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Navkiran Kaur Khalra Biography: Age, Career, Family and More

F4U Editorial Desk • Updated September 29, 2026 • 6 min read

Quick Info

Date of birth1985

Age38 Years (as of 2023)

BirthplaceAmritsar, Punjab

ProfessionEngineer, Human Rights Defender

Marital statusMarried

SpouseDalbir Singh

FamilyMother: Paramjit Kaur; Father (deceased): Jaswant Singh Khalra; Brother: Janmeet Singh; Children: 1 son

Navkiran Kaur Khalra Biography

Engineer and human rights defender Navkiran Kaur Khalra balances a career in electrical engineering with ongoing advocacy to preserve her father Jaswant K.

Early life and background

Navkiran Kaur Khalra was born in Amritsar, Punjab, in 1985 into a family with a long history of social and political engagement. Her ancestral village is Khalra. Her parents moved to Amritsar in 1985, where her mother took a job at a university library and her father worked in banking before becoming a noted human rights campaigner. Navkiran grew up with activism around her: her father’s work investigating unlawful killings by state authorities and her family’s multi‑generational involvement in reformist movements influenced her worldview from an early age.

She completed a Bachelor of Technology in Electronics and Communication Engineering at I. K. Gujral Punjab Technical University (then Punjab Technical University) in Jalandhar, and later moved to the United States to pursue graduate studies. In Fresno, California, she earned a Master of Science in Electrical Engineering from California State University, Fresno.

Career

Navkiran’s early technical training included a six‑month internship at the Central Scientific Instruments Organisation (CSIO) in 2007 and a period teaching undergraduate electrical and electronics engineering courses after completing her bachelor’s degree. Following her move to the United States, she undertook a hardware internship at Juniper Networks in 2011.

Her industry career progressed through product and design roles in the Bay Area. From 2012 to 2013 she worked as a Design and Release Engineer at Alert Enterprise in Fremont. She then joined SanDisk as a Senior Product Engineer based in Milpitas, California, from late 2013 through the end of 2016. In January 2017 she began working at Western Digital in Milpitas; she advanced from Staff Engineer to Principal Engineer and later Technologist. In October 2020 she assumed the role of Senior Manager at Western Digital.

Activism and public work

Alongside her engineering career, Navkiran is active as a human rights defender, focusing on preserving and promoting the legacy of her father, Jaswant Singh Khalra. After her father was abducted and killed in 1995—an event that occurred when she was a child—Navkiran joined with her mother and brother to continue advocacy through the Khalra Mission Organization. She speaks about her father’s work at religious and cultural gatherings in India and among the Sikh diaspora abroad, and has been involved in efforts that resulted in Fresno’s City Council renaming Victoria Park to Jaswant Singh Khalra Park in 2017.

Her family background includes multiple generations engaged in political causes and resistance to colonial-era exclusionary policies; those histories form part of the narrative she carries forward in her public work.

Public profile

Navkiran is married and lives in Milpitas, California. Her husband’s name is Dalbir Singh and the couple have a son. Her mother, Paramjit Kaur, is active in politics and human rights advocacy; her brother Janmeet Singh is also involved in human rights work. Her father Jaswant Singh Khalra is widely recognized for investigations into unlawful killings and cremations in Punjab in the 1980s and 1990s.

Physically, she is described as approximately 163 cm tall (5 feet 4 inches) with black hair and black eyes. She practices Sikhism.

Latest updates

In recent years Navkiran has continued to split her time between engineering work and advocacy on behalf of Sikh victims and families. Public mentions of a planned biopic about her father note that a Punjabi actor is set to portray Jaswant Singh Khalra. Navkiran has also participated in public commentary and social media conversations related to Sikh historical and contemporary issues.

Throughout her public life she has maintained the dual identity of a technical professional in Silicon Valley and a vocal participant in human rights and community remembrance efforts.
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Recent Work

Senior Manager, Western Digital

Promoted through engineering roles at Western Digital, becoming Senior Manager in October 2020.

2020
Senior Product Engineer, SanDisk

Worked as a Senior Product Engineer in Milpitas from November 2013 to December 2016.

2013
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Career Highlights

  1. Master of Science in Electrical Engineering from California State University, Fresno
  2. Worked at SanDisk as Senior Product Engineer (2013–2016)
  3. Progressed at Western Digital from Staff Engineer to Senior Manager (2017–2020)
  4. Active in Khalra Mission Organization preserving Jaswant Singh Khalra’s legacy
  5. Instrumental in efforts that led to renaming a Fresno park as Jaswant Singh Khalra Park (2017)
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Frequently Asked Questions

When was Navkiran Kaur Khalra born?

1985

What is Navkiran Kaur Khalra known for?

Engineer, Human Rights Defender

What is Navkiran Kaur Khalra’s marital status?

Married

Who is Navkiran Kaur Khalra married to?

Dalbir Singh