Jaspal Atwal's name was removed from MHA's blacklist of Sikh extremists months ago: Sources
Jaspal Atwal
Toronto Star quoting Canadian officials stated that Atwal was well-connected in India and was close to Indian diplomats at New Delhi's consulate in Vancouver and in India.
The name of Jaspal Atwal, the Khalistani separatist whose dinner invitation by Canada's visiting PM Justin Trudeau was cancelled amidst a flurry of red-faced apologies, may have been removed from home ministry's 'blacklist' of Sikh extremists several months ago, said Home Ministry sources.
New Delhi officials reportedly believed Atwal was no threat and de-listed him in 2017. The Sikh separatist was charged with attacking a moderate Punjab politician in Canada and sentenced to 20 years in prison. He belongs to the banned Sikh terrorist group, Khalistani.
Toronto Star quoting Canadian officials stated that Atwal was well-connected in India and was close to Indian diplomats at New Delhi's consulate in Vancouver and in India.
The report goes on to suggest that the Indian government seems to have come to a conclusion that Jaspal Atwal no longer espoused Sikh separatism.
Photographs of Atwal greeting the PM's wife Sophie Trudeau and an accompanying minister plunged the visiting Canadian delegation in embarrassment. Things only worsened, when an invitation to Jaspal Atwal from PM Trudeau for dinner at the highly-guarded Canada House in Delhi went viral on social media. Though invitation was hastily withdrawn amidst uproar, the Canadian PM's week-long trip to India will be remembered for the gaffe for a long time to come.