Lakhbir Singh Rode, who was allegedly involved in the 1985 bombing of the Air India jet Kanishka, has passed away in Pakistan due to a heart attack. The news of his demise was confirmed by his brother, Jasbir Singh Rode, who is also a former Akal Takht Jathedar.
According to Jasbir Singh, he received the information about Lakhbir Singh's death from his son, who is based in Canada. The 71-year-old Lakhbir Singh was cremated in Pakistan on the day following his demise.
Lakhbir Singh Rode, the nephew of the encountered Khalistani militant Jarnail Singh Bhindranwale, who was killed during Operation Blue Star in the Golden Temple in Amritsar, is designated as a terrorist by the Indian government under the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act.
He was initially based in Dubai, but later relocated to Pakistan.
Operating from Pakistan, Rode led the banned organization KLF for several years, with suspicions of running operations from Lahore. As the chief of KLF, a proscribed group in India, Rode also orchestrated the Khalistan Zindabad Force cell near the India-Nepal border, contributing to disturbances.
Acknowledging collaboration with the Pakistani government, Rode confessed to orchestrating attacks against India and was apprehended in possession of 20 kg of RDX, allegedly provided by a councillor at the Pakistani Embassy in Kathmandu.
While Rode has been implicated as the mastermind behind the Air India 182 bombing in 1985, as per a confession by militant Talwinder Singh Parmar, this assertion is yet to be substantiated.
According to the Indian government's dossier on Lakhbir Singh, he is held accountable for smuggling and delivering arms and explosives across the Punjab border, aiming to target VVIPs throughout India.
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