New Delhi, Jan 24 (IANS) There is a sense of desperation that is setting in among the Khalistan elements, and this may lead to them carrying out a major attack in India. Once they were beaten down in Punjab, they took shelter in Pakistan, Canada, the United Kingdom, and the United States.

Since then, there have been multiple attempts that had been made to revive the movement in Punjab, but they have been largely unsuccessful. However, recent Intelligence inputs suggest that the ISI is on overdrive mode and wants the Khalistan terror groups to strike big and send across a strong message.

An Intelligence Bureau official said that these elements based out of Pakistan have made several attempts to infiltrate India through Jammu and Kashmir and Punjab, but have been unsuccessful. This has prompted us to look at the India border through Bangladesh, the official said.

During a recent meeting, the ISI decided that all the Khalistan terror groups would operate as one. The lead would be taken by the Babbar Khalsa International (BKI). Since that meeting, the BKI has trained hard and managed to set up some modules in Punjab.

Another official said that the ISI is trying to move the BKI cadres to Bangladesh and then move them into India. The focus areas of the attacks, according to Intelligence agencies, would be Delhi and Punjab. They have been told to hit government establishments and not target innocents. Targeting innocent civilians would mean that the recruitments will never take place. The ISI wants the BKI to send a message to the Indian establishment.

In the run-up to this major plan, officials say that the BKI and its affiliates have been indulging in a major disinformation campaign. The Sikhs for Justice (SFJ), which has been heading this campaign for the BKI, has been posting relentlessly on social media as well as encrypted channels, false information about the Narendra Modi government. The campaign has revolved largely around the plight of the Sikhs in Punjab.

Further, the SFJ has been spreading false information about the plight of women in Punjab. There is also a focus on trying to agitate the farmer community with false information on the policies of the central government. The SFJ had, during the farmer protest, carried out a similar campaign. Some of the Khalistani elements had even tried to infiltrate the protests, but were unsuccessful.

Due to this, security has been heightened in Delhi, Punjab, and Jammu and Kashmir. The agencies had learnt that the BKI would look to carry out a strike ahead of Republic Day.

The Punjab police, too is in a state of very high alert as there is a possibility of the BKI attempting a strike in the state. Based on inputs, the Punjab police this week busted a BKI module and arrested six persons. This module was planning a massive strike on January 26, but was busted in the nick of time. The police also recovered a huge cache of arms and ammunition. During the course of the probe, the police learnt that they were planning attacks using RDX, and this signals that the plan was a massive one, a police official said. The police also said that this module was backed by the ISI.

Another official said that another reason for the desperation is that the cadres who are part of these Khalistan terror groups are asking questions. Questions are being asked as to why no strike is being planned or is taking place. They question why the campaign has remained online for so long. Since the cadres are getting extremely restless, the BKI leadership has become very concerned and hence is planning a huge attack on Indian soil, officials say.

The BKI, which is a proscribed terror group, moved all its cadres to Pakistan following the crackdown in Punjab. Since then, they have trained alongside the Jaish-e-Mohammed under the patronage of the ISI. Intelligence assessments say that the BKI has at least 200 cadres, and each one of them is highly trained. No,w with the ISI deciding to dispatch at least 20 of them to India in the first phase, a high alert has been issued at the borders with Punjab, Jammu and Kashmir, and Bangladesh.

–IANS

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