KHALISTAN EXTREMISM MONITOR
A project of the Institute for Conflict Management
A project of the Institute for Conflict Management
29-May-2025
According to sources, the banned Khalistani terror outfit Sikhs For Justice (SFJ) recently sent a letter to United States (US) Secretary of State Marco Rubio demanding action against Indian officials allegedly involved in a plot to assassinate American citizen Gurpatwant Singh Pannun. The group urged the Trump administration to impose visa bans under the US policy on transnational repression, naming officials including National Security Advisor (NSA) Ajit Doval, former Indian Ambassador to the US Taranjit Singh Sandhu, and former Research and Analysis Wing (RAW) chief Samant Goel.
22-May-2025
On May 22, Nikhil Gupta, an Indian national accused of plotting to assassinate Khalistani terrorist Gurpatwant Singh Pannun, filed an emergency motion in a United States (US) federal court. The motion, docketed on May 29, urged the court to dismiss the charges and order his immediate release, arguing that the indictment is legally defective and does not allege a cognisable offence under US law.
11-May-2025
Pakistani, Kashmiri, and Sikh diaspora groups—including supporters of the Khalistan movement—staged a protest organised by Friends of Kashmir outside the Indian Embassy in Washington, D.C. in the United States (US) on May 11. Demonstrators chanted slogans against Prime Minister Narendra Modi and accused India of orchestrating the recent Pahalgam incident as a false-flag operation.
05-May-2025
On May 5, Diljit Dosanjh’s appearance at the Met Gala 2025 in New York City in the United States (US) sparked controversy for wearing an outfit embroidered with the map of Punjab and cultural symbols but notably without any reference to India. Supporters hailed it as a celebration of Punjabi heritage, while critics accused him of subtly endorsing separatist Khalistan ideologies. Dosanjh’s silence on the issue has fuelled intense debate over the line between cultural pride, political messaging, and national identity.
04-May-2025
Khalistani terrorist Gurpatwant Singh Pannun, chief of the banned Khalistani terror outfit Sikhs For Justice (SFJ), stated on May 4 that Sikhs would serve as Pakistan’s 'first line of defence' in the event of an Indian attack, during an interview with Pakistan’s Geo TV. Pannun urged Sikh soldiers to defect from the Indian Army and support the Khalistan movement. He claimed that Sikhs are not Indians but residents of Punjab, asserting that their struggle is not against Pakistan but against the Indian state for the 'liberation' of Punjab. He also accused India of interfering in Balochistan and praised Pakistan’s military and Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif, stating that the creation of Khalistan would benefit Pakistan both politically and economically.
02-May-2025
On May 2, a strong protest was held outside the Indian Embassy in Washington, D.C., led by the Friends of Kashmir, with participants from the Pakistani, Kashmiri, and Sikh communities raising slogans against Prime Minister Modi. They alleged that the Pahalgam attack was a false flag operation staged for political gain.
29-Apr-2025
United States (US) President Donald Trump on April 29 signed an Executive Order titled Enforcing Commonsense Rules of the Road for America’s Truck Drivers, requiring all commercial vehicle operators in the US to demonstrate proficiency in English. The order reinstates the enforcement of existing federal regulations, citing road safety concerns and the need for drivers to communicate with traffic officials and read highway signs. While the administration presented the move as a common-sense safety measure, Sikh advocacy groups, including the Sikh Coalition, raised concerns about its potentially discriminatory impact on Sikh-American truckers, who constitute a significant part of the trucking industry.
22-Apr-2025
The United States (US) Department of Homeland Security (DHS) on April 22 revealed that Harpreet Singh alias Happy Passia, a gangster-turned-terrorist, was initially arrested by the US Border Patrol in 2022 for illegal entry into the country but was released under the Joe Biden administration. Passia, who is wanted by the National Investigation Agency (NIA) and Punjab Police for his involvement in 33 criminal cases, including several terror-related incidents, was re-arrested by US Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) on April 16 in Sacramento. He is currently in the custody of the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI), and India is seeking his extradition.
21-Apr-2025
Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) Director Kash Patel, via social media platform X on April 21, assured that justice would be served following the arrest of terrorist Harpreet Singh alias Happy Passia. He praised the joint efforts of FBI Sacramento and Indian agencies in tracking Singh, who had entered the United States (US) illegally and used burner phones to evade capture.
20-Apr-2025
Gurpatwant Singh Pannun, a designated Khalistani terrorist and chief of the banned outfit Sikhs For Justice (SFJ), has recently alleged that a close aide of Indian Prime Minister (PM) Narendra Modi orchestrated a USD 250,000 plot to assassinate him, calling it a state-sponsored act of terrorism. In a letter to United States (US) Vice President JD Vance, Pannun urged the US government to confront Indian authorities over the issue and demanded that any legal proceedings related to the alleged assassination attempt be conducted under US jurisdiction.
17-Apr-2025
The Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) arrested absconding gangster Harpreet Singh alias Happy Passia, in Sacramento, California, United States (US), on April 17 for his role in terror attacks in Punjab. Passia, a close associate of Pakistan-based gangster-turned-terrorist Harvinder Singh Sandhu alias Rinda, was wanted by the National Investigation Agency (NIA) for multiple grenade attacks. Earlier this year, the NIA had announced a reward of INR 5 lakh for information leading to his arrest. Passia had illegally entered the US in 2021 using a human trafficking network and was evading capture by using burner phones.
17-Apr-2025
The United States (US) Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) on April 17 announced the arrest of Harpreet Singh alias Happy Passia in Sacramento, California, describing him as a Khalistani terrorist suspected of collaborating with Pakistan’s Inter-Services Intelligence (ISI) and Babbar Khalsa International (BKI). Indian authorities have initiated the extradition process, calling his arrest a major breakthrough against ISI-backed terror networks.
15-Apr-2025
A bill in the California Senate, SB 509, scheduled for a hearing before the Appropriations Committee in April 2025, has sparked sharp divisions between pro-Khalistani groups and the broader Indian diaspora in the United States (US). While Khalistani advocates back the bill—designed to train police to identify and respond to "transnational repression" by foreign governments—many Indian-Americans, including Sikhs, oppose it, fearing it could unfairly stigmatize their community as foreign proxies.
03-Apr-2025
The Sikh Federation America on April 3 paid tributes to Khalistani terrorist Mehal Singh Babbar, a co-founder of the banned Khalistani terror outfit Babbar Khalsa International (BKI), who died in exile at Nankana Sahib in Pakistan on March 24.
01-Apr-2025
A United States (US) federal judge, via an order on April 1, scheduled the trial of Indian national Nikhil Gupta for November 3 in connection with an alleged murder-for-hire plot targeting Khalistani terrorist and US citizen Gurpatwant Singh Pannun. Authorities were also directed to retain USD 15,000 in cash allegedly handed over to a fake hitman. Gupta, accused of acting on behalf of former intelligence officer Vikas Yadav, was extradited from the Czech Republic in 2024.
01-Apr-2025
On April 1, the banned Khalistani terror outfit Sikhs For Justice (SFJ) released a U.S. court document claiming that the U.S. Department of Justice (DoJ) had identified another 'Indian agent,' referred to as 'GS,' in the alleged plot to assassinate SFJ chief Gurpatwant Singh Pannun. SFJ alleged that this agent paid USD 15,000 for the attempted hit, which was reportedly facilitated by former intelligence officer Vikash Yadav. The document also detailed the seizure of the amount in New York on June 9, 2023.
25-Mar-2025
According to sources, United States (US) prosecutors and defence lawyers for Indian national Nikhil Gupta, accused of hiring a hitman on behalf of former Research and Analysis Wing (RAW) officer Vikash Yadav to target Khalistani terrorist Gurpatwant Singh Pannun, have proposed delaying his trial to November 2025. Gupta was arrested in Prague, Czech Republic, in June 2023 and later extradited to the U.S. Prosecutors claim to have video, audio, and text evidence, including Gupta’s communications with Yadav and an undercover officer posing as a hitman.
25-Mar-2025
On March 25, the United States Commission on International Religious Freedom (USCIRF), in its annual report, recommended sanctions against India’s Research and Analysis Wing (RAW) and individuals like Vikash Yadav over alleged assassination plots targeting Khalistani terrorist Gurpatwant Singh Pannun. The commission also urged the U.S. to designate India as a "country of particular concern" for religious freedom violations, a recommendation Washington has repeatedly ignored.
23-Mar-2025
On March 23, the banned Khalistani terror outfit Sikhs For Justice (SFJ) organized a Khalistan referendum in Los Angeles, California, where over 35,000 Sikhs voted in favor of an independent Khalistan, separate from India.
23-Mar-2025
Khalistani terrorist Gurpatwant Singh Pannun, chief of the banned terror outfit Sikhs for Justice (SFJ), announced that the next referendum would be held on August 17 in Washington, DC, while addressing a crowd in Los Angeles, California on March 23.