KHALISTAN EXTREMISM MONITOR
A project of the Institute for Conflict Management
A project of the Institute for Conflict Management
06-Oct-2017
A court in Jaipur (Rajasthan) awarded life sentence to Khalistan Liberation Front (KLF) militant, Harnek Singh for the abduction of Congress leader Ram Niwas Mirdha’s son Rajendra more than 22 years ago. Additional District Judge Pramod Malik also slapped a penalty of INR 20,000 on the convict. Harnek Singh, who belonged to terrorist outfit KLF, has been in jail since he was arrested by the Punjab Police in 2004. He was brought to Jaipur and arrested in this case on February 28, 2007. The Additional District Judge had held Singh guilty in the abduction case on October 5 and reserved the order on quantum of punishment for today (October 6).
30-Sep-2017
The counter intelligence wing of Punjab Police arrested seven militants of the Babbar Khalsa International (BKI) from Moga District. Sources said four of the accused are aged between 18 and 23 years. One is a minor. Commissioner of Police R N Dhoke said, "BKI was planning to carry out subversive activities in Punjab, especially against anti-Khalistan and anti-Sikh groups. These seven were handpicked by England-based Surinder Singh Babbar, who approached them through social networking sites. The arrested have no criminal background. They joined BKI a few months ago and were preparing for a big strike in Punjab." Police have also recovered one .32 bore pistol with 20 cartridges and two .315 bore country-made pistols with 13 cartridges from their possession.
17-Sep-2017
In joint operations that last all of last week, Punjab Police and UP ATS have arrested six suspects who had non-bailable warrants issued against them for their role in high-security Nabha jailbreak in Patiala (Punjab) in November 2016. Police said those arrested also have links with outlawed group BKI. One BKI suspect, identified as Harpreet Singh alias Jitendra Singh Tony was arrested from Mailani area in Lakhimpur Kheri District. Another BKI suspect, Satnam Singh was arrested by the joint team of the ATS, Punjab and local Police from Sikanderpur area of the Lakhimpur Kheri District. Sources said Police are close to busting a network of Sikh militants in the region, including from Shamli, Muzaffarnagar, Pilibhit, Shahjahanpur and Lakhimpur Kheri. UP ATS IG Asim Arun said, "One of the terror suspects, Balwant Singh, who was arrested in Lucknow led us to Jitendra Singh Toni who is wanted for supplying arms during the armed jailbreak in November last year."
17-Sep-2017
The Special Task Force (STF) arrested three members of the Babbar Khalsa International (BKI) group along with 2.5 kilograms of Heroin from Ludhiana city in Ludhiana District of Punjab. The STF arrested Gurlal, who, along with two other men, was going to Firozepur to supply the Heroin, sources said.
02-Sep-2017
Fresh Inputs from intelligence agencies suggeststhat Sikh militants are getting more support from across the border to foment trouble in Kashmir and other parts of the county. The fresh inputs show support for Manjit Singh, 'leader' of Khalistan Zindabad Force (KZF). The intelligence inputs say this outfit is getting more active in South Kashmir and Kathua region of the state and in Punjab. Sikh radical elements sheltered in Pakistan are engaged in anti-India activities such as providing financial support to terror activities.
17-Aug-2017
The Uttar Pradesh (UP) Anti-Terrorism Squad (ATS) arrested another alleged terrorist of Babbar Khalsa International (BKI), identified as Jaswant Singh Kala from an Unnao farm house in Unnao District. He is wanted in multiple cases in Delhi, Rajasthan and Punjab and was hiding in the farm house for the past few weeks after allegedly killing a supporter of anti-Babbar Khalsa group in Punjab around two months ago. Kala was arrested on the revelations made by his accomplice Balwant Singh, who was staying with changed identity in Lucknow for the past five years. Balwant Singh was arrested from a Gurudwara on Nadan Mahal road in Lucknow on August 16 evening. He was Granthi at the Gurudwara. Additional Superintendent of Police (ASP) of ATS, Rajesh Sahani said Jaswant Singh Kala has been one of the most active members of BKI. He said Kala is among Sikh hardliners who support pro-Khalistan groups. Sahani said Kala was involved in three sensational killings of the supporters of the anti-Babbar Khalsa groups in Hanumangarh in Rajasthan, and Faridkot and Nawa Shahar in Punjab in 2016 and 2017. He said Jaswant was earlier arrested under sedition charges and arms act from Delhi’s Modi Colony in 2008 and on similar charges in 2005.
11-Aug-2017
The three men arrested on August 9 night by Madhya Pradesh Anti-Terrorism Squad (ATS) and Punjab Police had supplied pistols to pro-Khalistan militants for targeted political killings in Punjab. The arrested trio includes cousin of a Canada-based Khalistan separatist leader. The three were identified as Balkar Singh (45), Balwindar Singh (28) and Satyendra Rawat (26) from Dabra, Thatipur and Chinor areas of Gwalior District. According to key sources connected with the joint operation, Balkar was originally a native of Gurdaspur District of Punjab, who had migrated to Gwalior District over three decades back and was primarily engaged in agriculture.Gurmeet Cheema, Balkar’s cousin, operates an outfit Khalsa Sewa Dal (KSD) in Canada, and also has links with the terror outfits Khalistan Liberation Force (KLF) and International Sikh Youth Federation (ISYF) which primarily operate from Pakistan.
10-Aug-2017
Punjab Chief Minister Amarinder Singh approved a proposal of the State Police to set up an elite specially trained Special Protection Group (SPG) to deal with any terror attack and other threats in the State which shares border with Pakistan.
03-Jul-2017
The pro-Khalistani group, Sikhs For Justice (SFJ) has put out a statement as a direct threat to Bhartiya Janata Party (BJP) if they try to remove its hoardings of referendum 2020 or pose any hindrance in their movement. SFJ leader Gurpatwant Singh Pannun said in a statement that "BJP will face serious consequences if they remove the Referendum 2020 hoardings."
21-Jun-2017
Punjab Police on June 21 arrested two persons with links to a suspected terror module neutralised in the month of May. Gurpreet Singh and Simranjit Singh were arrested from their native villages of Jiwanwal in Faridkot and Kamalpur in Moga District of Punjab. Police have not shared any evidence on the terror activity by any of the modules neutralised last month. The operation was done by the Punjab intelligence wing. However, ADGP (intelligence) Dinkar Gupta did not confirm who the targets of these men were and whether there was any specific alert from the ministry of home affairs or Interpol. The Police claimed two .32 bore pistols, four magazines and cartridges have been seized from them. The cops said Canada-based Gurjeet Cheema during his visit to India earlier this year, gave two pistols, along with ammunition to Gurpreet, who passed on one of the pistols to Simranjit.
10-Jun-2017
Police arrested two drug smugglers from Tarn Taran District and recovered contacts of about 130 Pakistan-based smugglers from their mobile phones. An official spokesperson said Sukhbir Singh alias Titu of Naushera Dhalla village in Tarn Taran District and Tasveer Singh alias Tassu of Dhanoya Kalan in Amritsar District both in their sixties were arrested. About 6 kg heroin, a Pakistani SIM card, two rifles and a motorcycle were recovered from them.
05-Jun-2017
The UMHA has alerted Punjab government of a possible infiltration by Pakistan-based pro-Khalistanis in the wake of surcharged atmosphere on 33rd anniversary of Operation Bluestar. The alert said, "According to an input, the Lakhbir Rode group has planned to strike on the event of Ghallughara (Op Bluestar anniversary) week...He (Jarnail Singh Bhinderanwale's nephew Lakhbir Rode) has convened a meeting at Kartarpur Sahib in Pakistan. A bag full of hand grenades has been provided to two terrorists, possibly of Indian origin, to create terror in Punjab. These terrorists are planning to cross over to India before June 6," it added. Sources said that ISI is funding Rode to exhorting his foreign contacts to support them in launching terror operations in Punjab. A huge rush of cops and paramilitary forces have secured the area of the Golden Temple in Amritsar and key border locations in rural hinterlands of Amritsar, Tarn Taran, Pathankot and Gurdaspur. This is the third alert in last two weeks. The first one was on a new radical group "being extremely agitated" over the continuing sacrilege incidents in Punjab, and wanting to teach a lesson to perpeterators of 2015 Faridkot sacrilege incident that had led to killing of two Sikhs in Police firing.
04-Jun-2017
The Punjab Police arrested three terrorists having direct links with Pakistan's ISI-backed banned terror outfit, International Sikh Youth Federation (ISYF). The arrested terrorists — Gurdial Singh, Jagroop Singh, and Satwinder Singh — had been trained and tasked by the ISI to carry out terror attacks and target various 'anti-Panth and anti-Sikh forces/individuals' by Pakistan-based ISYF 'chief' Lakhbir Rode and Harmeet Singh alias Happy alias PHD.
29-May-2017
Four persons, including a woman, were arrested, who according to the Police, were planning to carry out targeted killings under the banner - ‘Khalistan Zindabad’ from Bathinda District of Punjab. They have been identified as Harbarinder Singh of Amritsar, Amritpal Kaur of Ludhiana, and Jarnail Singh and Randeep Singh of Gurdaspur. Two pistols (4 magazines and 5 live rounds) were also recovered from them. On the radar of these “highly radicalised youth” were Congress leaders Tytler and Kumar, as well as those they considered responsible for incidents of sacrilege or desecration.
21-May-2017
The BSF and the Punjab Police in a joint operation neutralised a terror module with links to Canada and Pakistan after arresting two suspected Khalistani militants. The two were arrested from the Indo-Pak border area when they were trying to recover weapons that were earlier smuggled into India from Pakistan, a Punjab Police spokesperson said. "Those arrested have been identified as Mann Singh (40) from Sri Hargobindpur in Gurdaspur and Sher Singh (28) from Kartarpur in Jalandhar," he said.Security forces have seized an AK-47 assault rifle, five hand grenades, a modified machine-pistol, five pistols and over 450 rounds of ammunition of different calibre from the duo.
16-Apr-2017
Punjab Police arrested two suspected terrorists belonging to a terror module set up by a Europe-based Khalistan Zindabad Force (KZF) in Batala town of Gurdaspur District. Police also claimed to have recovered "a huge cache of arms and ammunition from their possession". The seizure included one 9 mm pistol, two magazines and 13 live rounds, two 32 bore pistols, along with 4 magazines and 33 live rounds and one 12 bore country made gun.
25-Feb-2017
Two Dera Sacha Sauda followers, Satpal Sharma and his son Ramesh Kumar, were shot dead by two unidentified assailants at their canteen at Naam Charcha Ghar, a meeting centre for the Dera followers, in Jagera village in Khanna in Ludhiana District.
28-Nov-2016
Khalistan Liberation Force (KLF) 'chief' Harminder Mintoo, who along with five others escaped from Nabha jail in Patiala District of Punjab on November 27, was re-arrested from New Delhi Railway Station in New Delhi. 12 to 14 armed men, some of them in Police uniform, entered the high-security Nabha Central Jail, attacked guards and escaped with Mintoo in the morning of November 27. Along with the terrorist, five gangsters lodged in the jail also escaped. Subsequently, in the evening of November 27 Uttar Pradesh Police arrested Parminder Singh alias Painda, who had played a key role in planning and executing the jailbreak, from Kairana in Shamli District. He was driving one of the SUV used in the escape.
27-Nov-2016
Five armed men in Police uniform broke into Nabha prison jail in Patiala District of Punjab and took along Khalistan Liberation Force (KLF) chief Harminder Mintoo. Mintoo, who was arrested by Punjab Police in November 2014, was wanted in 10 terror related cases, including the 2008 attack on Sirsabased Dera Sacha Sauda chief Gurmeet Ram Rahim Singh and 2010 recovery of explosives at Halwara Air Force station. Five gangsters including one Vicky Gonder also fled along with Mintoo. State Police have flagged a high alert across the State and on borders of Haryana, Jammu and Kashmir.
06-Nov-2016
According to an input received by the UMHA, Pakistan's ISI has directed Pakistan-based Sikh terrorists to activate their sleeper cells in India to carry out terrorist strikes in Punjab to take advantage of prevailing resentment over detention and arrest of radical entities involved in organising Sarbat Khalsa. Sarbat Khalsa is a parallel congregation of Sikhs which is scheduled to be held on November 10 in Bathinda District. Punjab Police had been put on high alert after intelligence agencies warned about twelve Babbar Khalsa terrorists who managed to enter Punjab to carry out subversive activities in the northern parts of India.The revelation came following the interrogation of suspected terrorist Kamaldeep Singh who was arrested on October 23, 2016 from Punjab. During his interrogation, Kamaldeep had allegedly claimed that 12 Khalsa terrorists, who were trained in Pakistan, managed to enter India to disrupt the poll related activities in the state.
12-Sep-2016
With assembly polls in Punjab around the corner, the state is now facing threats from Khalistan elements, which even though few in number, are still active and reportedly getting support from foreign-based intelligence agencies like Pakistan’s ISI. “All political parties must refrain from indulging in any kind of vote-bank politics, especially in such sensitive times when the polls are near. The ISI in Pakistan does not have a better moment than this to strike and make parties forget their morals, thus creating unrest,” the Chairman of the All-India Anti-Terrorist Front (AIATF) M S Bitta said. “Further asserting that no political parties must associate themselves with Khalistani elements whatsoever, he added that the Centre and intelligence agencies must take charge and ensure that nothing untoward happens in the state. “You can’t just leave everything on the security forces. People in the state, including politicians, must make themselves aware of the dangers Khalistani elements pose in the state with the polls nearing,” Bitta said.
24-Aug-2016
Punjab Police recently arrested three militants of Khalistan Zindabad Force (KZF), a group demanding separate Sikh homeland called Khalistan through armed struggle. A huge cache of weapons was also recovered from their possession. The trio, arrested from Amritsar, was in touch with handlers in Belgium, Pakistan and the UK. It is believed they had direct links with Pakistan’s ISI.
15-Jun-2016
Four Sikh leaders, former Khalistan Commando Force (KCF) chief and now United Akali Dal general secretary Wassan Singh Zaffarwal, Damdami Taksal follower Lakhwinder Singh Adian, Shiromani Akali Dal [Amritsar] (SAD-A) Gurdaspur president Satnam Singh, and party’s Pathankot District president Gurmit Singh, were taken into preventive custody on July 15 to prevent them from joining the other hardliners in a protest at Bargari (Faridkot District) on July 17. Led by SAD-A president Simranjit Singh Mann, the protest is going to be against the sacrilege of Guru Granth Sahib at Bargari a few months ago. After the arrest, they were taken before Gurdaspur subdivisional magistrate Sayeed Sehrish Asgar, who remanded them in judicial custody till July 18.
29-May-2016
Intelligence agencies in India have reportedly sent an alert to the Canada government about pro-Khalistan terrorists planning attacks in Punjab. Canadian Sikh Hardeep Nijjar is said to have taken over as the 'operational head' of KTF and formed a module of Sikh youths to carry out the strikes. Making a reference to the recent Pathankot attack, the report which has been submitted to the MEA to seek Nijjar's extradition said he was to arrange weapons from Pakistan but due to high alert on the border in the wake of Pathankot incident (January 2, 2016), it could not materialise. The disclosures were made in the report after an alleged KTF operative Mandeep Singh, was arrested in Ludhiana (Punjab) two weeks ago, following his phone calls to Pakistan-based terror outfit DKI 'chief' Gajinder Singh and Nijjar. The report added that Nijjar has been imparting arms training to his group in Canada after the arrest of former KTF 'chief' Jagtar Tara in Thailand by Interpol and was detained by Thai authorities when he was flying back from Lahore to Vancouver via Bangkok in 2015.
01-May-2016
Gangs of criminals operating in Punjab's border areas may be affecting the country's national security, the Indian Army's military intelligence (MI) unit has written a letter to Punjab Police, saying that criminals operating from state jails are running extortion rackets at military stations. The note has been sent after Fazilka-based gangster-turned-politician Jaswinder Singh Rocky was shot dead in a gang war in Himachal Pradesh's Solan District on May 1 morning. Showing no fear of the Police, rival gang members have for the past two days been gloating on social media about how they successfully hit Rocky.
23-Apr-2016
Shiv Sena’s labour wing chief in Punjab, Durga Prasad Gupta, was shot dead by two unidentified assailants near Lalheri Chowk in Khanna in Ludhiana District.
22-Apr-2016
Gurdeep Singh Khera, who is serving a life sentence in two different terror cases, was released on parole of 42 days. Khera is currently lodged in Central Jail in Amritsar (Punjab) where he was transferred from Gulbarga Jail of Karnataka in June 2015 on "humanitarian grounds". He was booked under the Militant and Disruptive Activities (TADA) Prevention Act and later sentenced to life imprisonment in two different cases registered in 1996 in New Delhi and Karnataka.
22-Apr-2016
The Punjab Government released the 1993 Delhi blast convict, Devinder Pal Singh Bhullar, on a 21-day parole. He was released barely 24 hours after another terror convict, Gurdeep Singh Khera, walked out on of the same jail on parole. Bhullar's parole application said he wanted to meet his family, including his wife who is temporarily staying in Ranjit Avenue in Amritsar.
04-Apr-2016
Chand Kaur, the wife of the late Satguru Jagjit Singh, the former head of the Namdhari sect, was shot dead by two unidentified assailants at the Bhaini Sahib Gurdwara complex in Ludhiana District.
07-Feb-2016
BSF killed four persons, including two Pakistani intruders, and recovered 10 kilograms of heroin, two pistols and a motorcycle from their possession on the Indo-Pak border in Punjab. Besides the Pakistani intruders, two Indian nationals were also gunned down.
10-Jan-2016
Data Provided by BSF Punjab revealed that seven narcotics smugglers and intruders, including three Pakistani nationals, shot dead in separate encounters by BSF guarding the International Border along Pakistan in Punjab in 2015 and 334 Kilogram heroin worth INR 1720 crore was seized. In 2015, 91 persons were arrested for narcotics smuggling and illegally crossing the border, while Fake Indian Currency Notes (FICN) with a face value of more than INR 11, 00,000 was seized. Of the 91 persons arrested five were Indian smugglers while the others included 58 Indians, 20 Pakistanis, four Bangladeshis, two Nigerians, one Chinese and one Nepali, who was held for crossing the border illegally. The other items seized in 2015 include 17 weapons, 24 magazines, and 286 cartridges. 19 Mobile phones (15 Pakistani, 2 Indian, 2 Bangladeshi) and 41 SIM cards (28 Pakistani, 11 Indian, 2 Bangladeshi) were also seized through 2015.
09-Jan-2016
A BSF Constable Anil arrested by Punjab Police for allegedly helping a cartel of drugs and arms smugglers infiltrate heroin and weapons into India. The arrest followed the January 4 incident, when three persons were arrested for smuggling narcotics. Their interrogation then led the investigators to Anil who was deployed with the 52nd Battalion of the BSF.
07-Jan-2016
Sikh political prisoner Hardeep Singh, who was associated with Khalistan Commando Force (KCF), was released from the Amritsar Central Jail in Punjab following clearance from the State Government. Hardeep was released owing to his good conduct. Hardeep was arrested under various sections of the Militant and Disruptive Activities Prevention Act (TADA), besides Section 302 (murder charges) of the IPC in 1993.
04-Jan-2016
There have been 136 terror attacks in India in the last 27 years, according to the UMHA. The state of Punjab has witnessed 34 terror attacks over the highest. Most of the attacks occurred during the 1990s, with the latest attacks reinforcing the view that India’s security forces cannot cope with small bands of militants. A majority of the 34 attacks in Punjab over 27 years were between 1990-1992, a time when Sikh militancy was at its peak; 31 of 34 attacks took place in the 1990s, while the 16 years between 2000 and 2015 saw three attacks in Punjab.
04-Jan-2016
Former militant Baaj Singh, a native of Bhullar village, was released prematurely.
04-Jan-2016
Mohali Police arrested three persons, identified as Harjinder Singh, Gurjant Singh, and Sandeep Singh, along with Pakistani SIM card, mobiles, weapons and ammunition. The three criminals were involved in an interstate narcotics smuggling gang.
30-Dec-2015
BSF Recovered drugs and weapons from over 550 kilometres of the porous India – Pakistan border. BSF troopers confiscated around 344 kilograms of heroin from the IB, which was the second major seizure in the past five years.
28-Dec-2015
An Indian Air Force (IAF) employee Ranjith KK was arrested after the IAF dismissed him from service for leaking sensitive information.
22-Dec-2015
Sikh For Justice (SFJ) who was under the radar of Intelligence agencies for aiding militants and funding of terror and the UK and Canada government would be contacted to act against the outfit. Now the Sikh for Justice raising funds to prevent the deportation of BKI militant Paramjeet Singh Pamma who is also associated with KTF and arrested in from a hotel in Portugal last week. Paramjeet was reportedly based in England on 'political asylum' since 1994-95. Paramjeet was reportedly the main fundraiser for BKI. Around INR 25, 00,000 has been raised from gurudwaras in France and the UK over the past few days, apparently to help Paramjeet engage a formidable legal defense to contest his deportation. Avtar Singh of Sikhs for Justice, a New-York based Sikh rights outfit, arrived in Paris from Canada on December 20, 2015, a couple of days after Paramjeet--wanted for 2010 twin bomb blasts in Patiala and Ambala and murder of Rashtriya Sikh Sangat leader Rulda Singh in 2009, was arrested by the Portugal Police.
13-Dec-2015
Arms and ammunition (a pistol, two magazines, 10 live rounds), fake Indian Currency Notes (FICN) totalling INR 5, 97, 500, narcotics and a Pakistani SIM card were seized by the Border Security Force (BSF) near the Noor Wala border outpost in Ferozepur Sector of International Border (IB). In another operation of the BSF near the border outpost at Kulwant, 1-kilogram heroin was seized. The contraband is worth INR 5 crore in the international market
03-Dec-2015
A major narcotics racket was neutralized and Goods worth INR 70 million seized from nine men by police. The consignment-1 kilogram of Alprazolam, an anti-depressant, 6.4 kilograms of heroin and around 2 kilograms of opium-was being transported from Punjab by a group of men from Nigeria, Afghanistan, and Punjab. The accused have been identified as Harjinder Singh (28), Durgesh (33) from Punjab, Ubah Casmir Amobi (35), Abu Bakr (28), Mohd Akhtar (31), Shabir Ahmed Bhat (38), Ezeh Chinedu Joseph (34), Ugo Geoffery Franklin (39), and HaziImamudin (50).14 mobile phones have also been seized.
21-Nov-2015
To revive Khalistan movement in Punjab and execute more attacks like Gurdaspur to destabilize peace in the state of Punjab recently Pakistan’s ISI held a meeting with militant outfits, including Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT), Jaish-e-Mohammed (JeM), Babbar Khalsa and Khalistan Zindabad Force (KZF). KZF 'chief', Ranjeet Singh alias Neeta, works closely with the ISI to carry out terror attacks in Punjab. Neeta has provided a two-month-long language training to LeT’s Fidayeen (suicide bombers) near Gurudwara Kartarpur Sahib near Lahore, in Punjab (Pakistan). “The militants have been trained by Neeta in the Sikh tradition and Gurumukhi script. They are likely to be disguised as locals following infiltration. Local police departments and state law enforcement agencies have been put on high alert,” intelligence input based on intercepted communication revealed. ISI and terror groups sheltered by the Pakistani state authorities have been systematically trying to revive the militancy in Punjab with the help of Babbar Khalsa and outfits such as the KZF. The Pakistan-based outfits are also getting financial support from sympathizers in Germany and the UK.
20-Nov-2015
Supreme Court (SC) directions issued to send the file of Khalistan Tiger Force (KTF) self-styled commander Jagtar Singh Tara to Chandigarh Session Court to begin the trial of the accused on November 20. Tara is charged in the assassination of former Punjab Chief Minister Beant Singh (August 31, 1995). Tara was arrested from a person’s house that was sheltering him at the behest of Pakistan’s ISI agency in Thailand in January.
19-Nov-2015
Police recovered nearly five kilograms of heroin from a goods train returning from Pakistan in the border region of Punjab.
02-Nov-2015
The operations cell of the Chandigarh Police filed a detailed charge-sheet against BKI militant Jagtar Singh Tara, charging him with escaping from Police custody, sedition and waging war against the country in the Burail jailbreak case. The charge sheet included the copies of Pakistan-made fake ID card of Tara and four FIRs registered against him after his escape from the jail for spreading terrorism in Punjab. It was filed in the court of CJM Anubhav Sharma. Tara along with Jagtar Singh Hawara, Paramjeet Singh Bheora, and Devi Singh had escaped after digging a 98-foot long tunnel in January 2004. An unnamed senior police official stated, "The charges of sedition and waging war against the country were levelled against Tara based on fresh evidence like proof of his presence in Pakistan and attempts to revive terrorism." Tara was arrested by a joint team of Punjab and Thailand police from Thailand in January 2015. He was brought to Chandigarh in connection with the jailbreak case on February 17, 2015. The charge sheet was filed under sections 223, 224, 452, 457, 121, 121 A, 123, 217, 221 and 120 B of Indian Penal Code (IPC). The Chandigarh Police has also filed an appeal in Punjab and Haryana high court challenging the acquittal of all jail officials in the case.
28-Oct-2015
BSF submitted a report to the UMHA on the narco-trafficking in Punjab. The detailed report suggests an increase in drug smuggling across the border, the BSF had seized heroin worth 67 kilograms in 2011, while in 2012; the seizure was elevated to 288 kilograms. These figures touched 313 kilograms and 324 kilograms in 2013 and 2014 respectively. The report further stated that there are numerous couriers in the border regions of Punjab which are being paid INR 60,000 per kilogram, and well-network groups ensure the drug consignments are safely cleared and smuggled.
22-Oct-2015
Intelligence agencies report that Pakistan’s ISI is behind the recent cases of desecration of Guru Granth Sahib in its bid to revive the Khalistan insurgency in the state of Punjab. The involvement of Foreign hands is traced by investigations and traced calls to Australia by two suspects arrested in the Faridkot sacrilege case, Jaswinder Singh and Rupinder Singh. Police believe the funding comes from Australia and Dubai for desecration incidents. ISI is working with pro-Khalistan elements in the Sikh diasporas to revive militancy in Punjab. ISI officials in Pakistan had met militants from jihadi outfits like Lashkar-e-Toiba(LeT) and with Sikh militants of Babbar Khalsa International (BKI), Khalistan Zindabad Force (KZF) to plot strikes in Punjab, Jammu & Kashmir and Delhi. Nearly 15-20 militants who were trained by ISI, which also issued funds for the anti-India strikes, were acquainted with Sikh traditions and Gurumukhi script at Kartarpur Sahib, a gurudwara in Pakistan, with the help of KZF's Ranjit Singh. They were also briefed on the topography of Punjab. Even the commemoration of Operation Blue Star anniversary earlier this year by hardliner Sikh elements across the United Kingdom (UK), France, Canada, Germany, Pakistan, and Malaysia, etc, was noted with concern by Indian agencies. More recently, ISI officials had reportedly visited a gurudwara in South Hall, London, to incite trouble ahead of Prime Minister Narendra Modi's recent visit there. A senior intelligence official claimed that ISI's mission to rekindle the embers of militancy in Punjab has been encouraged by the weakness of the state leadership and the churn in Punjab society.
20-Oct-2015
Central intelligence agencies warned the Punjab government against Pakistan’s intelligence agency, ISI’s possible attempt to create trouble in Punjab. The letter, dated October 1 talked about an attempt by the ISI to send a group of militants trained in Sikh manners and customs to create trouble in the state. Intelligence agencies sent the letter to senior Punjab police officer that circulated to all districts to take necessary steps. The letter said a group of 15-20 militants from Pakistan - who had undergone arms training under 26/11 Mumbai attack mastermind Hafiz Sayeed - had been trained in "Sikh traditions and Gurumukhi script at Pakistan's Gurudwara Sahib for about two months". Their trainer was Ranjeet Singh, the Chief of Khalistan Zindabad Force (KZF). However, despite the advance information, protests seared Punjab over the acts of desecration, plunging the Akali-BJP Government into the worst crisis of its nine-year rule.
27-Sep-2015
ISI has mobilized militants belonging to groups like LeT, JeM, and HM as well as Sikh militants associated with BKI and KZF remnants based on its soil, for possible joint strikes in Punjab, Jammu, and Kashmir, Delhi or other parts of India.
12-Aug-2015
Punjab Deputy Chief Minister Sukhbir Badal dispatched a communiqué to Union home minister for an increase in deployment of Border Security Force (BSF) personnel on the International Border (IB) with Pakistan along the Punjab border to prevent cross border infiltration and avert any kind of terror strike. Badal visited some forward posts of BSF adjoining the border and realized the need for more personnel on the border to keep watch. He Said that the IB adjoining territory of Punjab should have the same strength of forces on the pattern of Jammu and Kashmir borders.