KHALISTAN EXTREMISM MONITOR
A project of the Institute for Conflict Management
A project of the Institute for Conflict Management
25-Dec-2025
Gurpatwant Singh Pannun, chief of the banned pro-Khalistan group Sikhs For Justice, on December 25 issued a video statement alleging attacks on Christians in India on Christmas Day and described them as part of a broader pattern of persecution under Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s government. He appealed to United States (US) President Donald Trump to take note of what he termed growing threats to India’s Christian community, claiming that only strong international pressure could ensure their protection. Pannun also announced SFJ’s proposal for a separate Christian homeland, called “Trumpland,” to be carved out of northeastern India, comprising Nagaland, Mizoram, Meghalaya, Manipur, Tripura, and Assam. SFJ said it had released a map of the proposed state and linked the plan to its wider advocacy for self-determination movements, including the Khalistan referendum campaign.
15-Dec-2025
According to reports, the arrest of Khalistan extremist Jaspal Singh—who also served on the management committee of a Sikh gurdwara in Stockton, California—has sparked widespread controversy, highlighting tensions between political mobilisation, religious authority, and accountability within sections of the Sikh diaspora in the United States (US). Official jail records show he was taken into custody on December 9 and faces multiple felony charges under California law, including serious allegations of sexual offences involving a minor. He remains in custody with his release date pending. However, authorities have declined further comment as the investigation is ongoing.
15-Dec-2025
According to CBC News, Indian-origin Jasmeet Singh has been charged in California, United States (US), for issuing death threats to a Canadian national believed to be an extortion target of the Lawrence Bishnoi gang. The victim reportedly relocated to Canada after assisting Indian law-enforcement agencies in identifying and arresting two suspected blackmailers. Although Jasmeet Singh was based in the US, he allegedly made repeated threatening calls to the victim. On one occasion, Singh sent the victim a photograph of his car parked outside his residence in Canada, indicating surveillance and intent to carry out the threat. “You are going to die in Canada,” Singh allegedly told the victim, according to a criminal complaint filed by FBI agent Brian Toy of the Sacramento field office. The FBI began investigating Singh after receiving a complaint from the Royal Canadian Mounted Police (RCMP). The threats were reportedly received in May 2024. According to the complaint, the victim had prior financial dealings with the Lawrence Bishnoi gang in India. The FBI is probing Singh’s role as part of a broader investigation into criminal activities linked to the Bishnoi gang, which is allegedly operated by Lawrence Bishnoi from within an Indian prison.
06-Dec-2025
The banned Khalistani separatist group Sikhs for Justice (SFJ), in a letter to the White House, has urged President Donald Trump to place India on the United States (US) list of restricted-entry countries, alleging that the Modi government poses a ‘public safety and national security threat’ to Americans. SFJ called for sweeping travel restrictions on Indian nationals, exempting only what it terms ‘persecuted Sikhs.’ The group claimed the move would mirror restrictions earlier imposed on 19 countries and further accused Indian intelligence agencies of involvement in ‘assassination plots and extremist activities abroad.
03-Dec-2025
Two associates of gangster Rohit Godara, identifying themselves online as Mahendra Delana and Rahul Rinau, have claimed responsibility for the recent firing at the home of an Indian national, Rakesh Rajdev in California, United States (US). They alleged that the target, a close associate of wanted criminal Saurav Mahakal, was funding Pakistan’s Inter-Services Intelligence (ISI). In their purported confession, they said: ‘We take responsibility for the shooting at Rakesh Rajdev’s house in California. Saurav, who runs Mahadev Book, and Rajdev, who calls himself a major bookie, are funding Pakistan.’ The message also carried threats to others accused of similar activities, warning: ‘Mend your ways or face consequences. Any bookie funding Pakistan will be our enemy. And Saurav, we know you met Dawood Ibrahim’s brother in Dubai.
09-Nov-2025
According to officials, Indian security agencies and Haryana Police, in a coordinated international operation, achieved major success by arresting two most wanted Indian gangsters in the United States (US). In the first case, Haryana-based gangster Venkatesh Garg, associated with the Kapil Sangwan alias Nandu gang, was arrested in Georgia. Garg had fled to Georgia after being named in the murder of a Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP) leader in Gurugram and was reportedly running an extortion network with the Nandu gang. A Haryana Police team led by a Superintendent of Police has reached Georgia to oversee his extradition, which is expected to be completed soon. Another notorious gangster, Bhanu Rana, linked to the Lawrence Bishnoi gang, was also arrested in the US and is expected to be deported to India shortly. Investigations revealed that Rana’s criminal network extends across Haryana, Punjab, and Delhi, and his name had earlier surfaced in a probe into a grenade attack in Punjab. Authorities have also identified several of his associates based in the US who remain connected to the network.
05-Nov-2025
The banned pro-Khalistan outfit, Sikhs For Justice (SFJ), during the 556th birth anniversary celebrations of Guru Nanak Dev Ji in New York, United States (US), on November 5, announced that it would defend Pakistan if India were to launch an attack. The group stated that if India carried out an unprovoked escalation against its neighbor, Pakistan, they would stand shoulder to shoulder with Pakistan, asserting that the Sikhs of Khalistan would defend the sovereignty of Pakistan and its people.
02-Nov-2025
According to reports, the murder-for-hire trial of Indian national Nikhil Gupta alias Nick, accused by United States (US) prosecutors of plotting the assassination of Khalistani terrorist Gurpatwant Singh Pannun, has been delayed in New York, US. The postponement followed Gupta’s request to dismiss his court-appointed lawyer, alleging a conflict of interest, and to represent himself. Senior US District Judge Victor Marrero approved the request and scheduled a pre-trial conference for November 14 to set new trial dates.
27-Oct-2025
A notorious Indian gangster wanted in multiple criminal cases in Rajasthan and Punjab, identified as Jagdeep Singh alias Jagga, was arrested near the United States (US)–Canada border in the US, officials said on October 27. A close associate of the Lawrence Bishnoi gang and currently linked to the Rohit Godara faction, Jagga was apprehended following coordinated efforts between Rajasthan Police’s Anti-Gangster Task Force (AGTF) and international enforcement agencies. Legal proceedings are underway to extradite him to India. A native of Dhurokot in Moga district, Punjab, Jagga had been directing criminal operations in India from abroad and evading arrest for several years through an international network.
19-Oct-2025
According to sources, Lawrence Bishnoi gang member Harry Boxer, who was allegedly operating from abroad, was attacked along with two associates in Fresno, California, on October 19, during which one associate was reportedly shot dead, another injured, while Boxer managed to escape. Shotly after, gangster Rohit Godara claimed responsibility for the attack on social media, declaring that “Lawrence Bishnoi is nothing” compared to the Goldy Brar–Rohit Godara gang. The post labeled Lawrence a traitor and warned that anyone opposing the Godara–Goldy group would be eliminated. The incident underscores the growing rift between the Lawrence Bishnoi and Goldy Brar factions.
03-Oct-2025
A federal judge in New York, United States (US), on October 3, rejected Indian national Nikhil Gupta’s bid to suppress evidence and dismiss charges in the case accusing him of conspiring to assassinate Gurpatwant Singh Pannun, chief of the banned Khalistani outfit Sikh For Justice (SFJ). The judge dismissed Gupta’s motion “in its entirety,” ruling that his arrest in Prague did not violate his rights and allowing prosecutors to proceed on all three counts, including conspiracy to launder money.
27-Sep-2025
The United States (US) government has filed fresh charges against jailed Indian national Nikhil Gupta, including money laundering, credit card fraud, drug and weapons trafficking, and an attempt to kill a person in Nepal or Pakistan. Gupta is accused of involvement in a murder-for-hire plot targeting Khalistani terrorist Gurpatwant Singh Pannun. Arrested in the Czech Republic and extradited to the US in June 2024, Gupta is scheduled to stand trial in November at the US District Court, Southern District of New York.
17-Sep-2025
A United States (US) federal judge in Manhattan on September 17 allowed prosecutors to withhold certain classified records from the defense team of Nikhil Gupta, the Indian national facing trial over an alleged murder-for-hire plot targeting Khalistani terrorist Gurpatwant Singh Pannun. Gupta, extradited to the US in June 2023, is currently detained in Brooklyn. Judge Victor Marrero ruled under the Classified Information Procedures Act (CIPA) that some classified material was either repetitive of evidence already shared or irrelevant to the case.
08-Sep-2025
According to a report by The Indian Express, the Indian government informed United States (US) law enforcement during extradition proceedings against gangster-terrorist Harpreet Singh alias Happy Passia—who was arrested by the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) in April 2025—that it possesses strong evidence linking him to the 2024 grenade attack on the house of a retired Punjab Police officer in Chandigarh. Investigators allege that Passia, associated with the Khalistani terror outfit Babbar Khalsa International (BKI) and working with Pakistan-based terrorist Harvinder Singh, alias Rinda, trained the attackers via Instagram video calls, provided logistics and funds, and offered them INR 10 lakh to carry out the strike.
05-Sep-2025
Sikh truckers on the United States (US) West Coast, who make up a significant portion of the industry, have recently reported sharp increases in harassment and discrimination following the August 12 fatal crash in Florida involving Sikh driver Harjinder Singh.
05-Sep-2025
Kiran Kaur Gill, Executive Director of the Sikh American Legal Defense and Education Fund (SALDEF), recently raised strong objections to the Los Angeles Police Department (LAPD) Chief describing the violent assault on elderly Sikh professor Harpal Singh in North Hollywood as a ‘property dispute.’ Gill called the characterization premature and inconsistent with Singh’s life of humility and seva, stressing the community’s demand for truth, accountability, and justice. SALDEF has urged a full investigation, noting that Singh’s family and the wider sangat deserve dignity and transparency in the legal process.
31-Aug-2025
A United States (US) federal judge in New York recently denied Indian national Nikhil Gupta’s request to access communications between the United States (US) Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) and Czech authorities regarding his arrest in Prague, ruling that such records are not subject to prosecutorial discovery. Gupta, who was extradited to the US in June 2024 on murder-for-hire charges linked to a plot against Khalistani terrorist Gurpatwant Singh Pannun, has pleaded not guilty and is set to face trial in November 2025.
30-Aug-2025
According to reports, Khalistani terrorist Gurpatwant Singh Pannun, chief of the banned outfit Sikhs For Justice (SFJ), has drawn sharp criticism for attempting to portray Indian-origin trucker Harjinder Singh—charged with three counts of vehicular homicide in the United States (US)—as a victim. Pannun downplayed the fatal crash as 'a tragic misjudgement' and announced USD 100,000 compensation for the victims’ families, which many condemned as a publicity stunt. Several Sikh organizations in the US distanced themselves from SFJ, stressing that extremist propaganda should not be used to mask criminal negligence.
28-Aug-2025
On August 28, the Khalistani outfit Sikhs For Justice (SFJ) held a gathering outside the St. Lucie County Jail in Florida, United States (US), to show support for Harjinder Singh, the truck driver accused of causing a crash on August 12 that killed three people. SFJ claimed that Singh had fled India fearing persecution under Prime Minister (PM) Narendra Modi’s government for his pro-Khalistan views. Singh is facing charges of vehicular homicide and manslaughter.
28-Aug-2025
Gurpatwant Singh Pannun, the chief of the banned Khalistani terrorist outfit Sikhs For Justice (SFJ), on August 28 sympathised with the accused driver in the deadly U-turn crash, and described the driver as being “filled with remorse”, outside the St. Lucie County Jail in St. Lucie in Florida in the United States (US).