KHALISTAN EXTREMISM MONITOR
A project of the Institute for Conflict Management
A project of the Institute for Conflict Management
12-Oct-2025
The Border Security Force (BSF) on October 12 seized one DJI Air 3 drone with 566 grams of heroin in Rajatal area of Amritsar district.
12-Oct-2025
The Border Security Force (BSF) on October 12 seized a DJI Mavic 3 Classic drone carrying 586 grams of heroin from the fields in Rajatal area of Amritsar district.
12-Oct-2025
The Border Security Force (BSF) on October 12 seized a DJI Mavic 3 Classic drone equipped with a pistol and magazine from a field near Dal village in Tarn Taran district.
12-Oct-2025
On October 12, Punjab Police, on day 225 of its “Yudh Nashian Virudh” campaign, registered 40 first information reports (FIRs), arrested 56 drug smugglers and seized 156 grams of heroin, 200 grams of opium, 357 intoxicant tablets/ capsules and INR 1600 drug money from the possession of arrested persons, across the state.
12-Oct-2025
According to reports, the Border Security Force (BSF) has arrested about 350 smugglers since January 2024 - averaging one every other day - and foiled several attempts to smuggle narcotics and weapons across the 553-kilometer India-Pakistan border in Punjab. Most arrests occurred in Amritsar, Tarn Taran, and Ferozepur districts, identified as high-risk zones due to frequent drone intrusions. Although the Centre extended the BSF’s operational jurisdiction from 15 kilometer to 50 kilometer inside Punjab in October 2021, officials clarified that most arrests took place within the original 15- kilometer belt.
12-Oct-2025
In a joint operation with Barnala Police, the Anti-Gangster Task Force (AGTF) on October 12 arrested two Davinder Bambiha gang operatives, identified as Sandeep Singh and Shekhar and recovered one PX5 pistol, one .30 bore pistol, four .32 bore pistols, and 19 live cartridges from their possession on the Barnala-Bathinda main road near Dhaula village in Barnala district. Preliminary investigation revealed that the arrested accused were acting on the directions of their foreign-based handlers and were planning to supply the weapons to Bambiha gang foot soldiers for carrying out criminal activities.
12-Oct-2025
Jalandhar Police on October 12 arrested three persons, identified as Neeraj, Manav and Kunal and seized 16.8 grams of heroin from them in Jalandhar district.
12-Oct-2025
A gangster linked to the Satta Naushehra gang, identified as Gursewak Singh alias Bomb, was injured and arrested following a police encounter near Fatehabad town in Tarn Taran district on October 12. However, his accomplice managed to escape. Gursewak Singh has a long criminal record, with at least six first information reports (FIRs) registered against him.
12-Oct-2025
The Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD) breakaway faction led by former Akal Takht Jathedar Giani Harpreet Singh on October 12 extended support to the Akali Dal (Waris Punjab De) candidate, Mandeep Singh Khalsa, for the Tarn Taran Assembly bypoll scheduled on November 11. Mandeep Singh is the brother of Sandeep Singh Sunny, the main accused in the 2022 murder of Shiv Sena leader Sudhir Suri. The Simranjit Singh Mann-led SAD (Amritsar) has also endorsed Mandeep Singh’s candidature.
12-Oct-2025
Canadian Foreign Minister Anita Anand arrived in New Delhi on October 12 for her first official visit to India, aiming to reset bilateral ties and strengthen strategic cooperation between India and Canada. She is scheduled to meet External Affairs Minister S. Jaishankar and Commerce and Industry Minister Piyush Goyal.
12-Oct-2025
Veteran Congress leader P. Chidambaram on October 12 said that Operation Blue Star in June 1984, aimed at flushing out Khalistani separatists from the Golden Temple, was “the wrong way” to secure the temple. He noted that former Prime Minister (PM) Indira Gandhi, who approved the operation, paid with her life, but stressed that responsibility was collective, involving the Army, police, intelligence, and civil service.
12-Oct-2025
The Border Security Force (BSF) on October 12 seized a damaged, assembled hexacopter drone from a field near Havelian village in Amritsar district.
11-Oct-2025
The Border Security Force (BSF) on October 11 seized a DJI Mavic 3 Classic drone near Naushera Dhalla village in Tarn Taran district.
11-Oct-2025
Counter Intelligence (CI) Amritsar on October 11 arrested three individuals, identified as Mahesh alias Ashu Masih, Angrej Singh, and Arshdeep Singh and seized three 9mm pistols and five .30 bore pistols, along with magazines, in Bhoose village, Amritsar district. According to police, the accused were acting on the instructions of a Pakistan-based arms smuggler who has been using drones to drop consignments of weapons across the border.
11-Oct-2025
Punjab Governor Gulab Chand Kataria on October 11 voiced concern over the drug menace in the state’s border areas, saying legal measures alone cannot curb it. He emphasized that achieving a drug-free, vibrant Punjab requires focused efforts in colleges and universities.
11-Oct-2025
On October 11, Punjab Police, on day 224 of its “Yudh Nashian Virudh” campaign, registered 65 first information reports (FIRs), arrested 94 drug smugglers and seized 2.8 kg of heroin, 2.9 kg of ICE, 24.2 kg of opium, 293 intoxicant tablets/capsules and INR 1.22 lakhs drug money from the possession of arrested persons, across the state.
10-Oct-2025
Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD) president Sukhbir Singh Badal, on October 10, urged the Union government to recommend to the President the commutation of the death sentence of Balwant Singh Rajoana, who was convicted in the 1995 assassination of former Chief Minister Beant Singh and is currently lodged in Patiala Jail. The demand came just days after the Supreme Court (SC) questioned the delay in Rajoana’s execution.
10-Oct-2025
On October 10, Ludhiana police arrested an assistant superintendent and two undertrials for allegedly hiding drugs and mobile phones in the central jail, seizing 84 grams of brown narcotics, 121 grams of black narcotics, and 10 phones from the jail premises in Ludhiana district.
10-Oct-2025
On October 10, Punjab Police, on day 223 of its “Yudh Nashian Virudh” campaign, registered 50 first information reports (FIRs), arrested 75 drug smugglers and seized 2.2 kg of heroin, 215 intoxicant tablets/capsules and INR 7550 drug money from the possession of arrested persons, across the state.
10-Oct-2025
A wanted criminal involved in recent incidents of firing and extortion, identified as Mehek Singh, was injured and arrested following an exchange of fire with the police in Moga district on October 10, leading to the seizure of two pistols and several live cartridges from him.
10-Oct-2025
Various Panthic organisations on October 10 held a united show of support to campaign for Mandeep Singh, brother of Sandeep Singh, an accused in the murder case of Shiv Sena (Taksali) leader Sudhir Suri,for the Tarn Taran bypoll scheduled on November 11.
10-Oct-2025
According to reports, Sri Guru Ram Dass Jee International Airport in Amritsar has emerged as a key transit hub for drug traffickers, with repeated attempts to smuggle ganja (marijuana) through passengers arriving from Southeast Asia. Officials have seized large consignments concealed in everyday items, and the Narcotics Control Bureau (NCB) attributes this trend to the airport’s strong connectivity with Bangkok and Kuala Lumpur, noting that international syndicates linked to Thailand and Malaysia are active, with Thailand identified as a major source of high-potency ganja.
10-Oct-2025
Intelligence agencies, in a high-level meeting of central security bodies, have issued a major terror alert warning of possible improvised explosive device (IED) blasts and coordinated attacks by Khalistani terrorist organizations during the festive season in Punjab. Intelligence sources revealed that Babbar Khalsa International (BKI), backed by Pakistan’s Inter-Services Intelligence (ISI), is allegedly planning a large-scale strike, with Punjab Police establishments and headquarters identified as potential targets amid renewed threats to police infrastructure.
09-Oct-2025
The Border Security Force (BSF), in coordination with the Amritsar Rural Police, on October 9, seized 3.049 kg of ICE drug (methamphetamine), concealed in a large packet containing three plastic boxes, from agricultural fields in Bhaini Rajputana village, Amritsar district.
09-Oct-2025
In a combined operation, the Border Security Force (BSF) and Punjab Police seized 7.985 kg of heroin, 290 grams of opium, and 34 live rounds of ammunition from farmland near the International Border in Amritsar district on October 9.
09-Oct-2025
A special court in Mohali issued production warrants against six accused in the May 9, 2022, rocket-propelled grenade (RPG) attack on the Punjab Police Intelligence Headquarters in Sector 77, Mohali, Sahibzada Ajit Singh Nagar district, after jail authorities repeatedly failed to produce them. The accused are Divyanshu, Gurpinder Singh alias Pinda, Nishan Singh, Chadhat Singh, Vikas Kumar, and Baljinder Singh alias Rambo.
09-Oct-2025
The Additional Sessions Court in Moga sentenced three persons, identified as Gurpreet Singh alias Gopi, Varinder Singh alias Vinda, and Baljit Singh, to three years of rigorous imprisonment, while acquitting six others in the high-profile January 6, 2022, Moga explosives and arms case linked to an alleged police encounter.
09-Oct-2025
Prime Minister (PM) Narendra Modi raised concerns over pro-Khalistani extremist activities in the United Kingdom (UK) during his meeting with British PM Keir Starmer on October 9 in Mumbai, Maharashtra, urging action against those involved in radicalism and violent extremism within the legal frameworks of both countries. While Modi made no public remarks on the matter, Foreign Secretary Vikram Misri confirmed that the issue was discussed, with Modi emphasizing that “radicalism and violent extremism have no place in democratic societies.”
09-Oct-2025
On October 9, Punjab Police, on day 222 of its “Yudh Nashian Virudh” campaign, registered 59 first information reports (FIRs), arrested 77 drug smugglers and seized 17.7 kg of heroin, 501 grams of opium, 26,983 intoxicant tablets/capsules and INR 15.09 lakhs drug money from the possession of arrested persons, across the state.
09-Oct-2025
Punjab Police on October 9 arrested two Babbar Khalsa International (BKI) terrorists, identified as Gurjinder Singh alias Rinku and Deewan Singh alias Nikku, and seized a 2.5 kg RDX-fitted improvised explosive device (IED) along with a remote control in Guru Nanakpura, Jalandhar district. According to Punjab Director General of Police (DGP) Gaurav Yadav, the recovered IED was intended for a targeted terror attack, and the terror module was being operated by UK-based handlers Nishan Jaurian and Adesh Jamarai, under the directions of BKI mastermind Harwinder Singh alias Rinda, a designated terrorist based in Pakistan.
09-Oct-2025
Police on October 9 arrested one person, identified as Kunal Kapoor and seized 1,26,800 intoxicant pills near Rakhri Road in Ferozepur district.
09-Oct-2025
Batala Police on October 9 arrested seven members of a gang involved in writing “Pro-Khalistan Zindabad” slogans at various public places in Punjab in September, identified as Aashu Masih, Harpreet Singh alias Kaka, Rinku, George alias Money, Vicky, Shamsher Singh alias Shera, and Saurav, in Gurdaspur district. According to the investigation, they carried out the act on the directions of Abhe Pratap Singh alias Raja Haruwal, currently residing in Armenia, who paid them INR 14,000 for the job on behalf of the banned terror outfits Babbar Khalsa International (BKI) and Sikhs For Justice (SFJ). Three others, Rohit Singh, Abhe Pratap Singh alias Raja Haruwal, and SFJ chief Gurpatwant Singh Pannun, were also named in the First Information Report (FIR).
08-Oct-2025
Police on October 8 arrested a drug peddler, identified as Balwinder Singh alias Sonu, and seized 1 kg of opium from his possession near Baba Mallan Shah Road in Moga district.
08-Oct-2025
Police on October 8 arrested three drug peddlers, identified as Gurdeep Singh, Pardeep Kumar, and Jaskaran Singh and seized 260 grams of heroin form their possession in the Tibba road area in Ludhiana district.
08-Oct-2025
The Crime Branch team of the Commissionerate Jalandhar, on October 8, arrested a person identified as Joel Kalyan and seized 20 grams of heroin and INR 1.5 lakh in drug money from his possession in Jalandhar district.
08-Oct-2025
The police, on October 8, arrested a person identified as Lehmabar Singh and seized 72 intoxicant tablets from his possession in Nurmahal, Jalandhar district.
08-Oct-2025
The police, on October 8, arrested a person identified as Akash Kumar Bagi and seized 25 intoxicant tablets from his possession in Lohian Khas, Jalandhar district.
08-Oct-2025
The police, on October 8, arrested a person identified as Jatindar alias Kaka and seized 11 intoxicant tablets from his possession in Nakodar, Jalandhar district.
08-Oct-2025
On October 8, Punjab Police, on day 221 of its “Yudh Nashian Virudh” campaign, registered 56 first information reports (FIRs), arrested 89 drug smugglers and seized 5.6 kg of heroin, 1 kg of opium, 484 intoxicant tablets/capsules and INR 29.22 lakhs drug money from the possession of arrested persons, across the state.
08-Oct-2025
The Counter Intelligence (CI) wing of the Punjab Police, on October 8, arrested two persons identified as Sajan and Resham alias Vishal, and seized 5.15 kg of heroin, INR 29.16 lakh drug money, and two mobile phones in Firozpur district. According to the police, the investigation revealed that the accused had links with Pakistani smuggler Utshah Pathan and had previously received heroin consignments from him.
08-Oct-2025
Punjab Chief Minister (CM) Bhagwant Mann, on October 8, praised the Punjab Police for their swift and effective action, reiterating his government’s zero-tolerance policy towards drugs and organized crime. He emphasized the state’s commitment to dismantling the nexus between smugglers, financiers, and local distributors to protect Punjab’s youth and secure the state’s future.
07-Oct-2025
The Tarn Taran Police, on October 7, arrested two drug smugglers identified as Manpreet Singh alias Mannu and Harpreet Singh alias Happy, and seized 16 kg of heroin along with a Swift car from their possession in Tarn Taran district. Preliminary investigations revealed that the accused were in contact with Pakistan-based smugglers and were transporting heroin consignments across the border for distribution in various parts of Punjab.
07-Oct-2025
On October 7, Punjab Police, on day 220 of its “Yudh Nashian Virudh” campaign, registered 53 first information reports (FIRs), arrested 80 drug smugglers and seized 505 grams of heroin, 50 intoxicant tablets/capsules and INR 8840 drug money from the possession of arrested persons, across the state.
07-Oct-2025
The radical Khalistani preacher and jailed Khadoor Sahib Member of Parliament (MP) Amritpal Singh’s political party, Akali Dal (Waris Punjab De), on October 7 announced Mandeep Singh — brother of Sandeep Singh alias Sunny, an accused in the November 4, 2022, murder case of Shiv Sena (Taksali) leader Sudhir Suri — as its candidate for the Tarn Taran Assembly by-election scheduled for November 11. The announcement was made by Amritpal Singh’s father, Tarsem Singh, in the presence of Faridkot MP Sarabjeet Singh Khalsa and others. “The decision has been made keeping in mind the sentiments of the entire community and the sacrifice of Bhai Sandeep Singh Sunny, with the aim of uniting the Panth and Punjabis against oppression,” Tarsem Singh said. United Akali Dal (UAD) leader Mohkam Singh was also present and extended his support to Mandeep’s candidature.
07-Oct-2025
The National Investigation Agency (NIA) filed its eighth supplementary chargesheet before the NIA court in Ahmedabad against eight more accused in a case related to the 2020 smuggling of 500 kg of heroin. The case involves a transnational narco-terror network that smuggled drugs from Pakistan into India via the sea route along the Gujarat coast to finance Lashkar-e-Toiba (LeT). The chargesheet alleges that the conspiracy was masterminded by Italy-based Simranjit Singh Sandhu, Australia-based Tanveer Bedi, and Ankush Kapoor in India. Other accused include Pakistani national Tariq, alias Bhaijaan; hawala operator Gagandeep Singh Arora; Tamanna Gupta; Sukhbir Singh, alias Happy; and Anwar Masih. So far, 26 accused have been arrested, while eight remain absconding. According to the NIA, Simranjit oversaw the drugs and terror funding, while Tariq coordinated their smuggling and transport to Punjab.
07-Oct-2025
Bathinda Police on October 7 arrested a person, identified as Sunil Singh Rawat and seized 400 kg of poppy husk from his truck during a routine check in Bathinda district.
07-Oct-2025
Kapurthala Police on October 7 arrested a woman, identified as Sumitr Kaur alias Simmi, and seized 11 grams of heroin from her near Bhattay village in Kapurthala district.
07-Oct-2025
Kapurthala Police on October 7 arrested one person, identified as Sukhchain Singh alias Chaina and seized 43 intoxicating tablets from his possession in Hussainpur Bulle village in Kapurthala district.
07-Oct-2025
A gangster, identified as Karanjeet Singh alias Jassa, who was lodged in jail for attacking a village sarpanch, was injured in a police encounter during a weapon recovery operation near Barhowal village in Shaheed Bhagat Singh Nagar district on October 7. According to police, Jassa allegedly opened fire on the police party after being taken to the site where he had reportedly hidden the weapon used in the September 27 attack on Sarpanch Gurwinder Singh alias Pehlwaan, of Happowal village. In retaliation, the police returned fire, injuring him.
06-Oct-2025
The Border Security Force (BSF) on October 6 recovered two pistols, four magazines, and a motorcycle from fields near Nesta village in Amritsar district. The pistols were wrapped in yellow adhesive tape and had a metal ring attached, indicating a possible drone drop.