Mutual Legal Assistance Treaty between India and Britain. It has sought details of all NGOs and groups that it suspects are being used by independent interests or the ISI to route money to BKI. It has asked for account details of these groups, details of their financial dealings, details of donations into their account and the activities they have been associated with in the UK”.
“NIA has also given UK authorities a list of suspected operatives of BKI and Khalistan Zindabad Force that it suspects are in the UK. It has asked UK authorities to monitor their movements and give it as much details as possible about their activities, both past and present”, TOI news report reads further.
As per information the NIA had in September registered an FIR alleging that certain groups and NGOs were illegally routing funds to BKI to revive its militant activities. Most of these groups were based in Canada, UK and Germany and over 20 websites and close to 50 groups on various networking sites were said to have been put under the scanner for trying to revive the movement by asking people to never forget the Sikh genocide of November 1984 and armed attack of June 1984 on Sri Darbar Sahib, Amritsar.
As per Times of India (TOI) news report: “Sources said several NGOs based in the UK have been collecting funds in the name of helping the widows of those killed in Operation Bluestar and the victims of 1984 riots. Much of this money is being transferred via hawala, legal bank transfers or human courier, sources said”.
“We need more evidence to establish the flow of funds out of these NGOs into BKI’s cause. That is why we have written to UK authorities to help us,” TOI has quoted an unnamed NIA official as saying.