KHALISTAN EXTREMISM MONITOR
A project of the Institute for Conflict Management
A project of the Institute for Conflict Management
16-May-2021
Punjab Director General of Police (DGP) Dinkar Gupta asked all police chiefs in districts to launch a crackdown on drug smugglers and suppliers in their areas. In a virtual meeting, the DGP asked police officers to also launch a combing operation to nab all those selling or smuggling drugs. He made it clear that under the zero-tolerance policy against drugs, every Commissioner of Police (CP) and Senior Superintendent of Police (SSP) should not let the sale of drugs in their jurisdictions.
16-May-2021
Punjab Chief Minister (CM) Captain Amarinder Singh said that the State Government will be renovating all those places visited by Sikh Gurus under “Charan Chhoh” project. He said nearly 103 such places in Punjab have been identified which are not only being preserved to keep the future generations in touch with their great heritage and the values that Sikh Gurus promoted.
15-May-2021
Car-borne drug smugglers shot dead two assistant sub-inspectors (ASIs) and injured another in the new grain market in Jagraon in Ludhiana district. The accused also opened fire on a group of youths, who tried to record the incident on their phones, while fleeing the spot. The youngsters, however, escaped unhurt. Ludhiana Police said the assailants have been captured in the CCTVs installed in the area. An alert has been sounded and special teams have been formed to arrest the accused.
15-May-2021
Mandir Sri Ram Balaji Dham Charitable Trust located in Kale Ghanupur in Amritsar district complained that it had been getting threat letters from Khalistani operatives to bomb the temple if the trust did not stop its operations. The office-bearers of the trust also said that trust president Sant Ashnil Kumar was attacked by unscrupulous elements a number of times. They threatened him and asked to shut down the operations of the temple in the area. They said the trust was involved in social service, including providing monthly ration to the needy and widow, medical facilities including free dispensary and physiotherapy centres, pension, marriages of poor girls and monetary help to the people following untoward incidents.
14-May-2021
The president Shiromani Gurdwara Parbandhak Committee (SGPC), BIbi Jagir kaur condemned brutal assault and desecration of ‘Kesh’ (hair) of a Sikh youth in Rajasthan.
14-May-2021
Rural Police arrested two drug smugglers, identified as Inderjit Singh and Balwinder Kumar, and recovered 2 kg of opium from their possession in Phagwara in Kapurthala district.
14-May-2021
Police arrested one person, identified as Amarjit Singh and recovered 500 gms of opium from his possession in Phagwara in Kapurthala district.
14-May-2021
Rural Police arrested a drug smuggler, identified as Charanjit Singh and recovered 10 Kg of Puppy Husks from his possession from Phagwara in Kapurthala district.
13-May-2021
A jatha of Sikh devotees led by Amarjit Singh and RamPal Singh along with members Shiromani Gurdwara Parbandhak Committee (SGPC) will leave for Pakistan to observe shaheedi divas of 5th Guru of Sikhs Sri Guru Arjan Dev which falls on June 6. SGPC Spokesman said that the jatha will return back to India on June 15.
12-May-2021
A downward trend in Covid-19 trajectory in both India and Pakistan will be the deciding factor for the visit of two Sikh jathas scheduled to leave from India for Pakistan in June to observe the martyrdom anniversary of Guru Arjan Dev and death anniversary of Maharaja Ranjit Singh. The Shiromani Gurdwara Parbandhak Committee (SGPC) president Bibi Jagir Kaur said, “We will take a decision as per the Covid-19 situation at that time.”
12-May-2021
The Shiromani Akali Dal, Delhi, headed by Paramjit Singh Sarna, and the Jag Aasra Guru Ott party led by Manjit Singh GK objected to the Delhi Sikh Gurdwara Management Committee (DSGMC) accepting a donation of Rs 2 crore from actor Amitabh Bachchan for the Covid facility created at Rakab Ganj Sahib Gurdwara. They accused Bachchan of being involved in the 1984 anti-Sikh riots and said accepting money from him was wrong.
09-May-2021
The Moga CIA Staff arrested a drug peddler, identified as Amanpreet Singh and recovered 2 kg of contraband opium from his possession from Moga in Moga district. The CIA staff disclosed that the peddler brought 3 Kg of contraband opium from Madhya Pradesh and he sold 1 Kg to his permanent customer and the remaining 2 Kg he came to provide to his customers in Moga.
08-May-2021
Punjab Police managed to bust the entire part of gangster-cum-drug smuggler Gavi module active in the state with the arrest of his five accomplices and they also recovered 1.25 kg heroin from Gavi's rented flat located at Urban Homes-2 in Kharar in SAS Nagar district besides seizing three Pistols including one .30 calibre Chinese Pistol and two .32 calibre Pistols and 23 live cartridges from his hideouts. Director General of Police (DGP) Dinkar Gupta said that Three vehicles, including Toyota Fortuner, Mahindra Scorpio and Hyundai Verna, which were being used for drug smuggling have also been recovered.
08-May-2021
A resident of Arjan Manga village in Hoshiarpur district received threat calls from unidentified persons on a social media app from different mobile numbers of Pakistan. The callers accuse him of using objectionable remarks against Khalistan sympathisers. According to the police, the complainant alleged on April 13 he got a message in Punjab language from a Pakistan number accusing him of being anti-Sikh. He said he was getting threats by way of recorded messages and video calls. They threatened to kill him and his family.
07-May-2021
Police arrested two men, who were using an ambulance to smuggle drugs from UP and supply them to their clients in Ludhiana, along with more than 1 lakh intoxicating tablets in Ludhiana.
06-May-2021
Police arrested a drug peddler, identified as ArashDeep Singh alias Arsh on the charge of selling opium and recovered 1 kilogram opium from his possession in Shahkot in Jalandhar district.
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.
05-May-2021
The management of Takht Sri Harmandir Sahib at Patna in Bihar has received a signed threatening letter from an individual that reads: “Give me Rs 50 crore or I’ll blow up the Takht and Gurdwara Bal Leela”. This is for the first time that someone had dared to threaten to harm one of the five temporal seats of the Sikhs, Patna Sahib jathedar Giani Ranjit Singh said.
05-May-2021
Police arrested a person, identified as Gagandeep Singh and seized 60,000 tramadol tablets (opioid-based narcotics) and 360 Wincirex syrup vials from his possession in Patiala in Patiala district.
04-May-2021
According to sources, the outlawed pro-Khalistan group, Sikhs for Justice (SFJ) is indulging in what officials call an “oxygen conspiracy”. Punjab officials allege that SFJ is trying to fish in troubled waters to increase its followers in the border state. Over two dozen calls have been tracked down that show Gurpatwant Singh Pannun’s organisation promising Rs 3,000 to Punjab Covid-19 patients in need of oxygen. Pannun has announced that Sikhs for Justice will provide “Oxygen money” (Rs 3,000) to each Covid patient in Maharashtra, UP, West Bengal and Punjab. SFJ has launched a website www.oxygenfund.org for registration to get oxygen money of Rs 3,000. Police believe that at least 200-250 random calls with the message have been made. But the desperate attempt by SFJ has not paid dividends as average calls were cut a couple of seconds into the conversation. It is the same organisation that has also tried to milk the farmer agitation.
04-May-2021
The Punjab and Haryana High Court on May 4 dismissed the bail plea of Jagtar Singh Hawara, in a 15-year-old case registered under sections of Arms Act, Explosives Act and waging war against Government of India, at PS 17 Chandigarh. The court held that “there are serious allegations against the petitioner of waging war against the Government of India and indulging in revival of terrorism and formation of Khalistan.” Hawara, who is lodged in Model Jail of Chandigarh, in his bail plea had contended through his counsel that he is in custody for more than 15 years and the trial against him has not commenced in the case. The court, while dismissing the plea of Hawara said that “In the present case, there are serious allegations against the petitioner of waging war against the Government of India and indulging in revival of terrorism and formation of Khalistan. It has also been noticed by the Trial Court that it had already written to the authorities of Chandigarh Administration to intimate about the status of notification under Section 268 CrPC whereupon necessary orders of commencement of trial would be passed.”
04-May-2021
The Delhi Sikh Gurudwara Management Committee (DSGMC) said that the Sikh community has been serving people through gurudwaras during the COVID pandemic and it would be a shame to connect this service (Sewa) with the demand for Khalistan. Harpreet Singh Kalka, General Secretary of DSGMC said, "Some people say that the fund is coming from Khalistan. Even the last time during the farmers' protest, those people had alleged the same. They should be ashamed to say where this money is coming from."
04-May-2021
The special National Investigation Agency (NIA) court at Mohali granted bail to eight accused arrested in connection with the killing of Shaurya Chakra awardee comrade Balwinder Singh Sandhu as charge-sheet was not presented against them within the stipulated 180 days. Sandhu, who was conferred with the bravery award for fighting terrorism in Punjab, was gunned down by two bike-borne men at his home in Bhikhiwind town of Tarn Taran district on October 16, 2020.
02-May-2021
The Crime Investigation Agency (CIA) of the district police arrested three persons, identified as Parmjit Singh, Devinder Singh and Mohd Aasif and recovered 300-kg poppy husk from near Thaman Singh Wala in Sangrur district.
02-May-2021
Police arrested five persons, including the son of former Cabinet Minister Sucha Singh Langah for possessing heroin from Dhariwal in Gurdaspur district . SSP Nanak Singh said, “All five — Aditya Mahajan, Kunal Kumar, Sudhir Singh, Rajesh Kumar and Parkash Singh Langah — were found consuming drugs at a private residence in Dhariwal. A case under the NDPS Act has been registered at the Dhariwal police station. I have formed a team of officers who are investigating the case”.
01-May-2021
According to report, the Border Security Force (BSF) seized around 215-kg heroin till April 30 this year along the 553-km-long border with Pakistan this year (2021), which is the highest in the corresponding periods of last five years. The recovery was around 130 kg and 75 kg for the corresponding periods of 2020 and 2019, respectively.
01-May-2021
As part of the 400th Prakash Purab celebrations of Guru Tegh Bahadur, Punjab Chief Minister (CM) Amarinder Singh dedicated several development projects to the people, including conservation and development of Old Jail at Bassi Pathana where the 9th Guru, along with his supporters, was imprisoned by Noor Mohammad Khan Mirza for 40 days while he was reportedly on his way to meet Emperor Aurangzeb. The CM said the state government had sent a detailed Memorandum to the Prime Minister Narendra Modi for a grant of Rs. 938.37 crore for various infrastructural projects in the State as a part of the historic celebrations.
01-May-2021
The Border Security Force (BSF) recovered 10 packets of heroin, weighing 10.5 kg, along the Pakistan border in Ferozepur district. The seized contraband is worth Rs 55 crore in the international market.
30-Apr-2021
The Shiromani Gurdwara Parbandhak Committee (SGPC) marked the 184th martyrdom anniversary of great Sikh general Sardar Hari Singh Nalwa at Gurdwara Diwan Hall Manji Sahib situated in Sri Darbar Sahib complex.
29-Apr-2021
Low-key celebrations to mark the 400th Parkash Gurupurab (birth anniversary) of the ninth Sikh Master Guru Tegh Bahadur began in Amritsar city, with the covid-19 surge a major dampener.
28-Apr-2021
Sikh diaspora condemned Pakistan’s machination of defaming the Sikh community and trying to create a wedge between Pakistani and European Sikhs by projecting a Muslim man in the guise of a Sikh and inciting them to give a befitting reply to French people for allegedly publishing a caricature of Prophet Muhammad. According to sources, presumably after having failed to come up to their expectations and deliver the expected task from pro-Khalistan Sikh leader, Gopal Singh Chawla, Pakistan’s intelligence agency Inter-Services Intelligence (ISI) is now trying to project a pseudo-Sikh figure to further their anti-India designs. Sources in Pakistan revealed that Gopal Singh Chawla has not only failed to make new ‘recruitments’ to carry out disruptive activities in India but he has also failed to spark anti-India sentiments among the Indian jatha that recently arrived back from Pakistan after celebrating the festival of Vaisakhi.
27-Apr-2021
The National Investigation Agency (NIA) filed a charge sheet against eight terrorists of the outlawed Khalistan Liberation Force (KLF) for their alleged involvement in killing Shaurya Chakra awardee Comrade Balwinder Singh Sandhu at the direction of their Pakistan-based handlers. Sandhu, who fought terrorism in Punjab, was shot dead in October 2020 in Tarn Taran district. The charge sheet, according to which Sandhu was killed by the KLF terrorists, was filed before a special NIA court in Mohali under relevant sections of the Indian Penal Code (IPC), the Arms Act and the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act (UAPA). Inderjit Singh, Sukhraj Singh, Sukhdeep Singh, Gurjit Singh, Sukhmeet Pal Singh, Ravinder Singh, Akashdeep Arora and Jagroop Singh were named in the charge sheet. The NIA investigation revealed that Sandhu was executed with the intent to strike terror in the minds of the people of India and especially those opposed to the Khalistani ideology. According to the NIA, the transnational conspiracy in the crime was hatched by Pakistan-based self-styled chief of the KLF Lakhvir Singh Rode and top foreign-based KLF terrorists who provided arms/ammunition and funds to the accused. Further, a well-oiled terrorist-narcotics-criminal nexus, wherein narcotic drugs along with weapons were smuggled by Pakistan-based entities from across the international border into Punjab for generation of funds for executing terrorist acts, has also been unearthed.
26-Apr-2021
Police arrested two persons, identified as Ankur Kumar and his accomplice Sikander Sahni along with 124 gm of cannabis (ganja) from near Pancham Hospital in Dugri in Ludhiana district.
26-Apr-2021
Police arrested a man, identified as Sukhwinder Singh and recovered 5 gm of heroin from him from Street No 9 in Shimla Puri in Ludhiana district.
26-Apr-2021
Punjabi Non-Resident Indian (NRI) MPs and MLAs in the UK and Canada expressed concern over the deteriorating Covid19 situation in India and have promised to extend help in this moment of crisis.
25-Apr-2021
Police arrested three drug smugglers, identified as Karandeep Singh, Mandeep Singh and Hardeep Singh alias Saba, after a brief encounter in which several rounds of ammunition were exchanged near Jakholahri on the Dinanagar-Pathankot road in Pathankot district on April 25 night. Police recovered 265 gm heroin, a US-made pistol and five cartridges from the possession of the suspects.
25-Apr-2021
Border Security Force (BSF) seized two packets of contraband suspected to be heroin wrapped in two white sacks weighing 1.902 kg from the area of responsibility of 136 Bn in Ferozepur sector in Ferozepur district. A BSF spokesperson said that the contraband was found hidden in the wheat fields ahead of border security fencing. Meanwhile, BSF had seized 202.097 kg heroin during the current calendar year so far having a value of more than Rs 1010 crore in the international market.
23-Apr-2021
Police arrested two drug peddlers and recovered 13,700 intoxicating tablets and 1.5 kg opium from their possession in Khanna city of Ludhiana district. The accused were identified as Amritpal Singh of Noordi Adda and Daler Singh of Tarn Taran district.
23-Apr-2021
The Chief Minister (CM) Amarinder Singh said that, in view of the coronavirus crisis, the Punjab Government will celebrate the 400th birth anniversary of ninth Sikh Guru Tegh Bahadur from April 28 virtually. The CM said the situation is not conducive for grand celebrations and he will also speak to Shiromani Gurdwara Parbandhak Committee (SGPC) chief Bibi Jagir Kaur to shift all celebrations to the virtual mode.
23-Apr-2021
Mohali Police arrested a couple, identified as Manoj Sharma and Aishwarya Nagpal and recovered 260 gm heroin from their possession from Dhakoli in Mohali district. The couple was arrested while they were waiting for their clients. During preliminary interrogation, the couple revealed that they had been procuring the heroin from a Nigerian national in Delhi’s Uttam Nagar and selling it to their clients in Mohali, Dhakoli, Zirakpur, Panchkula and Chandigarh.
23-Apr-2021
Police busted an inter-state drug racket and arrested three persons, identified as Amandeep Singh, Gurmeet Singh and Nanak Singh along with 900 grams of heroin from Sirsa district.
23-Apr-2021
Punjab Police recovered 1 kg of heroin that was concealed near a border outpost (BoP) along the India-Pakistan border in Ramdas village in Ajnala sector in Amritsar district. The drug consignment was supposed to be collected by smugglers on the Indian side of the border, Police said.
22-Apr-2021
Around 100 pilgrims of the 818-member Sikh jatha that returned from Pakistan on April 22 tested positive for Covid-19. The jatha had gone to Pakistan on a 12-day pilgrimage to celebrate Baisakhi at Gurdwara Panja Sahib, Hasan Abdal, and pay obeisance at other historical Gurudwaras.
22-Apr-2021
Police arrested three Nepali nationals, including a woman, along with 13 kg heroin from near Peer Baba Dargah on Ambala-Chandigarh highway in Lalru in Mohali district in the evening. A case under Section 18/61/85 of the Narcotics Drugs and Psychotropic Substances Act has been registered at Lalru police station.
21-Apr-2021
Punjab Government has approved a reward policy to encourage information and inputs leading to recovery of drugs under the Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances (NDPS) Act. The Director General of Police (DGP), Dinkar Gupta, said the policy will recognize government servants-informers-sources for their role in providing inputs leading to the recovery of substantial quantity of drugs and in successful implementation of various provisions of the Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances (NDPS) Act, 1985 and PIT NDPS Act, 1988. The quantum of reward for successful investigation, prosecution, forfeiture of illegally acquired property, preventive detention and other significant anti-drug work shall be decided on case-to-case basis, he said.
21-Apr-2021
The Shiromani Gurdwara Parbandhak Committee (SGPC) decided to cancel the plan of grand events that were scheduled to be held to mark the 400th birth anniversary of Guru Teg Bahadur, the ninth Sikh Guru.
20-Apr-2021
The Narcotics Control Cell arrested a smuggler and recovered 6.27 kg heroin worth Rs 32 crore following the information provided by him in Ferozepur district.
20-Apr-2021
Accusing Delhi Police of ducking its Right to Information (RTI) queries about the specimens of “Khalistani, Hindu Rashtra, and other banned flags”, pro-farmer ‘Tractor2Twitter’ group has vowed legal action against the television channels if these would further insult a 'Nisan Sahib' (Sikh flag) from now on in their coverage.
20-Apr-2021
The recent charge sheet filed by the National Investigation Agency (NIA) against 7 operatives of the Babbar Khalsa International (BKI) in connection with a narco-smuggling case clearly suggests that the BKI continues to be backed heavily by the ISI, which is aiming cause a huge unrest in the country. The report said that the BKI with the ISI was drumming up support abroad and, in the bargain, earned a lot of sympathizers. While Pakistan continued to provide shelter, the Khalistan outfits began drumming up support abroad, especially in Canada, UK and the US. During the farmer protests it was seen that several pro-Khalistan voices had offered support and were attempting to create unrest in several parts of the country in the name of the protests.
19-Apr-2021
Police arrested Raj Kumar alias Raja and recovered 270-gram heroin from him in Ferozepur district. He was booked under the NDPS Act.