Outrageous accusations are par for course during election season. But it’s truly astounding when a Lieutenant Governor accuses the sitting Chief Minister of taking money from terrorists. So we decided to take a closer look at the allegations against Mr K—and the supposed cash-for-pardon deal with Khalistani groups.
Can we start with the accusations?
The allegation: is straight-forward: Arvind Kejriwal solicited money from Khalistani groups in the US. He received $16 million from them in return for a promise to secure the release of a terrorist named Devinder Pal Bhullar and “for espousing pro-Khalistan sentiments.”
The US trip: These negotiations allegedly took place in 2014—on Kejriwal’s trip to the US—when he tried to raise funds from the diaspora. This was during his iconic ‘muffler man’ days—as you can see here. In any case, he met a number of pro-Khalistan groups at a gurudwara in New York—including Gurpatwant Singh Pannun. And that’s where the deal was sealed.
And who is making these accusations?
The star cast putting forward this conspiracy theory are: two NRI men—Ashoo Mongia and Munish Raizada—plus the Lieutenant Governor of Delhi Vinai Kumar Saxena, and a Khalistan supporter named Gurpatwant Singh Pannun.
Meet Mr Mongia: He is the national secretary of the World Hindu Federation. The NGO describes itself as a “Hindu advocacy organisation educating and interacting with leaders in public policy about issues affecting the Hindu Diaspora communities.” Mongia insists he is not connected to the BJP: “I am part of a Hindu sangathan and we will always stand with BJP and have stood with them in the past as well… I have never needed the support of any political party.”
Mongia’s starring role: Mongia filed a complaint with the Lieutenant Governor, making the allegations. He has no personal knowledge of the matter. He merely came across a video made by the leader of Sikhs for Justice—Gurpatwant Singh Pannun—on a WhatsApp group. In it, Pannun claims his organisation gave AAP $16 million between 2014 and 2022. Mongia therefore dashed off a complaint to the L-G demanding action.
Meet Dr Raizada: He is a former member of AAP—who was suspended in 2015. At the time, he was a doctor based in Chicago—and held a senior post in the party’s Overseas Wing. His X bio describes Raizada as: “Practicing doctor for 21 years in USA, now back in Delhi to work on reforms.” FYI: AAP suspended Raizada for creating an unauthorised platform for AAP’s internal Lokpal panel (vigilance committee).
FYI: Raizada now has his own party—called the Bharatiya Liberal Party. This is one of their campaign vids. We have no comment:
Raizada’s supporting role: He has posted similar allegations on X. Raizada claims that Kejriwal met with Sikh groups in New York—though he was not privy to these meetings. He also claims AAP leader Sanjay Singh made repeated visits to Canada.
The L-G writes a letter: This is when things got really serious. Moved by Mongia’s complaint, Saxena dashed off a letter to the National Investigation Agency—demanding an investigation into the allegations:
The L-G said the complainant had requested a comprehensive inquiry into the allegations regarding the funding of the AAP by SFJ, and keeping in view the sensitivity and seriousness of the allegations, the Ministry of Home Affairs should consider referring the matter to the NIA for a comprehensive investigation.
His evidence is based entirely on Mongia’s complaint—which refers to Pannun’s video, Raizada’s tweets plus this:
Quoting from the original complaint, sent to the L-G’s office in April, the letter says that Kejriwal wrote to former President Pranab Mukherjee seeking clemency for Bhullar… Kejriwal also wrote to one Iqbal Singh in January 2014, mentioning that “the AAP government has already recommended to the President the release of Prof. Bhullar and would be working on other issues, including formation of an SIT, etc. sympathetically and in a time-bound manner.”
What AAP said: Its leader Saurabh Bharadwaj called Saxena an “agent of the BJP”—adding: “The BJP is losing all seven seats in Delhi in the Lok Sabha polls and this is just a reaction to that. They are panicking.”
Well, it does sound weak. Why does this Pannun sound familiar?
Because he recently made headlines as the target of a RAW assassination plot. But let’s start with the backstory.
Sikhs for Justice: It was founded by Pannun in 2007. Its main achievement is an absurd online referendum among the Sikh diaspora, in support of Khalistan. But Pannun also frequently praises terrorists—and makes threats of violence. The government insists Pannun himself is a terrorist—and banned SFJ in 2019.
But, but, but: There’s also this:
In 2019, the Narendra Modi government had removed the names of 312 alleged Khalistani sympathisers from a blacklist of 314 then barred from entering India. The blacklist was created in the 1980s at the peak of Khalistan militancy. The Modi government’s decision to drop the 312 names from it had made them eligible for Indian visas and OCI cards.
Pannun was one of the 312 names. He seems to have been zipping in and out of India ever since—and even owned properties in Amritsar and Chandigarh.
Adding to the muddle: the government is now also accused of trying to assassinate Pannun—which is a whole nother can of worms. We beg you, please don’t make us explain it to you again (See: this Big Story).
Fine, but what about this Bhullar? Did Kejriwal set him free?
Ah, Devinder Pal Singh Bhullar! His name pops up in Punjab politics so often, journos call it the ‘Bhullar card’. He was convicted of a bombing in Delhi in 1993—which killed nine people. Here’s the gist of his criminal history:
- Bhullar was part of a separatist group called the Khalistan Liberation Force.
- He fled to Germany after the bombing and was extradited to India in 1995.
- Bhullar was convicted and sentenced to death in 2011.
- In 2014, the Supreme Court commuted his death sentence to life imprisonment—taking account of his ill health and the long delay in bringing him to trial.
- Bhullar was transferred to a jail in Amritsar in 2015 and shifted to a mental health facility there.
- He has been in prison for at least 22 years.
In sum, not exactly public enemy number one—or a pressing example of grave injustice.
The Bandi Singhs: Bhullar is one of the prominent ‘Bandi Singhs’—who have become a rallying point for Sikhs in Punjab. These “jailed Sikhs'' were convicted in cases related to the insurgency beginning in the mid-1980s. Freeing them from jail has become a political issue in Punjab politics:
While militancy was eliminated in Punjab in the mid 1990s, freedom for the men jailed for militancy has become an emotive subject in the state. Over the years, the convicts have been widely lionised as warriors for the religion. A political and legal movement to seek remission of life sentences handed to Sikh political prisoners convicted during the militancy years has been ongoing in Punjab for three decades now, intensifying in recent years.
Playing the ‘Bhullar card’: It is true that AAP supported clemency for Bhullar in 2013—but the primary push has come from the Shiromani Akali Dal—a close BJP ally until 2020. In fact, AAP is accused of rejecting Bhullar’s plea for early release in 2020.
Wait there’s more: Bhullar was one of the Sikh convicts granted early release by the NDA government in 2019—to mark the 550th birth anniversary of Guru Nanak. And in 2022, the BJP accused AAP of blocking Bhullar’s release. As recently as January 2024, Akali Dal chief Sukhbir Singh Badal accused the AAP CMs of Delhi and Punjab—Kejriwal and Bhagwant Mann—of violating the human rights of Bhullar by keeping him in jail.
The bottomline: What is there left to say—except to note the sequence of events in the liquor case that landed Kejriwal in jail. In July 2022, Lieutenant Governor VK Saxena wrote a report laying out irregularities in the framing and implementation of the liquor policy. The Ministry of Home Affairs ordered an inquiry, and in less than a month—on August 17, 2022—the CBI registered a corruption case against a number of people, including Deputy CM Manish Sisodia. From the L-G’s lips to the government’s ears—that distance is short indeed.
Reading list
The Print has all the details on the L-G’s letter. Indian Express has more on Mongia and Raizada. Article 14 is best on the Bandi Singhs including Devinder Bhullar—while India Today explains the power of the ‘Bhullar card’. This Wire report on the 2022 state elections shows the routine role of terror charges in Punjab politics. Our Big Story is best on Pannun and the Sikhs For Justice.