British-Sikh, 21, sentenced to 9 years for Queen assassination plot linked to Jallianwala Bagh revenge

London, October 06: A 21-year-old British-Sikh has been sentenced to nine years in prison by a UK court for plotting to assassinate Queen Elizabeth II as revenge for the 1919 Jallianwala Bagh massacre. Jaswant Singh Chail, armed with a crossbow, had scaled the walls of Windsor Castle on Christmas Day 2021 and informed royal guards of his intention to kill the Queen.

Chail, who identified as an "Indian Sikh" in a post-incident social media video, had a history of mental health issues and was partially influenced by Star Wars films. He had long harbored fantasies of assassinating the Queen, which he had shared with an artificial intelligence-powered "girlfriend" named Sarai.

Justice Nicholas Hilliard acknowledged differing expert opinions on Chail's mental state but ultimately ruled that Chail had become psychotic and detached from reality. Despite this, the severity of the crimes warranted a prison sentence.

Chail will initially return to a psychiatric facility where he has been receiving treatment. If he is deemed fit for the future, he will serve the remainder of his sentence in prison.

Hilliard noted that Chail's intent was not merely to harm or alarm the Queen but to kill her. Chail had also mentioned in a journal that if he couldn't reach the Queen, he would target Prince Charles as a "suitable figurehead," referencing King Charles III. Chail had breached the castle grounds two hours before his arrest, armed with a loaded crossbow capable of causing serious or fatal injuries.

At the time of the intrusion, Queen Elizabeth II was in her private apartments at Windsor Castle.

- With inputs from agencies

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