Lakhbir Singh Rode, a key figure accused in the 1985 Air India Kanishka bombing, has passed away in Pakistan due to a heart attack, according to media reports. The 72 year old served as the self-proclaimed leader of the International Sikh Youth Federation (ISYF) and was a nephew of slain Khalistani militant Jarnail Singh Bhindranwale. His death was confirmed by his brother and former Akal Takht Jathedar Jasbir Singh Rode. Rode was cremated in Pakistan. He was listed as an ‘individual terrorist’ under the UA(P)A and had fled to Pakistan.
Recently, India’s National Investigation Agency (NIA) special court in Mohali ordered the confiscation of land belonging to Lakshbir Singh in Punjab’s Moga district. The court ordered the confiscation of the land under Section 33(5) of the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act, allowing the seizure of property owned by proclaimed offenders involved in serious crimes.
Authorities say Lakhbir Singh collaborated closely with Pakistan-based ISI to disrupt peace in India, orchestrating tiffin bomb modules that were dismantled by Punjab Police in recent years. He was also the mastermind behind the Ludhiana Court blast of 2021.
The killing of Shaurya Chakra awardee Comrade Balwinder Singh in 2020 was reportedly planned by Lakhbir Singh, according to a Hindustan Times report.
According to the US State Department, Lakhbir Singh’s ISYF was an active terrorist group with links to Islamist militant organizations, including Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT). ISYF was banned under the Prevention of Terrorist Activities Act (POTA) on March 22, 2002, in India. The UK also banned the terror group in 2001, leading it to change its name to Sikh Federation-UK (SFUK). ISYF, founded in 1984, remains active in Canada and the UK.
