Delhi Lt Governor Recommends NIA Probe into Alleged AAP-Khalistani Funding Scandal

New Delhi: Delhi Lieutenant Governor VK Saxena has recommended a National Investigation Agency (NIA) inquiry into accusations that Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal and the AAP government received funds from ‘Sikhs for Justice’, a banned Khalistani group based in the US.

Saurabh Bharadwaj, an AAP leader and Delhi minister, vehemently denied the allegations, labelling them as “another conspiracy” against Kejriwal.

The complaint received by the Lt Governor’s Secretariat alleges that AAP received USD 16 million from pro-Khalistani groups, purportedly to aid in the release of 1993 Delhi blasts convict Devendra Pal Bhullar and support pro-Khalistani sentiments. Saxena stated that due to the seriousness of the allegations against a Chief Minister involving political funding from a banned outfit, investigation, including forensic examination of electronic evidence, is warranted.

Additionally, the Lt Governor forwarded to the Ministry of Home Affairs a letter from Kejriwal to Iqbal Singh in January 2014, referencing the AAP government’s recommendation for Bhullar’s release and other related matters. The complaint also cites a video by Gurpatwant Singh Pannun, the chief of Sikhs for Justice, alleging AAP received funds from Khalistani groups between 2014 and 2022.

The Lt Governor’s office claimed that Kejriwal held closed-door meetings with Khalistani leaders at a Gurudwara in New York during his 2014 visit, allegedly promising Bhullar’s release in exchange for financial backing from Khalistani factions to AAP. Dr. Munish Kumar Raizada, a former AAP worker, shared pictures of these alleged meetings on social media.