KHALISTAN EXTREMISM MONITOR
A project of the Institute for Conflict Management
A project of the Institute for Conflict Management
10-Feb-2023
The Border Security Force (BSF) shot down a drone and recovered a Chinese made pistol, ammunition and narcotics along the International Border (IB) in the Ferozepur Sector in Firozpur District on February 10. According to the BSF, a packet of consignment dropped by the intruding drone, containing 3 kg of heroin, a China-made pistol, cartridges and a magazine were recovered from the spot.
10-Feb-2023
Police arrested an aide of Canada-based gangster Lakhbir Singh Landa, identified as Vijay Kumar alias Toti and three of his accomplices, identified as Rahul, Amardeep Singh alias Patwari, and Suraj Singh from Kartapur in Jalandhar district. Police also recovered two country-made .32 bore pistols, along with 10 live rounds and two magazines, one country-made 9 mm pistol with two live rounds, one country-made .12 bore pistol with one live round and two motorcycles from them. The arrested persons were wanted in the recent Kapurthala kidnapping and extortion case.
09-Feb-2023
Punjab Police on February 9 arrested a 17-year-old boy along with 15 kg heroin and Rs 8.40 lakh drug money in Amritsar in Amritsar district. According to sources, Amritsar police arrested the juvenile at a checkpoint on Ram Tirath Road, while an accomplice identified as Resham Singh, who prima-facie seems to be the mastermind behind the narcotics smuggling racket, managed to flee. Preliminary investigations revealed that the consignment of drugs was airdropped by Pakistan-based smugglers using a drone.
08-Feb-2023
Police arrested a person, identified as Sattu Ram and recovered 500-gm of opium from his possession from near Pakki Tibbi village in Muktsar district on February 8.
08-Feb-2023
Police on February 8 identified and detained seven members of the Qaumi Insaaf Morcha, which was leading the protest, in which around 30 policemen, including the Rapid Action Force personnel, were injured while several police vehicles were damaged. Police charged 17 different laws, including the Prevention of Damage to Public Property Act, the Arms Act, and Section 307 of the Indian Penal Code (attempt to murder) against them.
08-Feb-2023
Border Security Force (BSF) spotted a Pakistani drone near the Adia post in Gurdaspur in Gurdaspur district on February 8. According to BSF, soldiers opened fire on the drone and search operation underway by police and BSF. This is the fourth instance of a Pakistani drone being spotted on the Indian side in the last three days and of the BSF soldiers on duty firing at it and forcing it back to Pakistan.
08-Feb-2023
Border Security Force (BSF) on February 8 shot down a “rogue” drone entering into India from Pakistan near the Babapir border post in Amritsar sector in Amritsar district. According to sources, the drone fell into Pakistani territory across the International Border (IB) while it was flying back toward Pakistan. The drone was sighted during the intervening night of February 7-8.
08-Feb-2023
Police on February 8 arrested two gangsters involved in several cases of crime, identified as Gursewak Singh and Satwinder Singh after a brief encounter at Mudki area in Ferozepur district. Sources said the police seized two pistols from their custody.
08-Feb-2023
Around 33 police personnel were injured and dozens of police vehicles were damaged after armed protesters, under the banner of Kaumi Insaaf Morcha, seeking the release of Sikh prisoners went on a rampage, smashing vehicles and cornering cops, near the Chandigarh-Mohali border on the Sector 52/53 dividing road on February 8. According to sources, when police stopped the protesters who were marching towards Punjab chief minister Bhagwant Mann’s residence in Chandigarh, they launched a violent attack on the police with swords, rods, sticks and other sharp-edged weapons. Riding horses and tractors, the protesters ploughed into police barricades and vehicles in a bid to enter Chandigarh.
07-Feb-2023
Director General of Police (DGP) Gaurav Yadav on February 7 claimed that Punjab police’s special drive against drugs had started yielding positive results as the public had extended full support to make Punjab a drug-free state. DGP said that the police had been carrying out cordon and search operations in drug hotspots of the state from time to time and people were cooperating. He said Harpinder Singh, sarpanch of Kharaurhi village in Fatehgarh Sahib, which had been declared drug-free by the panchayat, had thanked Chief Minister (CM) Bhagwant Mann and the police for launching a war against drugs.
07-Feb-2023
According to reports, India has told Canada that the Khalistan issue is of “national security concern” for New Delhi and that Ottawa should take stringent action against those who continue to pose threats to the Indian community there, even as both sides vowed to boost strategic ties between them under the Indo-Pacific construct. Sources said the issue was raised during Canadian Foreign Minister Mélanie Joly's hurricane trip to India during which she held one-on-one as well as delegation-level meetings with External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar on February 7. Canadian minister's visit comes months after India issued a rare- and strongly-worded travel advisory on Canada, talking about rising incidents of “hate crime” in that country and attempts to “terrorise the Indian community” thereby Khalistani extremists.
07-Feb-2023
Ludhiana Rural Police arrested a person, identified as Jagtar (26), along with 50 grams of heroin, after an encounter across the town of Jagraon in Ludhiana district on February 7 late night. Jagraon Deputy Superintendent of Police (DSP) Satinder Singh Virk said that on the way, the accused injured at least three commuters who were admitted to the hospital.
06-Feb-2023
Kapurthala police arrested eight members of an international extortion gang that has links with gang members in the United States (US) in Kapurthala district.
05-Feb-2023
The State Special Operation Cell (SSOC) wing of the Punjab Police arrested two close associates of the United States (US)-based gangster Amritpal Singh, identified as Sandeep Singh alias Sipa and Avtar Singh alias Manu in Gurdaspur district. According to police, they have also recovered some weapons, apparently smuggled from across the border. However, they didn’t disclose the quantity and the specifications of the recovered weapons. Amritpal Singh, who has been working in collusion with Canada-based gangster-turned terrorist Lakhbir Singh alias Landa, and the two arrested accused have been booked under Section 25 of the Arms Act, and Sections 120 and 120-B (criminal conspiracy) of the Indian Penal Code (IPC) at the SSOC’s Amritsar police station on February 4. According to the First Information Report (FIR), “Amritpal Singh of Bholath town in Kapurthala district, who is presently living in the USA, wants to disrupt the Punjab state’s peace by unleashing targeted killings and terror activities with the help of his associates sitting in various jail.”
05-Feb-2023
The Enforcement Directorate (ED) on February 5 said it has recently carried out search operations in 10 different places in Tarn Taran district of Punjab in connection with the recovery of arms and drugs cases. According to an official, during the course of the search, various incriminating evidence, drugs and arms and ammunition were recovered and seized relating to numerous immovable properties worth crores of rupees in the names of the accused persons, members of their family and their associates. The recoveries include heroin of 2.2 kg, suspected contraband material weighing over 13 kg, 2 rifles and 3 pistols along with some cartridges.
04-Feb-2023
Border Security Force (BSF), on February 4, recovered 2.256 kg heroin from a field close to the village of Ghurmi in Fazilka district. According to the sources, the troop found three packages of drugs (2.256 kg of heroin) wrapped in white polythene during the search.
04-Feb-2023
According to report, National Security Advisor Ajit Doval would meet with his United Kingdom (UK) counterpart Tim Barrow in London for the annual strategic dialogue. He is expected to express India's grave concerns about the UK purposefully turning a blind eye to the rise in Sikh radicalization and anti-Indian sentiments in the nation, which are supported by Pakistani Muslims. The UK government has not done anything to block the funding of so-called Khalistan terrorism through radical gurudwaras in Britain in the name of imagined crimes against the community in India, despite India addressing the subject of Sikh separatism in Britain at the highest intelligence levels. The Indian government believes that the UK is using radicals as a leverage point against India and attempting to use violence in the name of freedom of speech.
04-Feb-2023
Police arrested two persons, identified as Harmeet Singh alias Mitta and Amritpal Singh along with nine pistols in Bathinda. Police said they have connection with the district's supply of weapons and ammunition.
03-Feb-2023
The Enforcement Directorate (ED) on February 3 conducted searches in a money laundering case linked to a case under the Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances Act (NDPS) and recovered 2.2 kg of heroin and other contraband items weighing about 14 kg of narcotics in Tarn Taran district. Along with two rifles, three pistols, and live ammunition, the ED also found property paperwork on the suspects' properties. ED conducted searches at 10 locations in the Tarn Taran district villages of Sheron, Naushera Pannuan, and Bugha.
03-Feb-2023
Delhi Police arrested two gangsters of Lawrence Bishnoi group, identified as Sandeep and Jatin after a brief encounter at Rohini in New Delhi. According to reports, Jatin is a native of Baba Haridas Nagar in New Delhi and Sandeep is from the Haryana’s Jhajjar.
03-Feb-2023
Border Security Force (BSF) shot down a Pakistani drone purported to be carrying 5 kilos of heroin close to Kakkar village in the Amritsar sector in Amritsar district. The drug packet was secured with a piece of yellow adhesive tape. According to an officer, BSF forces heard a buzzing sound about 2.30 am as a flying object entered Indian borders from Pakistan close to Kakkar village. The drone was shot down by BSF soldiers, who then roped off the whole area.
03-Feb-2023
Punjab's Chief Minister (CM) Bhagwant Mann on February 3 asked Deputy Commissioners of Police and Senior Superintendent of Police (SSPs) to quicken the three-pronged strategy of "Enforcement, de-addiction, and prevention" in order to make Punjab a drug-free state. In addition, the CM requested that authorities ensure that the preventive detention provisions of the PITNDPS Act, 1988, were effectively carried out. He also urged that authorities conduct thorough investigations into each illicit drug recovery in order to identify the forward and backward linkages in the supply chain.
03-Feb-2023
On February 3, the Punjab Police carried out a special cordon and search operation at the suspected hideouts of people linked to the gangsters Lawrence Bishnoi and Goldy Brar. During the daylong operation, which was carried out by at least 200 police teams with approximately 2,000 personnel, more than 1,490 suspected hideouts of anti-social groups associated to Bishnoi and Canada-based Brar were raided, according to Director General of Police (DGP) Gaurav Yadav. Additionally, simultaneous raids were carried out at residences and other locations connected to these people in all the districts, collecting data from electronic devices that would be subjected to a forensic examination.
03-Feb-2023
Ludhiana police crime wing arrested a college student, identified as Harshvir Singh alias Harsh (21) on charges of sheltering a close associate of gangster Lawrence Bishnoi in Ludhiana. The suspect, a BA candidate at GGN Khalsa College in Ghumar Mandi, confessed that Ravi has given him between INR 15 and INR 20 lakh so far.
02-Feb-2023
India on February 2 condemned recent vandalism in Australia and demanded that the Australian government make sure that its land was not being used for anything that threatened "our security, integrity, and national interest." Earlier, Indian citizens who were protesting against a purported "Khalistan referendum" that the banned Sikhs For Justice (SFJ) organized in Melbourne over the weekend were attacked by Khalistani activists. India had already complained to Australian authorities about the incidents. “We strongly condemn such attacks by extremist elements and we urge local authorities to investigate and punish the perpetrators. We have been repeatedly taking up with the Australian authorities our concerns about actions by such elements, including those that are proscribed terrorist organisations,” External Affair Ministry spokesperson Arindam Bagchi said. “We conveyed our firm rejection of the so-called Khalistan referendum and politically motivated exercises by extremist elements,” he added.
02-Feb-2023
Punjab governor Banwarilal Purohit on February 2 asked sarpanches of border villages to write directly to him about those involved in drug smuggling while directing the state police authorities to thwart efforts being made to revive Khalistan movement in Punjab. The governor who is on a two-day visit to border districts of Punjab, while addressing a gathering of village heads at MR Government College in Fazilka, said that easy availability of drugs is posing a serious threat as even young adults are getting addicted.
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.
02-Feb-2023
According to reports, Canada’s Foreign Minister Melanie Joly will visit India next week for bilateral meetings. While the official schedule has yet to be released, she is expected to be in India on February 6 and 7, senior Canadian and Indian officials confirmed. She will hold a bilateral with India’s external affairs minister S Jaishankar, among other engagements during the trip.
01-Feb-2023
Punjab governor Banwarilal Purohit on February 1 called drug menace a major concern for the state, saying whenever he goes to villages, people say drugs are available like grocery items at general stores. The governor, who is on a two-day tour of Punjab’s border villages, said: “It is a matter of worry. It is not the question of adults only. Drugs have entered schools and children are getting addicted. Parents are feeling helpless. Some children get addicted to the extent that they start stealing in their homes and we are getting several complaints in this regard. They get trapped in clutches of gangs who are dominating,” Purohit said in Pathankot.
01-Feb-2023
The Border Security Force (BSF) recovered three packets of heroin weighing about 2.622 kg, along with a blinking device, from a wheat field near Mumbeki village in Fazilka district. According to official sources, the BSF personnel heard a buzzing sound and saw a blinking red light of drone entering from the Pakistan side into the Indian territory area of the Mumbeki border outpost during the wee hours.
01-Feb-2023
Patiala police arrested an associate of gangster Kanwar Randeep Singh alias SK Kharoud, identified as Pawan Kumar from the Patiala-Sangrur Road in Patiala on February 1. According to police, Pawan Kumar suffered a bullet injury on his leg during cross-firing with the police and was admitted to a hospital.
01-Feb-2023
According to reports, counter intelligence has busted a drugs module, which involved a jail warden, who indulged into smuggling of drugs at central jail, in Ferozepur. Four accused have been held in connection with the case.
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.
31-Jan-2023
A Mohali court on January 31 sent gangster Jagdip Singh, alias Jaggu Bhagwanpuria, to four-day custody of the Punjab Police State Special Operation Cell (SSOC) in a terror-funding case.
30-Jan-2023
The Inspector General (IG) (Headquarters) Sukhchain Singh Gill said on January 30 that Punjab Police have arrested 257 drug smugglers after registering 198 first information reports (FIRs), including 19 commercial, under the Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances (NDPS) Act across the state in the last week. The IG said police have also recovered 16.36 kg heroin, 6.70 kg opium, 1.94 quintal of poppy husk, and 78918 tablets/capsules/injections/vials of pharma opioids besides recovering Rs 11.53 lakh drug money from their possession.
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.
30-Jan-2023
Lieutenant General (retired) Kuldeep Singh Brar, who played a key role in the Indian Army’s Operation Blue Star, said that the Khalistani movement is resurging in Punjab and neighbouring Pakistan has been supporting it. Lt Gen Brar was also the commanding officer of Operation Blue Star and remains on the hitlist of Khalistani terrorists. He survived an attempt on his life 10 years ago in London. “Things were very bad in Punjab in the 1980s. There was no law and order at all. The police had become a defunct force. There was a saint who arose from a village. He had such a charismatic personality that everyone accepted him like an 11th Guru called Jarnail Singh Bhindranwale. He lived in a village called Rode but he went around giving his sermons. And at that stage slowly and steadily the state of Punjab started crumbling and Bhindranwale was an all-powerful man. There were murders, smuggling, and banks being looted,” said Lt Gen Brar.
30-Jan-2023
According to reports, days after Jagraon man Paramjit Singh (45) was shot dead by two assailants who barged into his house at Bardeke village on January 4 and later Canada-based gangster-turned-Khalistan Tiger Force (KTF) terrorist Arshdeep Singh Gill alias Arsh Dalla took responsibility of the murder in a purported Facebook post, the Ludhiana rural police late on January 29 arrested one of the two shooters and recovered a weapon from him in Ludhiana. Police said that Abhinav Singh alias Abhi, was arrested and a 32 bore pistol and four cartridges were recovered following his interrogation. Wanted gangster Arsh Dalla of Moga, believed to be hiding in Canada, in a purported Facebook post had claimed the responsibility of the murder and said that he took the revenge of his ‘younger brother’ Dilpreet Dhaliwal’s death who had “died by suicide” after Paramjit had “harassed him”. Jagraon Deputy Superintendent of Police (DSP) Satinder Singh Virk said that a total of 14 accused were booked in the case, including Arsh Dalla, of which 10 have been arrested. “Those who are yet to be arrested include Arsh Dalla, two other shooters who executed the crime and one accused who is currently in Australia. Abhinav was one of the three shooters who opened fire as seen in the CCTV footage. He executed this targeted killing on Dalla’s orders,” DSP Virk said. He added, “A total of three shooters had arrived on the spot, two of them had barged inside and opened fire while one was driving the vehicle. We have added UAPA sections to the earlier FIR which is applicable on Dalla and three shooters for targeted killing.”
30-Jan-2023
According to reports, taking a vow to make Ferozepur, a drugs free district, panchayats of more than 100 villages, passed resolutions to oppose and socially boycott drug sellers.
29-Jan-2023
Delhi Police Special Cell on January 29 arrested two men, identified as Vikram Singh (29) and Balram Singh (34) in connection with the pro-Khalistan posters and graffiti purportedly popped up in several West Delhi localities. According to police, the duo allegedly worked with a banned Khalistani organisation which was “plotting to carry out terror attacks in the city”. Police said graffiti and posters were seen on walls in Vikaspuri, Janakpuri, Paschim Vihar, Peeragarhi, Meera Bagh and other parts on January 19 and 20. Soon after, banned organisation Sikhs For Justice (SFJ) released a purported video claiming responsibility. Gurpatwant Singh Pannun, general counsel at SFJ, said in the video that the organisation will target Delhi on Republic Day and “raise” Khalistani flags.
29-Jan-2023
The Moga police on January 28 registered a fresh First Information Report (FIR) against four gangsters hiding abroad, including Canada-based designated terrorist Arshdeep Singh Gill alias Arsh Dalla of Khalistan Tiger Force (KTF), for allegedly smuggling weapons to create unrest in Punjab. Three other gangsters booked from Dalla’s gang and also allegedly hiding abroad are Jackpal Singh, a native of Kothe Patti Mohabbat of Moga (currently believed to be hiding in Malaysia); Amritpal Singh of Chand Nawan of Moga (currently believed to be hiding in Manila of Philippines) and Manpreet Singh alias Peeta, a native of Buiyan Wala village of Ferozepur (currently believed to be hiding in Philippines). A fifth accused named in the FIR is Harpreet Singh alias Harry, a local from Mohalla Loharia of Moga, and currently an active member of the Dalla gang in Punjab, according to the police.
29-Jan-2023
Punjab Police's counter-intelligence wing arrested a man, identified as Rashpal Singh alias Pala for his alleged involvement in drug trafficking and seized 5 kg of heroin and Rs 12.15 lakh cash from his possession in Amritsar on January 29. According to reports, Preliminary investigations revealed that the consignment of drugs was pushed by Pakistan-based smugglers using a drone.
29-Jan-2023
Punjab Police arrested a key associate of gangster-turned terrorist Arshdeep Dalla, identified as Harpreet Singh alias Harry and seized a pistol from him in Moga. Moga Senior Superintendent of Police (SSP) Gulneet Singh Khurana said Harry was involved in targeted killings. Though Harry had no criminal history, he was closely associated with the crimes being executed by Dalla and his associates from abroad, said Khurana.
28-Jan-2023
The anti-narcotics-cum-special operation cell on January 28 arrested two aides of gangster Lawrence Bishnoi, identified as Harish alias Kaka Nepali (32) and Jagdip Singh alias Jagar (27), with illegal arms and ammunition from Kharar in Mohali district. Two .32-bore pistols and six live cartridges were recovered from their possession.
28-Jan-2023
A report authored by a Punjab Police officer, Gulneet Singh Khurana, in an Intelligence Bureau e-book has claimed that pro-Khalistani entities (PKEs) are in touch with certain news agencies and journalists who propagate for them. The reports said, “PKEs have been found to be using social media platforms like Facebook, YouTube etc. to reach out to public to provide their narratives.” It was published in an e-book which is a compilation of articles by the IB from serving officers. “Besides, they have been found to be connected to some news agencies/journalists personally who take their interviews and put them on their personal news channels," adds the report. The officer is tasked with supervising various cases linked to Khalistani terrorism, including the Khalistan Tiger Force (KTF).
27-Jan-2023
Ludhiana Police busted a gang of drug peddlers with the arrest of two accused, identified as Amandeep Singh alias Romi (30) and Gurpreet Singh (26) and recovered 100-gram heroin, four pistols of 0.32 bore along with 18 live cartridges of 0.32 bore, four magazines, INR 7.70 lakh in cash drug money and Hyundai Verna car from their possession in Ludhiana.
27-Jan-2023
A gangster, Jagtar Singh alias Jagga suffered a bullet injury in an exchange of fire with the Jagraon police on January 26 near Kothe Khanjuran village in Ludhiana. Later, he was arrested, but his aide managed to escape on a motorcycle. It has been alleged that Jagga along with his accomplice had come to collect extortion money from a Jagraon-based businessman on behalf of Arsh Dalla. Dalla has been declared a ‘designated terrorist’ by the Union Ministry of Home Affairs (UMHA).
27-Jan-2023
Punjab Police arrested two weapon smugglers, identified as Banna Ram and Mukesh and recovered as many as eight pistols and Fake Indian Currency Notes (FICN) from their possession in Fazilka city in Fazilka district.
27-Jan-2023
Gagandeep Singh Kainth, who is president of Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP)’s youth wing (rural), said that on January 27 he received threat calls from an international number on his WhatsApp number, but he did not answer the calls. He said that later he received WhatsApp messages from the same number. “The sender threatened me for supporting the BJP and threatened to shoot me dead. The accused also sent him pictures of weapons to threaten him. He also said that anyone who would speak against Khalistan would face dire consequences,” Kainth said.
26-Jan-2023
The Border Security Force (BSF) claimed to have seized 3 kilograms of heroin in Ferozepur on January 26. According to BSF, in the morning, during a search of the area falling near Tindiwala village, BSF troops recovered three packets heroin (weight 3 Kg) wrapped with yellow adhesive tape.