Delhi lieutenant governor VK Saxena on Monday recommended a National Investigation Agency (NIA) probe against jailed Delhi chief minister Arvind Kejriwal for allegedly receiving political funding from banned separatist group Sikhs for Justice (SFJ). Now CNN-News18 has accessed NIA’s possible probe angles on claims allegedly made by SFJ founder Gurpatwant Singh Pannun.
Pannun had earlier purportedly alleged in a video that Khalistani groups gave USD 16 million (approximately Rs 133.54 crore) to Kejriwal’s Aam Aadmi Party to fund elections between 2014 and 2022. He further claimed that the Delhi CM made a shocking proposition in 2014 to release convicted terrorist Devinder Pal Singh Bhullar in exchange for financial support. Bhullar was involved in the 1993 Delhi bomb blast that killed nine people and injured 31 others.
Sources told CNN-News18 that according to Pannun, Kejriwal used to run three teams and was the kingpin of the funding exercise.
Team 1 purportedly comprised Punjab chief minister Bhagwant Mann and erstwhile AAP leader Gurpreet Ghuggi.
Ghuggi allegedly met Babbar Khalsa International operative Rajinder Singh who was a close associate of the outfit’s head Wadhawa Singh Babbar.
They discussed financial support in lieu of foreign BKI operatives being helped to go back to India, according to Pannun.
Bhagwant Mann was an MP and at the time and AAP leader Sanjay Singh was incharge of Punjab. Singh was also brought on the phone to assure support, says Pannun.
Sources said that Sanjay Singh in the phone conversation in 2016 stated that Kejriwal would be the next Prime Minister and then allegedly laughed and added “Kejriwal will be PM of Khalistan.”
Money (over $3 million from New York, New Jersey, Pennsylvania, and Washington) was allegedly transferred through hawala by Bhagwant Mann’s contact and associated comedian Jagtar Jaggi (who is now a host on JusPunjabi , a US platform).
Team 2 allegedly comprised Mann and erstwhile AAP leader Sukhpal Khaira. Khaira stated that his father was the first to give a call for Khalistan and AAP and Kejriwal personally assured support, said the sources.
This team purportedly led the US West Coast funding through meetings of pro-Khalistan Sikhs at Stockton Gurdwara Sahib in California and USD 2.5 to 4 million was transferred by hawala trader Hardip Singh.
This was done allegedly with the help of then senior superintendent of police in Punjab Rajvinder Sohal, who in turn used other police connections of ADGP Paramraj Umranangal, according to information from Pannun.
Team 3 allegedly had Bhagwant Mann, AAP Rajya Sabha member Sandeep Pathak, erstwhile AAP leader Kumar Vishwas, as well as IIT alumni contacts of Kejriwal.
Mann purportedly called all contacts to donate money, which was collected at ‘pro-Khalistan’ Gurdwara Sahib of Fremont. Sources say so far there is no information on how they transferred this money to India.
“We are aware of this and this needs proper investigation,” said a source. “We need to explore if Kejriwal was playing deliberately or unknowingly in the hands of Pannun.”
According to top intelligence sources, the NIA will be asked to probe all these angles.
“This is too early to conclude the role of individuals but these are serious allegations and proper investigation is important,” a source said.
According to sources, the NIA will soon file an FIR in the matter after receiving a reference from the Centre.
In a letter to the ministry of home affairs this week, the principal secretary to Delhi L-G Saxena said he had received a complaint that the Arvind Kejriwal-led AAP received a “staggering amount of $16 million in funding from Khalistani groups between 2014 and 2022”. He said the complaint was submitted by one Ashoo Mongia.
Reacting to the letter, Delhi minister and AAP leader Saurabh Bhardwaj said the L-G “is an agent of the BJP”.
“This is another big conspiracy against CM Kejriwal by them at the behest of the BJP. The BJP is losing all seven (Lok Sabha) seats in Delhi and hence is upset. The BJP had hatched this conspiracy even before the Punjab Assembly elections,” he was quoted by ANI as saying.
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