Who is Harwinder Singh Sandhu ‘Rinda’, Punjab man declared terrorist by India?

Punjab-resident Harwinder Singh Sandhu was declared as a terrorist by the Government of India on Friday. Rinda was one of the masterminds of the 2021 attack on the intelligence headquarters of the Punjab Police. Rinda was reported to have died of drug overdose at a hospital in Pakistan's Lahore last November. However, agencies found fresh evidence recently that suggests he is alive.

Designation of Organisations/individuals as ‘Terrorist Organization’/ ‘Terrorist’ under the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act, 1967 (UAPA)

Press Release- https://t.co/L9aAoHiCCs pic.twitter.com/ugeTB8nqla

— Spokesperson, Ministry of Home Affairs (@PIBHomeAffairs) February 17, 2023

Sandhu, who is also known as ‘Rinda’, is currently based in Lahore. He is associated with Babbar Khalsa International (BKI), an organisation banned for terror. Interpol, the international police organisation, has also issued a Red Corner Notice against Sandhu.  

Sandhu has direct links with Pakistan-based terrorist groups, the Ministry of Home Affairs revealed in a notification. The individual is also involved in cross-border smuggling of arms, ammunition and militant hardware, besides drugs on a large scale, it added.

Furthermore, he has been involved in multiple criminal offences across the states of Punjab, Maharashtra, Haryana, West Bengal, Himachal Pradesh and Madhya Pradesh. These include murder, attempt to murder, contract killing, robbery and extortion. Sandhu is the 54th individual to be designated as a terrorist by the Indian government.

He has been absconding from India since 2020. He was made the India head of BKI while sitting in Pakistan. His father Charan Singh was lodged in a Maharashtra jail, as per a Zee News report. Agencies also suspect his involvement in the 2022 Mohali blast case. 

He constantly changes his appearance. There are photographs of him with and without a turban. He has at least 27 criminal cases filed against him. He is fond of big luxury vehicles and uses weapons like .32, 9mm guns in his crimes, the report added.

READ | Government bans two organisations for terror acts, declares one individual as terrorist