KHALISTAN EXTREMISM MONITOR
A project of the Institute for Conflict Management
A project of the Institute for Conflict Management
27-Nov-2005
Police recovered six bags containing empty cartridges and bombshells from Mohanpur village in Ludhiana district.
19-Nov-2005
Punjab Police arrested three Pakistan-trained terrorists of the BKI from the Jagroan district and foiled their plan of a major strike in crowded localities in Chandigarh and Delhi. Police seized 1.2 kilograms of RDX, one pencil bomb, 28 detonators, a timer, 55 AK-47 cartridges, 56 Mauser cartridges, and four .9 mm cartridges. The ammunition and RDX were smuggled from Pakistan through the Rajasthan border and the terrorists planned to detonate bombs in areas dominated by a particular community.
17-Oct-2005
The Haryana Police is reported to have arrested a Babbar Khalsa terrorist, identified as Gurdip Singh, who assisted in the escape of the main accused in the Beant Singh assassination case, Jagtar Singh Hawara, and three of his accomplices from the Burail jail in January 2004. Gurdip Singh, a resident of Fatehgarh district in Punjab, was arrested from Sujra village of Kurukshetra district where he was living for the past three months on a fictitious identity. Police also seized a Chinese-made pistol and 14 live cartridges from his possession.
15-Sep-2005
Delhi Police neutralized an ISI base in Punjab and arrested an alleged agent who had been tasked to provide shelter to other operatives. According to the Deputy Commissioner of Police (Crime Branch), Tajendra Luthra, the agent, identified as Mohammed Ramzan, was arrested from Malerkotla in the Sangrur district for providing shelter and secret information relating to the Ambala cantonment to another ISI agent, Irfan Kausar, who was arrested earlier on September 7 from New Delhi.
28-Jul-2005
Two trans-border smugglers-turned- BKI cadres were arrested from Jammu for their alleged involvement in the May 22 twin cinema hall blasts in New Delhi.
19-Jul-2005
Police in the Ropar district of Punjab arrested five accomplices of the BKI 'operations chief' Jagtar Singh Hawara in connection with the bomb blast near the house of Baba Piara Singh Bhaniara at Dhamana village in January 2005.
17-Jul-2005
Police arrested three BKI terrorists near Madhopur Chowk in the Fatehgarh Sahib District of Punjab. One AK-47 rifle, 25 live cartridges, and some explosives are recovered from them.
16-Jul-2005
Police arrested two BKI terrorists, suspected to be 'Human Bomb', from near Kinas Bhawan in Sector 35 of Chandigarh and recovered one 0.25 bore foreign-made pistol with ammunition, two detonators and a bag containing two human bomb belts with 450 grams of RDX, switches, wires, and battery.
15-Jul-2005
Police arrested a BKI terrorist, identified as Gurdev Singh, from Chamkaur Sahib Rupnagar district for his alleged involvement in the May 22 blasts.
14-Jul-2005
Two BKI terrorists were arrested by the Delhi Police from the Old Delhi in connection with the May 22 blasts at two cinema halls. The terrorists were identified as Dilbagh Singh, a close relative of the Pakistan-based BKI chief Wadhwa Singh, and Surender Singh Kanda, a Kenya-based non-resident Indian, who reportedly works as a visa agent.
05-Jul-2005
The Delhi Police arrested three BKI terrorists, identified as Bishan Lal, Joginder, and Ajit Raj, from Jammu. They also recovered 2.5 kilograms of RDX and 10 detonators. The arrests have been made in connection with the twin cinema hall blasts in Delhi on May 22 in which one person was killed. Police said the three were in direct touch with Satnam Singh, the Germany-based mastermind of the blasts. The trio had allegedly supplied nine consignments, each comprising 10 kilograms RDX, one AK rifle and four pistols, since January 2004 for terrorist activities.
28-Jun-2005
A BKI terrorist, Satnam Singh, was arrested at Majnu Ka Tila in North Delhi by the Delhi Police. A pistol and 15 live cartridges were recovered from him. Satnam, reportedly a ‘human bomb’, admits that he made two attempts to kill the former Chief Minister of Haryana, Bhajan Lal.
25-Jun-2005
Police arrested a BKI terrorist who was going to be used as a 'human bomb' to assassinate Ashutosh Maharaj, the head of a religious sect (Divya Jyoti Jagrati Sansthan), in the Amritsar district of Punjab. SSP in Majitha, Vibhu Raj, said that "The human bomb Tarsem Singh belongs to BKI and was going to assassinate Ashutosh Maharaj but we arrested him at village Butala." The SSP added, "Singh was arrested with sophisticated electronic devices found wrapped around his waist, besides hand-grenade, 550 live cartridges of AK-47, detonators and bottle bombs."
20-Jun-2005
The chief of Punjab Police, S. S. Virk, reported that the Police has set up a Special Task Force in all 17 districts of the State to target the BKI network. Virk said that they have so far arrested 24 alleged BKI members, including four women identified as Hardip Kaur, Charanjit Kaur, Gurdeep Kaur and Balwinder Kaur (wife of the arrested BKI ‘operations chief’ Jagtar Singh Hawara), along with 35 kgs of RDX, nine pistols, 11 grenades, more than 40 gelatin sticks, and other explosives.
18-Jun-2005
An activist of the BKI, Ashwani Dadwal alias Jangali, was arrested from the Hoshiarpur district in Punjab. One kg of RDX and two detonators were recovered from his possession. "Ashwani had visited Australia, Cyprus, and Thailand and was trained as a militant by ISI sleuths in Pakistan," said Loknath Angra, Senior Superintendent of Police in Hoshiarpur.
16-Jun-2005
Punjab Police arrested two close associates of Jagtar Singh Hawara, the BKI 'operations chief', from Ropar district. Swarn Singh and Paramjit Singh alias Bhola were arrested along with 10 kg of RDX (found in half kg bricks, numbering 20), a detonating device switch, 10 PE3A gelatin sticks, two infusion sticks, nine ABCD timers, four highly sophisticated grenades, nine clap switches, one live bomb and two .25 mm Chinese made pistol. "So far, we have 256 hideouts listed in Ropar district alone, where 12 hardcore Khalistani supporters are residing, so you can imagine how they have developed their base among the people. Whatever explosives have been recovered so far, on that basis we cannot rule out that they wanted to disturb peace in the State," said S. P. Singh, Senior Superintendent of Police in Ropar.
12-Jun-2005
Five persons, identified as Ajaib Singh, Charanjit Kaur, Amit Marwah, Balwinder Singh, and Sukhwinder Singh, were arrested by the Khanna Police for having links with Jagtar Singh Hawara, 'operations chief' in India of the BKI. SSP, Naunihal Singh, stated that “in separate raids,so far we have recovered 20 electrical detonators, 30 mechanical detonators, four batteries, nine belts, eight bomb connections, an ABCD timer, eight bomb coils along with a timer bomb with maximum limit adjustment of 72 hours and more than thousand live cartridges."
05-Jun-2005
A joint team of the Delhi and Punjab Police arrested two BKI operatives, Bahadur Singh and Gurdip Singh alias Kaka from the Nawanshahar District of Punjab. DIG of Police (Jalandhar range), Paramjit Singh Gill, stated that both were associates of Jaspal, an accused in the May 22 cinema hall blasts in Delhi. Two slabs of RDX weighing one kilogram, 11 detonators and cordex wires were recovered from the arrested activists.
04-Jun-2005
A court in Jalandhar, Punjab, sentenced two Khalistani terrorists to life imprisonment for the murder of a former police official's son in 1986. The Additional Sessions Judge, SK Garg, sentenced Daljit Singh Bittu and Gursharan Singh Gama to life imprisonment for the murder of Ashok Bedi, son of former SSP Ram KishanBedi, on June 10, 1986. The terrorists were arrested from Anandpur Sahib on April 14, 1996.
01-Jun-2005
A day after police arrested BKI activists, Balvinder Singh and Jaganath Yadav, in connection with the blasts at the Liberty and Satyam cinema halls on May 22, the Delhi Police seized illegal arms and ammunition from a hideout of a BKI terrorist, who is still at large. The DP conducted a raid at the hideout of Jaspal Singh at Inderpuri and recovered 1 kg of RDX, a timer, detonator, a.303 rifle, 20 rounds of ammunition, a uniform of a Punjab Police head constable and several fake driving licenses.
31-May-2005
Two BKI terrorists were arrested in connection with the May 22-bomb blasts at two cinema halls in the national capital New Delhi. While Balwinder Singh was arrested from a village at Nawanshahar in the State of Punjab, the other accused, Jagannath, was arrested from Madipur in Delhi. Rupees 2.94 lakh in cash, 1 kg of RDX and 2 kg of gold was recovered from the latter’s house
31-May-2005
According to media reports, the preliminary interrogation of the accused has revealed that the conspiracy behind the attack was hatched in Stuttgart, Germany. Balwinder has told police that instructions for the attack came from Stuttgart-based Satnam Singh, son-in-law of the BKI chief Wadhwa Singh Babbar, and was facilitated by Pakistan-based leaders of former Punjab terrorist outfits. These men arranged for the RDX used in the attack from Jammu. According to police, the blasts were carried out by four men. ''Two others have been identified as Vikas and Jaspal. We are hopeful that they will be arrested very soon,'' said Delhi Police chief KK Paul.
22-May-2005
Two explosions triggered by crude devices at two cinema halls in Delhi during the screening of the Hindi film Jo Bole So Nihal killed one person and injured at least 60 others. In the first incident at Liberty Cinema on the G. T. Karnal Road, the device reportedly exploded under a seat in the sixth row. The second bomb exploded at the toilet of Satyam Cinema in Patel Nagar. Later, Police found the involvement of BKI terrorists in the blasts.
08-Mar-2005
Police arrested a suspected KCF terrorist, Balraj Singh Raja, near Guru Ravi Dass Chowk in the Jalandhar district of Punjab. Raja, hailing from Daduwal village, had absconded in 1989 when he was arrested by the Jalandhar police along with a heavy quantity of arms and ammunition after jumping bail. He was declared a proclaimed offender in 1990.
22-Feb-2005
According to a report sent by the Chandigarh Police to the UMHA, 13 of the 18 wanted Khalistan terrorists have reportedly escaped from India to find refuge in other countries, including the USA, Canada, and Pakistan, The 13 were wanted by the Chandigarh and Punjab Police in various terrorist activities that occurred in and around Chandigarh during the last 20 years. Most of the terrorists are involved in bomb blasts and were charged under the now-defunct Terrorist and Disruptive Activities (Prevention) Act, 1987.
31-Jan-2005
Police arrested 11 leaders of the Dal Khalsa, a radical Sikh organization, from outside the Golden Temple in Amritsar on charges of unfurling a "saffron flag" on Republic Day, delivering inflammatory speeches and opening fire in the air.
25-Jan-2005
Punjab Police Chief A Siddiqui said, three BKI terrorists, Jagtar Singh Hawara, Jagtar Singh Tara and Paramjit Singh Beora, who were facing trial for killing the former Chief Minister of Punjab, Beant Singh, along with a murder accused in another case and had escaped from the high-security Burail jail, have fled to Pakistan.
03-Jan-2005
A BKI terrorist, Prem Pal Singh who was involved in an assassination attempt on a senior police official in Punjab and wanted by the FBI for various crimes in the US, was arrested by the Delhi Police. He was reportedly arrested at a passport office in Delhi when he was approaching agents to procure a US visa on its forged passport. A resident of Bassi Pathana in Fatehgarh Sahib, Prem Pal worked as a Government employee before joining the Punjab terrorist outfit, BKI, in 1985. In July 1985, he and his associates attempted to assassinate Punjab Police Additional Directorate of General (Vigilance), A P Pandey, in Ludhiana.
26-Sep-2004
Police arrested a KLF terrorist, identified as Surinder Pal Singh in Patiala District.
21-Sep-2004
The Punjab Police re-arrested BKI terrorist Gursewak Singh alias Babla from a hospital in the Raikot area of Ludhiana district. Babla had escaped from police custody in the national capital Delhi on August 22 while being taken to be produced before a court in connection with a 1998 case relating to sedition and violation of the Explosives Act.
08-Sep-2004
Tarn Taran district police station of Punjab recovered one AK-47 assault rifle from Didar Singh alias Dari, a BKI terrorist, who was arrested in connection with the murder of Baba Jagtar Singh, head of the Dera Akal. According to district police chief Gurkirpal Singh, two magazines and 30 cartridges were recovered from Didar, who is allegedly involved in nine cases of heinous crimes.
05-Sep-2004
The Punjab Police arrested five Kahlistani terrorists, including two suspected Pakistani nationals, along with arms and ammunition from the Pathankot area of Gurdaspur district. The arrested include Saroop Singh, a resident of Jalandhar district and a member of the KCF-Panjwar. He was also closely associated with KCF terrorist Ranjit Singh alias Neeta. Saroop Singh’s brother Nirmal Singh alias Nimma and Rashpal Singh, a resident of the Adampur area in Jalandhar, were the other two arrested. Two other persons who are suspected to be residents of Pakistan, however, identified themselves as Rattan Singh and Avtar Singh.
24-Aug-2004
A BKI terrorist, identified as Gursewak Singh alias Babla, escaped from the Punjab Police custody at Bara Hindu Rao hospital in New Delhi while he was being taken for medical treatment.
17-Aug-2004
According to the annual report of Union Home Ministry 2003-04, Pakistan continues to provide sanctuary to various Sikh militant groups and the ISI, Pakistan’s external intelligence agency, was exerting pressure on these outfits to revive terrorist activities in Punjab. The report indicated that Pakistan continues to provide sanctuary to leaders of important pro-Khalistan militant outfits like BKI headed by Wadhwa Singh, KCF led by Paramjit Singh Panjwar and ISYF led by Lakhbir Singh Rode. Militant groups like KZF led by Ranjit Singh alias "Neeta" and Dal Khalsa International led by Gajinder Singh also continued to receive sanctuary from Pakistani soil, the report said.
16-Aug-2004
Punjab Police arrested the ‘self-styled chief’ of KLF, Harnek Singh alias Bhupat a checkpoint near Madhopur village in the Fatehgarh Sahib district. The accused is wanted in many cases relating to mass killings of innocent people, assassination attempts on political leaders and police officers, kidnappings and extortion. A revolver, some live ammunition, and documents relating to fixed deposits were recovered from his possession.
29-Apr-2004
Two Sikh terrorists, allegedly involved in cases of abduction for ransom and extortion across North India and suspected to be having links with Europe-based Khalistan groups were shot dead during an encounter with the Inter-State Cell of the Delhi Police at Timarpur in Northern Delhi.
29-Apr-2004
Three suspected Punjab terrorists were arrested at Durg in the Akola district of Maharashtra.
03-Jul-2001
Separatist leader and Khalistan ideologue Jagjit Singh Chauhan, in Mohali, said that the three other Panthic Committee members were already in Punjab to achieve their goal of Khalistan through 'democratic' and 'non-violent means'. Regarding their identities, he said, "As per my information, the two are Jarnail Singh Hoshiarpuria and Shehbag Singh." According to police sources their names have figured in the preliminary investigations of various bomb blasts and other terrorist activities in the State. These revelations by Chauhan support the assertion by Pritpal Singh Khalsa, the Switzerland-based 'godfather' of Wassan Singh Zaffarwal who also stated that two Panthic Committee members, who are till date absconding are already in Punjab.
30-Jun-2001
Police arrested 12 persons, on their arrival from Pakistan, at Attari in Amritsar, for their alleged links with Pakistan's ISI. Police sources said the arrested persons had left India about five years ago and had gone to Pakistan through Lebanon. Police are trying to verify the antecedents of the members of the group.
28-Jun-2001
The separatist Sikh leader and Khalistan ideologue Jagjit Singh Chauhan, in Mohali, said that he would remain active for the cause of Khalistan. Chauhan, who returned to India after spending 21 years in exile in the UK, claimed that the undercurrents of the Khalistan movement were very strong there and in other western countries. He added that the urge for Khalistan manifests in the form of protests, conferences, rallies, and demonstrations and also in the form of several pro-Khalistan magazines published in the UK. The Federation of Sikh Organisations, which serves as the platform for different organizations, continues to hold periodic meetings. Chauhan said he had been in touch with various pro-Khalistan groups and terrorist leaders such as the BKI and the ISYF. But he denied having links with groups and terrorist leaders based in Pakistan. He also revealed that he had been in touch with Wassan Singh Zaffarwal after the latter left Pakistan. He said, "We have planned to come to India. Since Zaffarwal decided to follow the illegal route to return, he was able to make it much earlier."
18-Jun-2001
Police arrested a terrorist of the Babbar Khalsa from Dhingar village in Mansa District. The terrorist had been declared a proclaimed offender since 1992 under various sections of the Arms Act and the now-defunct TADA Act.
13-Jun-2001
Punjab Chief Minister Prakash Singh Badal said that his government would never allow militancy to raise its ugly head in Punjab once again. He said it was the responsibility of everyone, especially of the media, not to glorify the deeds of terrorists as it was not in the interest of the country. When asked about the insecurity that had spread among the people following the granting of permission to terrorists to return to the State from their foreign-based hideouts, he said nobody would be allowed to indulge in violence.
30-May-2001
A day after Punjab and Haryana High Court permitted him to visit India, the Khalistan protagonist Jagjit Singh Chauhan, in a telephonic interview to a national daily, expressed his keenness to return to Punjab. A former Punjab Minister and Deputy Speaker of the State Assembly, Chauhan said he aimed to work and struggle through peaceful means for the attainment of Khalistan, which would include Punjab and the Punjabi- speaking areas of the neighbouring States. He denied that Khalistan was a communal movement aimed at setting up a theocratic state.
29-May-2001
The Punjab and Haryana High Court permitted London based Khalistan terrorist leader Jagjit Singh Chauhan to visit India. Responding to a petition filed on behalf of Chauhan, the Court rejected the government's contention that there were several intelligence reports regarding Chauhan's continuing activities as a propagandist of Khalistan and directed the Union government to issue necessary travel documents to Chauhan through the Indian High Commission in London. The Court observed that a citizen could not be denied his fundamental rights based on such reports only.
17-May-2001
Police arrested two KLF terrorists from Ludhiana. They were arrested while trying to snatch the car of a resident whom they killed when he refused to oblige. A senior police official said eight criminal cases, including murder, were registered against one of the terrorists identified as Jasbir Singh Jassa, who had been absconding from the Nabha jail since August 21, 2000. The duo reportedly carried out orders at the behest of England-based KLF members, Gurnam Singh, and Sandeep Singh.
14-May-2001
According to media reports, radical Sikh organizations in Punjab have renewed their efforts to observe the anniversary of Operation Bluestar, on June 6, 2001, at the Golden Temple in Amritsar. As many as 15 different organizations have reportedly decided to declare Jarnail Singh Bhindranwale a martyr and observe June 6 as ‘martyrdom day’. These organizations have reportedly formed a 15-member Sant Jarnail Singh Shaheedi and Ghalughara Yadgari Committee. The Committee has also approached Akal Takht Jathedar Giani Joginder Singh Vedanti to declare Bhindranwale a martyr.
09-May-2001
In a bid to revive terrorism in Punjab and provide financial assistance to undertrial terrorists, funds from abroad continue to flow into the country. This was revealed by Sukhwinder Singh alias Sukha, the leader of Babbar Khalsa who was arrested on May 1, 2001. A senior police officer said that Sukha had received a sum of Rs one lakh through hawala transactions from Germany. This amount was sent by a German-based person known as 'Babaji' and another known as Piara Singh, both of whom are active fundraisers of the Babbar Khalsa.
09-May-2001
In another development, the chief of the KCF-Punjwar, Paramjit Singh Panjwar, in an interview dubbed reports in the media suggesting his willingness to surrender, denied he has no such plans.
05-May-2001
Gurcharan Singh Tohra, former president of the SGPC urged the government to announce a general amnesty for all those who had been blacklisted for their role in the terrorism in Punjab during the eighties. Tohra said, ‘Those involved in the Khalistan movement are not the only ones wishing to return, but there are people who had fled the country out of fear of the police or some other reasons. Now that the separatist movement has died down, the Indian Government should initiate a move to heal the wounds’.
04-May-2001
After the arrest of the KCF chief Wassan Singh Zaffarwal, Punjab police are reportedly getting feelers from at least three other dreaded terrorists, including Pakistan-based KCF chief (Panjwar) Paramjit Singh Panjwar, for their surrender. Though admitting that some terrorists settled abroad had sent feelers for their surrender, Punjab DGP Sarabjit Singh refused to name them. However, the DGP said, "We may have some big names like Zaffarwal in our custody soon". He said Pakistan-based terrorists were shaken by Zaffarwal's arrest and were being pressured by the ISI to step up subversive activities in northern parts of the country. Media reports quoting intelligence sources said Punjwar, who is wanted in several cases including killings, had recently escaped from Pakistan and made contacts with some senior Punjab police officials.