Thousands to attend funeral of Sikh activist - but not one family member will be present
The 35-year-old played a centric role in Sikh activism in the UK and followed in the footsteps of his father who was shot and killed in 1992.
Saturday 12 August 2023 04:43, UK
Thousands of friends and supporters will attend the funeral of a man who campaigned for a separate Sikh state - but not a single blood relative will be there.
Sikh activist Avtar Singh Khanda was admitted into Birmingham City Hospital on 11 June 2023 with a sudden illness.
He was diagnosed with acute myeloid leukaemia, a form of blood cancer and pulmonary embolisms (blood clots) and died in the early hours of 15 June, his family said.
The funeral and memorial service will take place at Guru Nanak Gurdwara in Smethwick near Birmingham today with Mr Khanda's closest friends and supporters expected to attend - but his immediate family will be watching from a television screen thousands of miles away.
Mr Khanda's mother and sister - who live in India - were refused visas to attend his funeral by the Home Office.
The refusal letter - which has been sent exclusively to Sky News - mentions an incident from 19 March 2023 which saw vandalism of the Indian High Commission building in London and the yanking of the Indian flag to replace it with a separatist flag.
As one of the reasons to refuse the visa, the Home Office letter included links to three Indian media articles which claimed Mr Khanda was arrested for pulling down the Indian flag.
The Metropolitan Police told Sky News that Mr Khanda was not arrested or charged as part of this investigation.
The media articles in India led to Mr Khanda's mother and sister to be detained for questioning by police in the country - which was also referenced in the refusal letter.
Other reasons for refusal in the letter to Mr Khanda's mother and sister included discrepancies to previous applications and a risk they would both overstay and not return home to Punjab.
Responding to the claims, a Home Office spokesperson told Sky News: "All visa applications are carefully considered at the time on their individual merits, on the basis of the evidence provided and in accordance with the immigration rules."
They refused to give any further comment on the citing of Indian media articles, after being asked about the Met Police statement sent to Sky News.
Jas Singh, adviser to the Sikh Federation UK - which is supporting Mr Khanda's family - said: "The Home Office have clearly neglected their duty to Avtar and in upholding basic humanitarian principles and standards. They have adopted the line and narrative of the Indian government and its fake news ahead of the truth and death of a youth Sikh.
"There is still a huge amount of concern and anger within the community for the way they have handled this tragic case."
Sky News understands Mr Khanda last saw his mother and sister in 2010, which is when he moved to the UK on asylum due to what he claimed was persecution for his activism on Khalistan - the title given to the separatist movement seeking to create a homeland for Sikhs.
Mr Khanda's father - Kulwant Singh Khukhrana - was shot and killed for his campaigning of the movement in India in 1992.
Mr Singh added: "Avtar was a very intelligent and popular Sikh youth activist and leader, he was loved and respected by many in the community from all different sections.
"His loss is immeasurable and will leave a large void in the community. But we are a community born out of sacrifices and his contributions and actions will leave a legacy for generations to be inspired from, that will forever continue to Sikh struggle for truth, justice and freedom".