London: UK-based pro-Khalistan activist Avtar Singh Khanda, who was the main perpetrator in the attack on Indian High Commission, has died at a hospital in Birmingham.
While the exact cause of demise has not yet been identified with some reports suggesting that he was poisoned to death while others claim that he passed away due to food poisoning.
Avtar was the head of the Khalistan Liberation Force (KLF), which is banned by India, and has helped Waris Punjab De head Amritpal Singh while the latter was on the run from the Punjab Police.
Khanda was arrested in the UK for pulling down Indian national flag at the High Commission in London. The National Investigation Agency (NIA) had named him as the accused for attempting to vandalise the Indian High Commission on March 19, the day after the crackdown on Waris Punjab De began in Punjab.
Khanda is the son of Kulwant Singh Khukrana, who was a Khalistan Liberation Force militant.
After his father was gunned down by the Indian force in 1991, Khanda reached the UK on a student visa. He went on to secure an asylum in the country.
Avtar was a key figure in attracting Sikh youth in Britain to Khalistan separatism and inciting them to engage in anti-Indian activities, sources said.
