KHALISTAN EXTREMISM MONITOR
A project of the Institute for Conflict Management
A project of the Institute for Conflict Management
22-Feb-2026
Punjab Police on February 22 arrested two alleged drug traffickers, identified as Jagroop Singh alias Joopa and Gurlal Singh alias Pattu and recovered 260 grams of heroin from their possession, in Amritsar district.
22-Feb-2026
The Amritsar (Rural) Police have booked Pakistani gangster Shehzad Bhatti for allegedly threatening a poultry farm owner in an extortion attempt in Amritsar district. The victim, Kanwaldeep Singh, filed a complaint stating that he received threatening calls from multiple mobile numbers, including a foreign number, four days earlier. On February 20, another threatening call was made to a number belonging to his sister-in-law, and the family also reported receiving threatening messages. According to the complaint, the caller identified himself as Shehzad Bhatti and issued threats.
21-Feb-2026
Police on February 21 arrested a drug smuggler, identified as Sonu Singh and seized 6.38 kg of heroin from his possession, in Akku Wala village in Ferozepur district.
21-Feb-2026
On February 21, the 32st day of Punjab Police’s statewide “war on gangsters” (Gangsters Te Vaar) campaign—Operation Prahaar—the police conducted 631 raids, arrested 217 persons and recovered 6 weapons from their possession. Preventive action was taken against 95 individuals, while 151 persons were verified and released after questioning. Eight proclaimed offenders (POs) were also arrested during the operation.
21-Feb-2026
On February 21, Punjab Police, on day 357 of its “Yudh Nashian Virudh” campaign, arrested 117 drug smugglers, and seized 3.1 kg of heroin, 3 kg of opium, 446 intoxicant tablets/capsules and INR 63,250 drug money from the possession of arrested persons, across the state.
21-Feb-2026
Punjab Police on February 21 recovered an Improvised Explosive Device (IED) and foiled a plot to blow up the Rayya police post under the Beas police station limits in Amritsar district. The IED, found behind the police post, was safely defused by a bomb disposal squad, averting what officials termed a potentially devastating attack. Senior Superintendent of Police (SSP) Amritsar Rural Sohail Qasim Mir stated that no terror outfit or gangster group has so far claimed responsibility for planting the device.
21-Feb-2026
Police on February 21 arrested a drug smuggler, identified as Sonu Singh and seized 6.38 kg of heroin from his possession near Akku Wala village in Ferozepur district. He was reportedly in contact with cross-border smugglers.
21-Feb-2026
On February 21, Kapurthala Police arrested a person, identified as Praveen Singh and seized 6 grams of heroin from his possession, in Subhanpur, Kapurthala district.
21-Feb-2026
Police on February 21 arrested a person, identified as Sarabjit alias Sabi and seized 30 intoxicant tablets from his possession, in Phagwara, Kapurthala district.
21-Feb-2026
Police on February 21 arrested two persons, identified as Baljit Singh and Lovepreet Singh and seized 203 grams of heroin from their possession in Thammuwal village, Kapurthala district.
21-Feb-2026
Police on February 21 arrested one person, identified as Gaurav Gill alias Guri and seized 190 white-coloured intoxicant tablets from his possession in Bhulath village in Kapurthala district.
21-Feb-2026
The Mumbai Crime Branch has issued a Look Out Circular (LOC) against gangster Harichandra alias Harry Boxer, a key member of the Lawrence Bishnoi gang, in connection with an extortion threat to Bollywood actor Ranveer Singh. According to reports, Mumbai Police sent the threatening voice note received by the actor’s manager to Punjab and Haryana for verification. The caller allegedly identified himself as Harry Boxer and demanded INR 20 crore in ransom, although earlier reports had cited a demand of INR 10 crore. A senior police official confirmed that the sender claimed to be Harry Boxer. Authorities have also contacted US agencies to gather further details about the phone number used to send the voice note.
21-Feb-2026
Dal Khalsa and allied Sikh organisations held a Panthic meeting in Moga district on February 21 and warned the Union Ministry of Home Affairs (UMHA) against what they termed attempts to destabilise Punjab. With Union Home Minister (UHM) Amit Shah expected to visit Moga in March, Dal Khalsa leader Kanwar Pal Singh raised a series of questions regarding recent global controversies. The leadership alleged that the security establishment was pursuing a dual strategy— “transnational repression” targeting activists abroad and “unconstitutional” encounters within the state. Referring to legal proceedings in the United States (US) involving Nikhil Gupta, the organisation sought clarity on who allegedly directed the attempted hit on Gurpatwant Singh Pannun and the killing of Hardeep Singh Nijjar in Canada.
20-Feb-2026
On the intervening night of February 20–21, Punjab Police arrested six alleged high-profile drug smugglers, including two women, identified as Ramandeep Kaur, Sarabjit Singh alias Sabba, Amritpal Singh alias Abhijot, Jarnail Singh alias Goldy, Amardeep Singh alias Boxer, and Dimple Rani and seized 4.804 kg of heroin, a .30 bore pistol, three live cartridges, and INR 30,000 in suspected drug money from their possession, near Green Avenue in Faridkot district.
20-Feb-2026
On February 20, the 31st day of Punjab Police’s statewide “war on gangsters” (Gangsters Te Vaar) campaign—Operation Prahaar—the police conducted 664 raids, arrested 198 persons and recovered 205 weapons from their possession. Preventive action was taken against 100 individuals, while 18 proclaimed offenders (POs) were also arrested during the operation.
20-Feb-2026
On February 20, Punjab Police, on day 356 of its “Yudh Nashian Virudh” campaign, arrested 87 drug smugglers, and seized 458 grams of heroin, 600 grams of opium, 439 intoxicant tablets/capsules and INR 2200 drug money from the possession of arrested persons, across the state.
20-Feb-2026
Police on February 20 arrested two persons, identified as Davinder Singh and Manisha Rani and seized 10 grams of heroin and 30 intoxicating tablets from them at a naka near Khatkar Kalan village in Shaheed Bhagat Singh (SBS) Nagar district.
20-Feb-2026
Bollywood actor Ranveer Singh has reportedly received a death threat and an extortion demand of INR 10 crore from the notorious Lawrence Bishnoi gang. The threat was allegedly delivered via a voice note from a United States (US)-registered phone number. Police are coordinating with US law enforcement agencies to trace the number’s origin and identify those responsible, while examining call data records and other digital evidence to verify the threat’s authenticity.
19-Feb-2026
The Lakhbir Landa gang, in an unverified social media post on February 19, claimed responsibility for the killing of Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) sarpanch (village head) Harbarinder Singh in Tarn Taran district. Harbarinder was shot dead at close range during a wedding ceremony on February 18. In the post circulating online, the gang alleged it was behind the murder. However, police had earlier stated that the case was being investigated from all possible angles using scientific and technical methods. Based on the probe so far, officials indicated there was no evidence of a threat or extortion angle, and that personal enmity or revenge appeared to be a strong possibility.
19-Feb-2026
A bomb threat email was received on February 19 at the offices of two senior IAS officers at the Punjab Main Secretariat and the Civil Secretariat in Chandigarh. The email claimed that polonium bombs had been planted in both buildings and would be detonated at 2:11 pm. Security agencies conducted thorough searches of the premises, but no suspicious material was found, and the threat was later declared a hoax. According to information, the email alleged that gangsters being eliminated by police in Punjab were actually Khalistani activists and warned that Punjab Chief Minister (CM) Bhagwant Mann would “pay a price” for it.
19-Feb-2026
In a major boost to the anti-drug campaign ‘Yudh Nashian Virudh’, the Director General of Police (DGP) Gaurav Yadav on February 19 inaugurated the newly constructed, ultra-modern Anti-Narcotics Task Force (ANTF) Jalandhar Range building at Police Lines in Jalandhar district.
19-Feb-2026
On February 19, the 30th day of Punjab Police’s statewide “war on gangsters” (Gangsters Te Vaar) campaign—Operation Prahaar—the police conducted 645 raids, arrested 236 persons and recovered four weapons from their possession. 12 proclaimed offenders (POs) were also arrested during the operation.
19-Feb-2026
On February 19, Punjab Police, on day 355 of its “Yudh Nashian Virudh” campaign, arrested 100 drug smugglers, and seized 7.7 kg of heroin, 100 grams of opium, 6,631 intoxicant tablets/capsules and INR 8,760 suspected drug money from the possession of arrested persons, across the state.
18-Feb-2026
On February 18, the 29th day of Punjab Police’s statewide “war on gangsters” (Gangsters Te Vaar) campaign—Operation Prahaar—the police conducted 689 raids, arrested 196 persons and recovered one weapon from their possession. Preventive action was taken against 78 individuals, while 232 persons were verified and released. Nine proclaimed offenders (POs) were also arrested during the operation.
18-Feb-2026
On February 18, Punjab Police, on day 354 of its “Yudh Nashian Virudh” campaign, arrested 110 drug smugglers, and seized 1 kg of heroin, 2.7 kg of opium, 419 intoxicant tablets/capsules and INR 2120 drug money from the possession of arrested persons, across the state.
18-Feb-2026
An Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) sarpanch (village head), Harbarinder Singh, was shot dead and his relative, Jermandeep Singh, injured when armed assailants opened fire during a wedding ceremony at Sheron village in Tarn Taran district on February 18. The sarpanch, an agriculturist and commission agent, had attended a relative’s wedding at Sidhu Farms when three men arrived on a motorcycle and opened fire, shooting both him and his relative. Senior Superintendent of Police (SSP) Surendra Lamba stated that the incident did not appear to be linked to gangster activity, as no extortion calls had been received by the deceased. He indicated that personal enmity could be the motive behind the attack.
18-Feb-2026
The Counter Intelligence unit of the Special Cell of Delhi Police arrested a key member of the Lawrence Bishnoi gang, identified as Bobby Kabootar, in New Delhi. He had been on the run for several years and was considered a close and trusted associate within the gang. According to police sources, Bobby had been actively involved in the syndicate’s criminal activities while evading arrest. Investigations further revealed that he allegedly conducted reconnaissance (recce) ahead of the murder of Punjabi singer Sidhu Moose Wala.
18-Feb-2026
In a joint operation, the Uttar Pradesh (UP) Anti-Terrorism Squad (ATS) and the Gautam Buddh Nagar Commissionerate on February 18 arrested a fugitive terrorist of the banned Khalistan Commando Force (KCF), identified as Sukhwinder Singh Dhillon alias Dayal Singh alias Rakesh Sharma alias Chhinda, in Mohali, Sahibzada Ajit Singh Nagar district. Sukhwinder Singh was earlier arrested in Gautam Buddh Nagar, UP, with an AK-56 rifle and 121 cartridges and was produced before a court in 1993. He was granted bail on December 9, 1993, and released on August 16, 1995. Thereafter, he remained absconding for nearly 31 years, prompting the court to issue an arrest warrant against him.
18-Feb-2026
Police on February 18 arrested two alleged gangsters, identified as Sarabjit Singh and Manoj Kumar alias Monu and seized a .32 bore pistol along with two cartridges from their possession, in Ludhiana district.
17-Feb-2026
The Jammu and Kashmir Police, in coordination with the Punjab Police, on February 17 arrested two Pakistani juveniles—identified as Mohammad Sanaullah and Ahsan Anwar—from Punjab after they escaped from a detention facility in Jammu, Jammu and Kashmir. The accused had fled from the Juvenile Observation Home in RS Pura and allegedly snatched a motorcycle at gunpoint to aid their escape toward the Jammu–Punjab highway.
17-Feb-2026
The Punjab Government on February 17 defended the continued preventive detention of Khadoor Sahib MP Amritpal Singh before the Punjab and Haryana High Court, stating that the “gravity and enormity of the threat posed by the hit list” and his “close intimate association with dreaded terrorists and gangsters” formed the basis of the detention order. Senior advocate Anupam Gupta, appearing for the State, submitted that the principal grounds of detention were twofold: the existence of a 15-member “hit list” and the petitioner’s alleged proximity to designated terrorists, including individuals notified under the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act (UAPA).
17-Feb-2026
On February 17, the 28th day of Punjab Police’s statewide “war on gangsters” (Gangsters Te Vaar) campaign—Operation Prahaar—the police conducted 630 raids, arrested 156 persons and recovered four weapons from their possession. Preventive action was taken against 88 individuals, while 190 persons were verified and released. Four proclaimed offenders (POs) were also arrested during the operation.
17-Feb-2026
On February 17, Punjab Police, on day 353 of its “Yudh Nashian Virudh” campaign, arrested 84 drug smugglers, and seized 2.1 kg of heroin, 92 kg of poppy husk, 720 intoxicant tablets/capsules and INR 11,400 drug money from the possession of arrested persons, across the state.
17-Feb-2026
Police on February 17 arrested two women, identified as Ganga and Seema, and seized 10 grams of heroin from their possession, in Phagwara, Kapurthala district.
17-Feb-2026
Police on February 17 arrested a man, identified as Ravinder Kumar and seized 6 grams of heroin from his possession, in Dhilwan, Kapurthala district.
17-Feb-2026
Police on February 17 arrested a man, identified as Kashmir Singh and seized 10 grams of heroin from his possession, in Subhanpur, Kapurthala district.
17-Feb-2026
Fortis Hospital Mohali and nearby schools in Sahibzada Ajit Singh Nagar district received bomb threat emails on February 17 in the name of the “Khalistan National Army.” The emails alleged that Punjab Chief Minister (CM) Bhagwant Mann, who was admitted to the hospital on February 16 evening, would be “poisoned” with polonium. The messages further warned that if he survived, he would meet the same fate as former Punjab CM Beant Singh, who was assassinated in a suicide bombing in 1995. The correspondence referenced the Khalistan Referendum and the sacrifices of Sikh militants and was purportedly sent by a group calling itself the “Khalistan National Army.” Punjab Police and other security agencies were placed on high alert following the threats. Investigators later traced the emails—sent via VPNs and the dark web—to Dhaka, Bangladesh, prompting international coordination.
16-Feb-2026
In a joint operation, the Gujarat Anti-Terrorism Squad (ATS) and the Indian Coast Guard on February 16 intercepted an Iranian speedboat carrying 203 kg of a suspected chemical substance and arrested two Iranian nationals in Indian waters near the International Maritime Boundary Line (IMBL), about 140 nautical miles off the Porbandar coast in Gujarat. The arrested individuals were identified as Abdul Majid Ismail and Abdul Sattar Kadarbaksh, both residents of Chabahar, Iran. However, the exact nature of the substance recovered is yet to be confirmed. According to police, specific intelligence inputs indicated that an Iranian drug smuggler, Haji Fida, had dispatched nearly 200 kg of suspected contraband from Konarak Port, Iran. The consignment was reportedly expected to reach Indian waters between February 15 and 16 and be transferred mid-sea to an Indian vessel for onward transportation to Punjab.
16-Feb-2026
Leaders of Dal Khalsa, Shiromani Akali Dal (Amritsar), and Panch Pardani Jatha—including Simranjit Singh Mann, Kanwar Pal Singh, Narien Singh, and Paramjit Singh Mand—stated at a February 16 press conference in Amritsar that justice in the cases of Hardeep Singh Nijjar and Gurpatwant Singh Pannun should not be compromised for diplomatic considerations, nor should the indictment of those accused of crimes against humanity be used as leverage in trade negotiations. They cautiously welcomed the indictment of Nikhil Gupta by the United States Department of Justice, noting that he has accepted involvement in an attempted murder plot targeting Pannun.
16-Feb-2026
Several schools in Ahmedabad, Gujarat, received bomb threat emails that reportedly mentioned “turning India into Khalistan”, on February 16. Following the alerts, school authorities informed the police and evacuated the campuses as a precautionary measure. Security agencies launched searches at the affected schools to investigate the threats.
16-Feb-2026
On February 16, the 27th day of Punjab Police’s statewide “war on gangsters” (Gangsters Te Vaar) campaign—Operation Prahaar—the police conducted 516 raids, arrested 181 persons and recovered two weapons from their possession. Preventive action was taken against 67 individuals, while 139 persons were verified and released. Seven proclaimed offenders (POs) were also arrested during the operation.
16-Feb-2026
On February 16, Punjab Police, on day 352 of its “Yudh Nashian Virudh” campaign, arrested 77 drug smugglers, and seized 2 kg of heroin, 1345 intoxicant tablets/capsules and INR 69,120 drug money from the possession of arrested persons, across the state.
16-Feb-2026
Kapurthala police on February 16 arrested an individual identified as Vishal under the Arms Act and recovered two pistols along with four live cartridges from his possession in Kapurthala district.
16-Feb-2026
Police on February 16 arrested a man identified as Sukhwinder Singh alias Kala and seized 10 grams of heroin from his possession, in Dalla village, Kapurthala district.
15-Feb-2026
The Narcotics Control Bureau (NCB) on February 15 arrested three alleged drug traffickers and seized 8.8 kg of heroin, 5.6 kg of methamphetamine (ICE), and 3 kg of opium in Attari, Amritsar district. According to NCB officials, preliminary investigations suggest the possible involvement of a prominent political figure in the trafficking network.
15-Feb-2026
Santajbir Singh, a farmer and dairy farm owner, complained on February 15 that he received an extortion call from a man identifying himself as gangster Keshav Batala, who claimed links with A-category gangster Jaggu Bhagwanpuria and demanded INR 1 crore in Bal Kalan village, Amritsar district. In his complaint lodged at Kamboh police station, Santajbir alleged that the caller issued threats and warned of serious consequences, including harm to his family, if the demand was not met.
15-Feb-2026
On February 15, the 26th day of Punjab Police’s statewide “war on gangsters” (Gangsters Te Vaar) campaign—Operation Prahaar—the police conducted 571 raids, arrested 193 persons and recovered three weapons from their possession. Preventive action was taken against 66 individuals, while 108 persons were verified and released. Nine proclaimed offenders (POs) were also arrested during the operation.
15-Feb-2026
On February 15, Punjab Police, on day 351 of its “Yudh Nashian Virudh” campaign, arrested 44 drug smugglers, and seized 20.7 kg of heroin, 210 intoxicant tablets/capsules and INR 2.28 lakhs drug money from the possession of arrested persons, across the state.
15-Feb-2026
Police on February 15 detained two suspects in connection with the February 10 attack on migrant workers in Moga district. Sources indicated that one of those detained—a village sarpanch from Ferozepur district—was believed to be the mastermind. Officials, however, withheld further details, citing concerns that disclosure could hamper the investigation. The attack occurred on February 10 when three motorcycle-borne assailants allegedly opened fire on seven to eight labourers from Bihar near a rice sheller as they were returning to their rented accommodation during the peak paddy processing season. The gunfire triggered panic among thousands of migrant workers in the district. Two labourers, Ashok Kumar and Subodh Majhi, sustained bullet injuries.
15-Feb-2026
Two persons, allegedly involved in the February 10 shooting at migrant labourers in Punjab, identified as Akashdeep Singh and Jobanpreet Singh were arrested along with two pistols and the motorcycle following an exchange of gunfire with the police near Ghalkalan village in Moga district on February 15. The incident relates to a firing on February 10, when seven to eight migrant workers were returning to their rented rooms after work at a rice sheller on Zira Road. Two motorcycle-borne assailants allegedly opened fire, injuring two labourers.