Gajinder Singh Khalsa, Passed Away in Pakistan

Dal Khalsa founder and patron Gajinder Singh Khalsa reportedly died of a heart attack at a hospital in Pakistan on June 4. He was 74. Dal Khalsa is yet to confirm his death. He is survived by his daughter.

Hijacker of the Indian Airlines flight IC-423

Khalsa was one of the five men from the once-banned organisation Dal Khalsa who hijacked the Indian Airlines flight IC-423 which took off from Delhi’s Palam airport for Srinagar on September 29, 1981. They hijacked the Indian Airlines flight, with 111 passengers and 6 crew members on board, and forced the plane to land in Lahore to seek the release of several Khalistani extremists, including Jarnail Singh Bhindranwale. They were arrested and underwent imprisonment from September 30, 1981, to October 31, 1994, as part of their life sentence by a court there. The hijackers had sought the release of several Khalistani extremists, including Jarnail Singh Bhindranwale.

Man of politics

He is not a killer or a criminal. He is a man of politics. He wanted to change the system. He has never shown any prejudice or discrimination towards any religion or culture. He struggled for Sikh rights but never took up arms to accomplish the mission. The charges of sedition against him don’t fall under the definition of terrorism. Sedition is not a terrorist act. He has already spent 13 years and four months in Lahore jail for his act,” he said.

Hijacked the aircraft to Lahore

Kanwar Pal said Dal Khalsa activists did hijack the aircraft to Lahore, but none of them carried firearms and did not harm any passenger. The spokesman said Gajinder Singh went to Germany in July 1996, but was deported to Pakistan following the pressure from India. “A petition was filed by our party activists in the administrative court of Germany protesting the deportation of Gajinder Singh back to Pakistan. Since then, he is in exile,” he added.

Other hijacker of Indian Airlines Plane