A court in Frankfurt on Tuesday began the trial of a 54-year-old Indian man accused of spying on Sikh and Kashmiri communities in Germany.
Balvir is accused of spying on the expatriate communities for the Research and Analysis Wing (R&AW) since January 2015. Balvir is accused of providing information about figures in the Sikh opposition scene, the Kashmiri movement and their relatives in Germany to his handlers, apparently working at the Indian consulate general in Frankfurt.
AFP reported, "A total of 10 hearings before the regional superior court are scheduled, with the trial due to conclude on October 29."
The same Frankfurt court had convicted an Indian couple of spying in December last year. "The husband was handed a suspended prison sentence of 18 months for acting as a foreign intelligence agent and his wife fined 180 days' wages for aiding him," AFP reported.
Germany's Deutsche Welle news agency had reported in December that the couple had confessed to meeting a R&AW handler regularly.
"The husband's espionage activities are said to have begun in January 2015, with his wife joining him in collecting intelligence from July 2017. The couple are reported to have received €7,200 ($7,974) from RAW for their services," Deutsche Welle reported.
Germany is estimated to be home to about 20,000 Sikhs and has the third-largest population of adherents of the faith in Europe after the UK and Italy.
In May, an Indian counter-terror official told THE WEEK Khalistani separatists are a potent force in countries like Germany, Canada, UK and US.
Indian security agencies suspect that elements in Germany with links to security agencies are providing support to the Khalistani leaders. They see this as a reason why no legal action is taken against the Khalistani operatives in that country.
One of the top operatives roaming freely in Germany is Gurmeet Singh Bagga of the Khalistan Zindabad Force. Gurmeet Singh, also known as Bagga and ‘Doctor’, has allegedly been instrumental in re-organising the terrorist group to revive terrorism in Punjab—where he is believed to have established sleeper cells, which were busted by the Punjab Police.
Bagga has been very active in sending arms, fake Indian currency and drugs into Punjab through his associates in Pakistan.
