KHALISTAN EXTREMISM MONITOR
A project of the Institute for Conflict Management
A project of the Institute for Conflict Management
Dal Khalsa formed on August 6,
1978 is a pro-Khalistani separatist organisation, modelled on the Palestine
Militant Group PLO. In 1981, during a conference in Chandigarh, where the key
note speaker was Ganga Singh Dhillon (considered to be a Khalistan propagator)
Dal Khalsa members had distributed ‘’Khalistan’’ passports, currency and
stamps.
In the 1980’s it had a
membership of about 600 and had three units in Chandigarh, Gurdaspur and
Mohali. The formation of Dal Khalsa was because of the fall out of the infamous
April 13, 1978 clash. Dal Khalsa’s main agenda was to be the political front
for Bhindranwale. They supported every demand made by Bhindranwale and to take
overt political positions where he could not.
In April 1982 when the Nehar
Roko (stop canal digging, to prevent work on SYL canal in Patiala) agitation
started, the Dal Khalsa engineered a series of incidents to instigate communal
clashes between Sikhs and Hindus. Cow heads were put in front of temples and
few idols of Hindu deities were broken. Moreover, tobacco and cigarettes were
thrown at Gurudwaras. However, the attempt failed as no communal flare ups were
reported during this period. With the
history of hijacking and attempt to cause communal clashes, Dal Khalsa was
banned in 1982, which was lifted in May 1992.
Dal Khalsa is a pro-Khalistani
organisation with the objective to attain an ‘Independent sovereign Sikh
nation”.
Initially formed in India, it
started a UK branch on January 4, 1983 and a West Germany branch was opened in
June 1983. A prominent leader of Dal Khalsa was Giani Bakshish Singh, a
Birmingham-based pro-Naxalite Sikh leader. Currently Dal Khalsa operates openly,
based from Amritsar in Punjab, India.
Dal Khalsa received its
funding from Sikh separatist leaders based in UK, US and Canada. According to
Harsimran Singh, they charged INR 15,000 to anyone who needed a certificate
which said that they were part of the organisation and using such certificate
over 200 people had secured political asylum in Canada, West Germany and US.
In 2018, Dal Khalsa based in
Amritsar had stated that they were against the SFJ run “Referendum 2020”
campaign by stating that the referendum was farfetched and unworkable.
Meanwhile, Dal Khalsa UK, ostensibly the UK branch of Dal Khalsa stated that
they were removing the India based Dal Khalsa president and spokesperson.
However, the India based leadership stated that “There exists no Dal Khalsa UK
as such as of now”. Dal Khalsa spokesperson Kanwarpal stated that “After its UK
chapter head Manmohan Singh’s death last year (2017), Dal Khalsa has no
officially nominated member in UK. As we have alliance with Sikh Federation
(UK), we decided not to constitute our own organisational structure in UK after
demise of Manmohan Singh.”
Currently Dal Khalsa in one of
the two Khalistan propagatory groups, besides Shiromani Akali Dal (Amritsar).
However, unlike SAD, Dal Khalsa does not partake in electoral process. They
also pledge no allegiance to the Indian constitution. Fringe Khalistani leaders
share Dal Khalsa’s ideological position. On May 20, 2016, Shiromani Akali Dal
(Panch Pardhani) (an erstwhile pro-khalistan group) merged with Dal Khalsa. The
Dal Khalsa has given up any violent form of secessionist movement and has
claimed that they are adhering to democratic and political means of achieving
its separatist goal.
In 2012, leader of separatist
Hurriyat Conference of Jammu and Kashmir, Syed Ali Shah Gillani had sent
message to Dal Khalsa in which he had claimed that “suffering had brought Sikhs
and Kashmiris together”.
At the time of its ban in
1982, it had a membership of 560 members. About 80 percent of its activists
were from the age group of 20-30, mostly from rural areas and 60 percent of
them were non graduates and unmarried, living in Gurudwaras across the state.
In its initial days, Dal
Khalsa had a five-member Supreme Council in which Harsimran Singh was the chief
organiser (Mukh Panch). The other members were Jaswant Singh of Gurdaspur and
Satnam Singh of Paonta Sahib, Harbhajan Singh Narengwal and Gajinder Singh (a
former Government employee) who was involved in the 1981 Indian Airlines
hijacking. Currently, Dal Khalsa’s general secretary is Paramjit Singh Tanda,
while Harpal Singh Cheema is president, Baba Hardeep Singh Mehraj is vice
president and Kanwar Pal Singh is the spokesperson.
| Incident Date | Incident | Civilian Killed | Military Killed | Security Force Killed | Civilian Injured | Military Injured | Security Force Injured | Civilian Abducted | Military Abducted | Security Force Abducted |
| 05-Apr-2023 | The Dal Khalsa on April 5 announced that it plans to organize a Khalsa March and hold a political conference at Anandpur Sahib on April 13 to observe ‘Khalsa Sajna Divas’. An Ardas ceremony will also be conducted at Takht Kesgarh Sahib, seeking the release of political prisoners. Additionally, the party leaders paid tribute to 13 individuals who lost their lives at a gurudwara in Amritsar on April 13, 1978. | |||||||||
| 17-Mar-2023 | The founder of Dal Khalsa and former pro-Khalistan leader, Jaswant Singh Thekedar exposed Amritpal Singh by saying that he does not know anything about Khalistan and that the Inter-Services Intelligence (ISI) of Pakistan is using him as a tool. He also, stated, "He is not a Khalistani, but it is certain that he has earned a lot in the name of Khalistan. His plans will not succeed further." | |||||||||
| 16-Mar-2023 | During an interview, Jaswant Singh Thekedar, the Dal Khalsa founder, asserted that the ‘Khalistan referendum’ is a scheme orchestrated by Pakistan's Inter-Services Intelligence (ISI) and is an effort to deceive the public. He emphasized that the so-called referendum has no connection to the Sikh community in India. He said that Pakistan is the real enemy of Khalistan and "some Sikhs are working as tools" in hands of Pakistan government. He also said the people of Punjab are not demanding any referendum. "The referendum you are talking about, those in Punjab do not demand it. It's an organisation 2020, they talk of referendum on the instructions of ISI. Referendum does not mean... if Indian passport holders or Indian citizens want it then it is understandable, but it is not that Canadian, American or British people vote. They do not have any right," he said answering queries. "It is 'pakhand' (sham) to mislead people. People are understanding it a source of income for them," he added. He also stated that he admires the effort done by Prime Minister (PM) Narendra Modi for the Sikh community. He added, “The government has worked on major demands, and only a few demands and left to be fulfilled. All will be good if they agree to meet these demands”. | |||||||||
| 02-Feb-2023 | The pro-Khalistani outfit, Dal Khalsa accused the Indian army ex-general K S Brar of killings of hundreds of innocent pilgrims and bringing the edifice of the Akal Takhat to rubble with the help of battle tanks. The Dal Khalsa termed him a sinner and a war criminal who has gone senile. Dal Khalsa disputes Brar's assertions that Sikh warriors detained Sikh Sangat at gunpoint in order to utilize them as "human shields." It is clear from the time of his interview with the government-backed news organization ANI that a malicious plan was behind it, a statement said. | |||||||||
| 31-Jan-2023 | Pro-Khalistan organisation Dal Khalsa leader Kanwar Pal Singh on January 31 termed that Lieutenant General (retired) K S Brar as insane and a liar for his recent interview. The Dal Khalsa leader said the timing of his interview with a government aided news agency leaves no one in doubt of the mala fide intention behind it. “The (Prime Minister Narendra) Modi dispensation has played a dirty game and rubbed the festering wounds of the Sikhs,” he added. | |||||||||
| 30-Jan-2023 | According to reports, the pro-Khalistani group Dal Khalsa's Twitter account was withheld after a legal demand was made for the same by the Government of India against the separatist faction. The group, which is being led by Kanwar Pal Singh Sandhu, has the same agenda of seeking secession of Punjab from India and establishing a new country Khalistan. The United Kingdom (UK)-based group is infamous for posting hate content on Twitter, which had a little over 1,200 followers, to radicalise the Sikh community and raise demands for Khalistan. Notably, this was the only active account on Twitter of the pro-Khalistan separatists who were using the platform to peddle their agenda and radicalise the Sikhs. | |||||||||
| 25-Jan-2023 | The pro-Khalistan outfit, Dal Khalsa, along with its allies, took out a march on January 25 to demand referendum in Punjab under the United Nations (UN) in Amritsar. Carrying placards and flags, the marchers raised slogans highlighting political resolution to Punjab ‘conflict’ through the right to self-determination. “The Sikhs of Punjab have been struggling for sovereignty and independence since the 1980s and they want international community to respect and recognise their aspirations,” a Dal Khalsa statement said. | |||||||||
| 13-Jan-2023 | According to reports, Dal Khalsa, a radical Sikh organisation, which has for years been advocating for a separate homeland for the people of Punjab, is again harping on about a referendum in the state. Dal Khalsa will take out a march ‘Sovereignty through the right of self-determination’ to highlight its demand for a referendum in Punjab under the United Nations (UN) in the last week of January 2023. The march will be held in Amritsar on January 25 on the eve of Republic Day. A decision to this effect was passed in an executive meeting of the Sikh hardline body chaired by its president Harpal Singh Cheema. | |||||||||
| 31-Oct-2022 | The Dal Khalsa has announced that it will observe 38 years of the 1984 anti-Sikh riots by organizing a ‘march’ in Kapurthala on November 3. The Dal Khalsa leaders said that the march will highlight the state-sponsored violence unleashed on Sikhs in November 1984 in Delhi and other states, the role of leaders in engineering the carnage, the mockery of justice and the failure of the United Nations in holding this country accountable for the killings. The leaders also urged the SGPC to make pictures and paintings depicting the 1984 November horrendous event part of the Central Sikh Museum. | |||||||||
| 15-Feb-2022 | According to reports, separatist Sikh body, Dal Khalsa decided to boycott the February 20 Punjab assembly polls, stating that it believes that the resolution to the state’s problems lies in referendum under the United Nations (UN) and not elections under the Indian dispensation. The president of Dal Khalsa, Harpal Singh Cheema said that despite Sikhs forming governments in Punjab and sending members to the Parliament, the Punjab problem has remained the same even after 40 years. Party leaders also urged the people to think before casting their vote, saying Punjab does not have its own capital city, the waters of Punjab unabatedly flow to Haryana, Delhi and Rajasthan without royalty to the riparian state. | |||||||||
| 24-Jan-2022 | Radical group Dal Khalsa, while accusing Delhi chief minister Arvind Kejriwal of blocking the release of 1993 bomb blast case convict Devinderpal Singh Bhullar, said in Chandigarh that both BJP and AAP were chips of the same block and their silence on Sikh prisoners’ issue was criminal. Dal Khalsa leaders Kanwarpal Singh and H S Dhami also announced to take out a march in Amritsar on January 26. | |||||||||
| 15-Jan-2022 | Sikh Youth of Punjab (SYP), the youth wing of Dal Khalsa, organised a youth conference to discuss the challenges being faced by the Sikh community and Punjab and the role and responsibilities of the young generation in tackling them. The conference expressed concern over the continuous arrests of youth under UAPA and other terror-related cases and observed that it was the outcome of government’s denial to resolve Punjab conflict and deliver justice in sacrilege cases. | |||||||||
| 05-Jun-2021 | Dal Khalsa organised a Ghallughara Yadgaari Samagam on the eve of Operation Blue Star in the city during the day where family members of Sikh militants that include General Shubeg Singh, Sikh student federation leader Amrik Singh, and others were honored. Later, Dal Khalsa supporters, including women and children, took out a march calling it ‘Genocide Remembrance Parade’, displaying photographs of damaged Akal Takht and Sikhs who died during the operation in 1984. | |||||||||
| 31-May-2021 | The Dal Khalsa, in remembrance of Sikhs and pilgrims who were killed during Operation Bluestar, has decided to organise ‘Ghallughara Yadgari Samagam’ in four districts of the state from June 3 to 6. The events will be held at Moga and Mullanpur (Ludhiana) on June 3, Bhatinda on June 4 and Amritsar on June 5. The organisation called upon masses to gather at Akal Takht on June 6. | |||||||||
| 05-May-2021 | Dal Khalsa expressed grief over the demise of Chairman of Theerek-e-Hurriyat Mohammad Ashraf Sehrai at Jammu hospital. Party Spokesman Kanwar Pal Singh in a statement said Sehrai was a genuine friend of Sikhs of Punjab. | |||||||||
| 31-Aug-2020 | Pro-Khalistan slogans were raised by radical Sikh outfits, including Dal Khalsa and Shiromani Akali Dal (Amritsar) at the Akal Takht in Amritsar on the death anniversary of terrorist Dilawar Singh, an assassin of former Punjab chief minister Beant Singh. Prayers were also organized at the Akal Takht in the memory of Dilawar Singh. They also asked the Shiromani Gurdwara Parbandhak Committee (SGPC) to install the portrait of Dilawar Singh in the Sikh central museum. | |||||||||
| 30-Aug-2020 | The Akal Takht has decided to confer the “Panth Sewak” award on radical outfit Dal Khalsa founder Gajinder Singh, one of the five men accused of hijacking an Indian Airlines plane to Lahore in 1981. India had put Gajinder’s name in the list of 20 most wanted terrorists in 2002. An Akal Takht official said it was decided during a meeting of five Sikh head priests recently to confer the award on Gajinder Singh. He said the Akal Takht will shortly issue an official notification in this regard and fix a date to honour him. Gajinder Singh is currently residing in Lahore, Pakistan. | |||||||||
| 29-Aug-2020 | The Akal Takht decided to confer the ‘Panth Sewak’ award upon Dal Khalsa founder Gajinder Singh, who led his aides in hijacking an Indian Airlines plane to Lahore in 1981 and is one of the “most wanted persons” on the Union Ministry of Home Affairs (UMHA)’s list. Gajinder’s name is on the list of 11 Sikhs the highest Sikh temporal seat has finalised for various awards. However, the list has not been announced officially. | |||||||||
| 03-Aug-2020 | Pro-Khalistani group, Dal Khalsa wrote a letter to the Akal Takht Jathedar saying that no Sikh must attend the event as a community representative. The letter from general secretary Parmjit Singh Tanda says, “Sikhs are a third religio-political entity in this sub-continent. They should not become part of any celebrations of one religion at the cost of other’s sentiments, especially in an event that has a history of controversy. For us, keeping cordial relations with both the communities (Hindus and Muslims) on equal grounds is in our quami (community) interests.” | |||||||||
| 22-Jul-2020 | The Dal Khalsa demanded judicial inquiry into the suicide of Sangrur boy Lovepreet Singh under mysterious circumstances at Gurdwara Amb Sahib after he was questioned by National Investigation Agency (NIA) in a case under Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act (UAPA). | |||||||||
| 04-Jul-2020 | The Dal Khalsa and the Shiromani Akali Dal (Amritsar) condemned the Indian Government’s move in branding nine Sikhs associated with Khalistan struggle as terrorists and asked the Union Ministry of Home Affairs (UMHA) to rectify its error. In a joint press conference in Patiala, Dal Khalsa president HS Cheema and Shiromani Akali Dal-Amritsar (SAD-Amritsar) general secretary Mohinderpal Singh termed the govt’s move an attempt to paint the image of Sikh Nation worldwide with “terrorism” brush, which is totally unacceptable and intolerable. | |||||||||
| 30-Jun-2020 | The Dal Khalsa, while replying Punjab Chief Minister Captain Amarinder Singh’s remarks that no Sikh wants Khalistan, said that a person who denounces such aspirations can’t be a true Sikh. Questioning the locus standi of CM Amarinder Singh in rejecting the historic aspirations for Khalistan, the Dal Khalsa asserted that only the institution of Akal Takht has the right to articulate the collective aspirations of Sikhs that are translated by its Jathedar as the spokesman of this supreme religio-political authority. Dal Khalsa’s spokesman Kanwar Pal Singh said that the CM can only speak in an individual capacity and not on behalf of the Sikh community as a whole. | |||||||||
| 05-Jun-2020 | The Dal Khalsa staged a symbolic ‘genocide remembrance parade’ amid COVID-19 outbreak, to pay homage to the ‘martyrs’ on the 36th anniversary of Operation Blue Star. The five members of Dal Khalsa marched from their party office to Sri Akal Takht Sahib, where they performed Ardas in the memory of those who perished during the operation. They were carrying Sikh Flag symbolizing Sikh sovereignty and placards in support of their mission for Khalistan. | |||||||||
| 03-Jun-2020 | Dal Khalsa alleged that police have made it impossible for devotees to enter Golden Temple due to the anniversary of Operation Blue Star, to be observed on June 6. It also said it has been denied permission by Amritsar police to carry out its annual ‘Ghallughara Yadgaari’ march (an annual activity for the last 15 years) on June 5 in Amritsar city due to Covid-19 protocol. However, Amritsar Police Commissioner Sukhchain Singh Gill denied the allegations of the Dal Khalsa and said that, “We are outside the Golden Temple only to maintain law and order. We are not there to stop anyone.” | |||||||||
| 03-Jun-2020 | Authorities refused permission to Dal Khalsa to hold ‘Ghallughara Yadgaari March’ on June 5 to mark the 36th anniversary of Operation Bluestar. However, the Dal Khalsa leadership has decided to send its five-member team to the Akal Takht on the same day at 5 pm. Dal Khalsa spokesperson Kanwar Pal Singh said the march by five members of the Dal Khalsa will be symbolic in nature. | |||||||||
| 31-May-2020 | The Dal Khalsa head H S Cheema stated that Narendra Modi led Indian government has turned out to be disastrous and terrible for the minorities during its second tenure. He said the six years of Modi on the seat of Prime Minister has spell doom for the minorities. | |||||||||
| 26-May-2020 | The radical group, Dal Khalsa decided to undertake an annual ‘Genocide Remembrance Parade’ on June 5 in Amritsar to mark the 36th anniversary of Operation Blue Star. Dal Khalsa has been regularly observing this day by undertaking a march on June 5 and giving the call for Amritsar bandh on June 6, for the past ten years. However, Covid-19 has made the Dal Khalsa put its call for a shutdown on hold. The meeting of party office bearers under the presidentship of Harpal Singh Cheema was convened to chalk out a protest programme to observe ‘Ghallughara week’. At a press conference, party spokesperson Kanwar Pal Singh said the final decision would be taken on June 1 in regard to the call for the Amritsar bandh. | |||||||||
| 08-May-2020 | The Dal Khalsa’s spokesperson Kanwar Pal Singh has written a letter to the Punjab Chief Minister Amarinder Singh in which he has urged him to arrest and prosecute former Director General of Police (DGP) Sumedh Singh Saini. He has said that mere registering FIR against Sumedh Saini means nothing. | |||||||||
| 07-May-2020 | The Dal Khalsa spokesperson Kanwar Pal Singh stated that “Sins of notorious cop SS Saini have come to haunt him after a long period. He has been booked in the abduction and subsequent murder case of Balwant Singh Multani. Multani was a friend of Prof Devinder Pal Singh Bhullar. Not only Multani, Saini killed Prof Bhullar’s father and uncle too after abducting and torturing them”. While welcoming the booking of Saini by the Punjab government, the Dal Khalsa said that people of Punjab wish to see former DGP Sumedh Singh Saini behind bars. | |||||||||
| 22-Apr-2020 | Former Khalistani militant, Daljit Singh Dulewal made allegations against Dal Khalsa’s patron Daljit Singh Bittu of procuring property with the money looted from banks during militancy era in Punjab. He alleged that Daljit Singh Bittu purchased agriculture land near Ropar by using some amount from the INR 57 million looted from a bank in Ludhiana in February, 1987. Daljit Singh Dulewal also accused Daljit Singh Bittu of intentionally fulfilling government’s aspirations by boycotting 1992’s assembly elections. “The militant leaders used to consider Daljit Singh Bittu as their policy maker, but he betrayed Sikhs,” he said in an interview. He added that Daljit Singh Bittu told them that he was going to Afghanistan for procuring weapons, but actually he moved to his farm in Ropar. | |||||||||
| 22-Feb-2020 | The Dal Khalsa, in a letter urged the US president Donald Trump prior to his scheduled visit to India, to debunk India’s hollow arguments that whatever it does to its minorities is its internal matter. It also urged Trump to exert pressure on India to ensure respect for human rights of struggling nationalities and acceptance of their right to sovereign self-rule through the right to self-determination.The letter, which was sent via US Ambassador to India, was shared with the media by Kanwar Pal Singh and other office bearers at a press conference held at party office. | |||||||||
| 05-Feb-2020 | The ‘Bhog’ ceremony of Khalistan Liberation Force (KLF) leader Harmeet Singh alias Happy PhD, who was killed in Pakistan a week ago, was held at Gurdwara Shaheed Ganj in Railway Colony in Amritsar. Hardline Sikh leaders like, former Akal Takht jathedar Jasbir Singh Rode, Damdami Taksal’s spokesperson Sarchand Singh, Jarnail Singh Sakhira, Dal Khalsa leader Kanwarpal Singh, Principal Baljinder Singh, former militant Daljit Singh Bittu and Narayan Singh Chaura attended the event. The leaders glorified the slain militant leader by calling him ‘warrior’ of ‘contemporary Sikh struggle’. They also sought probe into his murder by an independent agency in Pakistan. | |||||||||
| 25-Jan-2020 | The Punjab bandh (general shutdown strike) called by the radical Sikh outfits, Dal Khalsa and SAD (Amritsar) against the CAA and the NRC evoked lukewarm response in most parts of the state barring Amritsar. According to reports, markets and commercial establishments remained opened in most parts of the state as protesters at a few places faced opposition from shopkeepers for trying to forcibly down the shutters of their shops. The officials said that protest remained peaceful in the state. | |||||||||
| 10-Jan-2020 | The Dal Khalsa and Shiromani Akali Dal (Amritsar) called for a complete shutdown in Punjab on the occasion of India’s 70th Republic day. The head of SAD (Amritsar), Simranjit Singh Mann and the chief of Dal Khalsa, Harpal Singh Cheema, in a joint press conference, stated that, “Punjab will remain shut on January 25 (January 26 being a Sunday) to register its protest against Sangh’s agenda of Hindu rashtra and to reiterate that Punjab won’t be part of the theocratic Hindu state”. They declared that the shutdown would be verdict on fascists and divisive policies and decisions of Narendra Modi government. | |||||||||
| 27-Dec-2019 | The SAD (Amritsar) held a conference to pay tributes to Mata Gujri and younger sons (Sahibzades) of Tenth Guru, Guru Gobind Singh in which representatives of Dal Khalsa also participated. During the conference, the speakers demanded the withdrawal of CAA and NRC and also criticized that the present-day government for dragging the situation leading to another Emergency. | |||||||||
| 27-Aug-2019 | Dal Khalsa alleged that the political divisions within police hierarchy and divisive politics played by Congress and Akali Dal are responsible for the miscarriage of justice in Bargari sacrilege case. Dal Khalsa spokesperson Kanwarpal Singh in a statement said, “Self-contradictory Statements by both the leaders in the last one month on this issue have put them in poor light”. | |||||||||
| 21-Aug-2019 | Calling it a state-sponsored massacre of Sikhs, the pro-freedom Sikh outfit Dal Khalsa has said that the November 1984 killings started after Rajiv Gandhi was sworn-in as Prime Minister of India on October 31st along with four cabinet colleagues at 6.45 pm. | |||||||||
| 04-Jun-2019 | Dal Khalsa and Shiromani Akali Dal (Amritsar)’s annual ‘Sikh Genocide Remembrance’ march got support from Students for Society (SFS), a left leaning student body. This is the first time SFS has lent support to the march. Punjab University Student council president Kanupriya took part in the march and extended her support to the cause of Dal Khalsa, that raised demand of Khalistan during the march. “It is a time when fascism is in control of power and there is need to stand with minorities. SFS supports demand of self-determination of Dal Khalsa,” said Kanupriya. Activists led by Dal Khalsa youth leader Paramjit Singh Mand were carrying photographs of damaged Golden Temple and Akal Takht and those killed in the army action. Addressing the protest march, Dal Khalsa chief H S Dhami said: “The sentiments of sovereignty that were strengthened by the Army attack have not been buried with the passage of time and change in the political scenario.” | |||||||||
| 30-May-2019 | Pro-Khalistan groups like the Dal Khalsa and Shiromani Akali Dal (Amritsar) led by Simranjit Singh Mann will hold ‘genocide remembrance marches’ across the city on the eve of the anniversary. The Dal Khalsa has also given a call for ‘Amritsar bandh’ on June 6 to mark the anniversary. | |||||||||
| 11-Feb-2019 | Dal Khalsa announces a sit-down demonstration at the doorsteps of Nawanshahr District Court on February 13 to protest life imprisonment of three youths arrested for processing pro-Khalistan literature. According to the spokesperson of Dal Khalsa, ‘The three youth never indulged in any violent activity neither did anyone else allegedly influenced by them. The court held the trio guilty on mere possession of pamphlets’ | |||||||||
| 04-Apr-2018 | The Bathinda Police, imposed charges on Dal Khalsa leader Baba Hardeep Singh Khalsa and former gangster Lakhbir Singh aka Lakha Sidana, in four different cases of damaging signboards placed outside the District administrative complex, Income Tax office, PN) and the Post Office located in the Civil Lines area in Bathinda District. Both of them were charged under Section 3 of the Prevention of Damage to Public Property (PDPP) Act of 1984, and Section 5 of the Punjab Defacement of Property Ordinance Act (PDPO) of 1997. | |||||||||
| 26-May-2013 | Sikh organization Dal Khalsa has sent a 'memo' to the EU for intervention on the issue and to save KLF militant Devender Pal Singh Bhullar, who was awarded death sentence for killing nine persons and injuring 17 others in Delhi in a bomb attack on September 11, 1993. | |||||||||
| 27-Jan-2010 | The National Socialist Council of Nagaland-Isak-Muivah (NSCN-IM) joined hands with Hurriyat Conference of Jammu and Kashmir (J&K) and Dal Khalsa of Punjab, to put pressure on the Centre for an ‘early solution to the impasse in Nagaland, Jammu and Kashmir and Punjab’. Thuingaleng Muivah, ‘general secretary’ of the NSCN-IM, Syed Ali Shah Gilani, ‘chairman’ of Hurriyat Conference, and Kanwarpal Singh of Dal Khalsa in a joint statement appealed to the international community highlighting the ‘fundamental conflicts and contradictions’ in India. The report adds that the joint message was ‘endorsed’ by leading organisations based in the respective Diaspora communities. | |||||||||
| 06-Jun-2007 | Representatives of various radical Sikh organizations, including the Dal Khalsa, assembled at the Akal Takht to pay homage to the militants killed during Operation Blue Star in June 1984. The Jathedar of the Akal Takht, Joginder Singh Vedanti, honored the kin of the militants, including Baba Isher Singh, the son of Jarnail Singh Bhindranwale. Vedanti described Operation Blue Star as the 'Genocide of the Sikhs'. The hardliners also displayed banners of Khalistan in front of Akal Takht. | |||||||||
| 31-Jan-2005 | Police arrested 11 leaders of the Dal Khalsa, a radical Sikh organization, from outside the Golden Temple in Amritsar on charges of unfurling a "saffron flag" on Republic Day, delivering inflammatory speeches and opening fire in the air. | |||||||||
| 17-Aug-2004 | According to the annual report of Union Home Ministry 2003-04, Pakistan continues to provide sanctuary to various Sikh militant groups and the ISI, Pakistan’s external intelligence agency, was exerting pressure on these outfits to revive terrorist activities in Punjab. The report indicated that Pakistan continues to provide sanctuary to leaders of important pro-Khalistan militant outfits like BKI headed by Wadhwa Singh, KCF led by Paramjit Singh Panjwar and ISYF led by Lakhbir Singh Rode. Militant groups like KZF led by Ranjit Singh alias "Neeta" and Dal Khalsa International led by Gajinder Singh also continued to receive sanctuary from Pakistani soil, the report said. | |||||||||
| 02-May-1982 | National Council of Khalistan and Dal Khalsa banned by the Central Government. | |||||||||
| 26-Apr-1982 | Violence erupts after Dal Khalsa members throw two severed heads of cows near temples at Katra Ahluwalia and Bazaar Kathian in Amritsar. One man killed, several injured, and a few shops were shops were burnt. More than 350 people arrested over a period of two days, and curfew imposed in Amritsar and Patiala. | 1 | ||||||||
| 29-Sep-1981 | In retaliation against the arrest of Jarnail Singh Bhindranwale, five members of the Dal Khalsa led by Gajinder Singh and his associates Satnam Singh, Jasbir Singh, Karam Singh and Tejinder Singh hijack an Indian Airlines flight IC-423, which was carrying 117 passengers from New Delhi to Srinagar, and force it to land in Lahore. At India’s request, Pakistan special forces rescue the passengers and arrest the hijackers. | |||||||||
| 27-Aug-1981 | During the visitors’ gathering session at Punjab Vidhan Sabha, Dal Khalsa activists headed by Satnam Singh raise pro-Khalistan slogans. | |||||||||
| 15-Aug-1981 | Around 20 Dal Khalsa volunteers hoist a “Nishan Kesari” flag at Sector 22-D Gurudwara and Manji Sahib in Amritsar, and subsequently in Ludhiana and Jalandhar, where they also raise pro-Khalistan slogans. . | |||||||||
| 26-Jul-1981 | During the World Sikh Convention in Amritsar, Gajinder Singh, a Panch of Dal Khalsa and his associates distribute pro-Khalistan literature. | |||||||||
| 20-Mar-1981 | Dal Khalsa workers raise pro-Khalistan slogans during the 54th Sikh educational conference at Chandigarh. | |||||||||
| 01-Feb-1981 | Dal Khalsa organizes a joint-seminar with senior Sikh Sophisticates’ Forum in support of Khalistan at Panchayat Bhawan in Chandigarh. | |||||||||
| 06-Aug-1978 | The “Dal Khalsa” a far right Sikh organisation named after the Sikh Army that operated in the Punjab region in the 18th century, is formed, with a five-member Supreme Council comprising Harsimran Singh, Gajinder Singh, Harbhagat Singh, Jaswant Singh Thekedar, and Satnam Singh Paonta Sahib. |