Dal Khalsa Founder Gajinder Singh Khalsa, 1981 Indian Airlines Hijacker, Passes Away in Pakistan

Gajinder Singh Khalsa, the founder and patron of the Dal Khalsa, reportedly passed away from a heart attack at a hospital in Pakistan on Thursday at the age of 74. The Dal Khalsa organization has yet to officially confirm his death. He is survived by his daughter.

Historical Context

Gajinder Singh Khalsa was one of the five men from the Dal Khalsa, a once-banned organization, who hijacked Indian Airlines flight IC-423 on September 29, 1981. The flight, which had taken off from Delhi’s Palam airport for Srinagar, was carrying 111 passengers and 6 crew members. The hijackers forced the plane to land in Lahore, Pakistan, demanding the release of several Khalistani extremists, including Jarnail Singh Bhindranwale.

The hijackers, including Gajinder Singh, were arrested and imprisoned from September 30, 1981, to October 31, 1994, as part of their life sentence. Following the hijacking, the Indian government banned the Dal Khalsa in 1982, although the organization was allowed to resume overground activities a decade later. In January 2002, the Indian government listed Gajinder Singh Khalsa among the 20 “most wanted” and sought his extradition from Pakistan.

After their release in 1994, two of the hijackers returned to India, while the other three, including Gajinder Singh, chose to stay in Pakistan. In 2020, the Akal Takht, the highest temporal seat of Sikhs, conferred the title of ‘Sikh Warrior in Exile’ on Gajinder Singh Khalsa.

Controversy and Legal Proceedings

Dal Khalsa spokesman Kanwar Pal Singh has voiced objections to the Indian government’s labeling of Gajinder Singh as a “terrorist,” arguing that he was a political activist who sought to change the system without resorting to violence. According to Kanwar Pal, the hijackers did not carry firearms and did not harm any passengers during the hijacking. Gajinder Singh was deported to Pakistan from Germany in July 1996 under pressure from India and has lived in exile since then.

Apart from Gajinder Singh, the other hijackers included Tajinderpal Singh, Satnam Singh, Jasbir Singh Cheema, and Karan Singh. Tajinderpal and Satnam returned to India in December 1997 and 1999, respectively. In August 2018, a Delhi court acquitted Tajinderpal and Satnam of charges of waging war against the country, citing insufficient evidence.

Summary

• Gajinder Singh Khalsa, founder of Dal Khalsa, passed away in Pakistan at age 74.
• He was one of five men who hijacked Indian Airlines flight IC-423 in 1981.
• The hijackers demanded the release of Khalistani extremists, including Jarnail Singh Bhindranwale.
• They were imprisoned from 1981 to 1994.
• The Indian government banned Dal Khalsa in 1982 and listed Gajinder Singh among the “most wanted” in 2002.
• Gajinder Singh lived in exile in Pakistan after being deported from Germany in 1996.
• In 2020, the Akal Takht honored him as a ‘Sikh Warrior in Exile.’
• Dal Khalsa disputes the label of “terrorist” for Gajinder Singh, arguing he was a political activist.
• Two of the hijackers were acquitted by a Delhi court in 2018 due to lack of evidence.