Wed Jul 02 17:30:06 UTC 2025: Here’s a summary and a news article based on the provided text, reflecting an Indian perspective:
**Summary:**
The family of deceased Khalistani separatist Avtar Singh Khanda, who died of leukemia in the UK in June 2023, is pressing for an inquest into his death. Their lawyer argues that tests for potential poisoning by exotic substances were not conducted. This comes amid ongoing scrutiny of the deaths and alleged assassination plots involving Khalistani figures abroad, including the murder of Hardeep Singh Nijjar in Canada and a thwarted plot against Gurpatwant Singh Pannun in the US. The Indian government has denied involvement in both Nijjar’s death and the plot against Pannun, though a rogue Indian agent was implicated in the latter. The case raises questions and sensitivities surrounding India’s relationship with the diaspora and accusations of foreign interference.
**News Article:**
**Khalistani Separatist Khanda’s Family Demands Inquest Amid Poisoning Suspicions**
**London – July 2, 2025, 11:04 pm IST**
The family of Avtar Singh Khanda, a Khalistani separatist who died in the UK in June 2023, is renewing its call for a thorough inquest into his death, citing concerns about potential poisoning. Khanda, who had sought asylum in the UK in 2016, died of acute leukemia.
According to a report in The Guardian, the family’s lawyer, Michael Polak, has written to West Midlands coroner Louise Hunt, raising concerns that samples taken from Khanda were not tested for a range of agents, including nerve, biological, or nuclear substances. The lawyer suggests that such substances could have triggered the aggressive form of cancer that caused Khanda’s death.
The lawyer’s letter includes a report from a forensic pathologist commissioned by the family, which states that while initial toxicology reports revealed nothing unusual, poisoning, especially by “exotic substances,” cannot be ruled out.
Khanda’s death comes amid heightened tensions and scrutiny of incidents involving Khalistani figures abroad. The Indian government has faced accusations of involvement in the murder of Hardeep Singh Nijjar in Canada in June 2023, which it vehemently denies. Furthermore, a probe in March 2024 revealed that a former Indian government agent was behind a murder-for-hire plot targeting Gurpatwant Singh Pannun in the U.S. While India denies any official involvement, these incidents have strained relations with key international partners.
The case underscores the complex and sensitive issues surrounding the Khalistani separatist movement, the Indian diaspora, and allegations of foreign interference. The outcome of any potential inquest into Khanda’s death could further impact these ongoing debates.
First Piper 