KHALISTAN EXTREMISM MONITOR
A project of the Institute for Conflict Management
A project of the Institute for Conflict Management
21-May-2025
The Jalandhar Commissionerate Police on May 21 busted a cross-border drug smuggling racket, arrested one smuggler identified as Shivam Sodhi, and seized 5 kg of heroin along with INR 22,000 in drug money from his possession in the Lamma Pind Chowk area of Jalandhar district.
20-May-2025
Punjab Police on May 20 arrested Parmjeet Kaur, the daughter of a sarpanch, and seized 18 grams of heroin from her possession in Kartarpur, Jalandhar district.
20-May-2025
The Anti-Gangster Task Force (AGTF), in a joint operation with the Faridkot police, on May 20 arrested two close associates of foreign-based gangster Arshdeep Singh Gill alias Arsh Dala, identified as Vishal Singh of Muktsar and Onkar Singh, and seized two .30 bore pistols and six live cartridges from their possession in Sadiq in Faridkot district.
20-May-2025
Golden Temple Head Granthi (priest) Giani Raghbir Singh on May 20 in Amritsar refuted claims made by Indian Army officer Lieutenant General Sumer Ivan D'Cunha that the shrine’s authorities had permitted the deployment of air defence guns on the premises during Operation Sindoor. Singh stated he was never contacted by any army personnel and had been abroad in the United States (US) from April 24 to May 14, the period during which the operation took place. He urged the Shiromani Gurdwara Parbandhak Committee (SGPC) to investigate the matter and take appropriate action if any member had acted without authorisation.
20-May-2025
Jalandhar Rural Police on May 20 arrested a gangster linked to the Dilpreet Baba gang, identified as Paramjit Singh alias Pamma, and seized 15 grams of heroin and two illegal .32 pistols, live cartridges and a stolen car, from his possession, near Kalra village in Jalandhar district. Singh opened fire while attempting to flee, resulting in him being injured in the leg during police retaliation.
20-May-2025
The Jalandhar Commissionerate Police on May 20 arrested two key suspects involved in a recent gang-related shooting in Shaheed Babu Labh Singh Nagar, identified as Akashdeep Singh alias Akash and Gaurav Kapila, seizing two pistols, three cartridges, and six spent cartridges from their possession after a brief encounter in Dhakoli, Sahibzada Ajit Singh (SAS) Nagar district. Akashdeep and Gaurav were linked to the killing of a Fateh gang member and the injury of a bystander.
19-May-2025
Border Security Force (BSF) on May 19 recovered a packet of heroin weighing 506 grams along with one DJI Mavic 3 Classic drone, from fields near Noorwala village in Patti in Tarn Taran district.
19-May-2025
Border Security Force (BSF) on May 19 recovered one drone in burnt condition from a farming field adjacent to Wan village in Patti in Tarn Taran district. The recovered drone was a DJI Air 3 model.
19-May-2025
The Mohali District Court on May 19 acquitted Jagtar Singh Hawara, who is currently serving a life sentence for the assassination of former Punjab Chief Minister (CM) Beant Singh, in an explosives case registered in 2005, in Mohali in Sahibzada Ajit Singh (SAS) Nagar district.
19-May-2025
On May 19, the Akal Takht, Shiromani Gurdwara Parbandhak Committee (SGPC), and several Sikh organisations condemned YouTuber Dhruv Rathi for using artificial intelligence (AI) animation to depict Sikh Gurus in a video titled "The Sikh Warrior Who Terrified the Mughals." Acting Jathedar of Akal Takht, Giani Kuldeep Singh Gargajj, issued a stern warning demanding the immediate removal of the video. SGPC President Harjinder Singh Dhami criticised the AI-generated portrayal of Guru Gobind Singh and the Sahibzadas, calling it a violation of Sikh principles and historical sanctity. Following the backlash, Rathi took down the video.
19-May-2025
The Border Security Force (BSF) on May 19 announced that it had successfully recovered the 100th Pakistani drone used for smuggling arms, explosives, and narcotics along the Indo-Pakistan border in Punjab this year. Recoveries in 2025 so far include 111 kg of heroin, 60 weapons, 14 hand grenades, and over 10 kg of high explosives.
19-May-2025
On May 19, Punjab Police as part of its ‘Yudh Nashian Virudh’ campaign, registered 109 first information reports (FIRs), arrested 147 drug smugglers and recovered 2.7 kg of heroin, 84 kg of poppy husk, 73000 and INR 1.22 lakh drug money from their possession, across Punjab.
19-May-2025
Police on May 19 arrested one individual, identified as Jagjit Singh, and seized INR 3.15 lakh in drug money from his possession in the Islamabad area of Amritsar in Amritsar district. Singh was an accomplice in a cross-border drug trafficking racket linked to Sandeep Singh, who was arrested on May 18 along with his associates Akashdeep Singh and Akash alias Mota. The trio was caught with 10.248 kg of heroin. Sandeep Singh is alleged to have smuggled over 200 kg of heroin into Punjab since 2018 using drones in coordination with Pakistan-based smugglers.
19-May-2025
The Ferozepur police on May 19 arrested four individuals, identified as Swaran Singh, Gurwant Singh, Sandeep Singh and Manpreet Singh and seized 4.25 kg of heroin and INR 1.97 lakh in drug money, along with a car from their possession, in Ferozepur in Ferozepur district.
19-May-2025
In a rare display of unity, Punjab’s political parties rallied behind the Centre and armed forces following India’s launch of Operation Sindoor in response to the Pahalgam massacre. Leaders across party lines evoked Punjab’s martial legacy, praised Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s decisive action, and lauded the bravery of Indian soldiers. Shiromani Akali Dal’s (SAD) Sukhbir Badal commended Modi for making Pakistan “beg for a ceasefire,” while Chief Minister (CM) Bhagwant Mann highlighted Punjab’s frontline vulnerability and called for compensation. Congress leader Partap Singh Bajwa invoked Guru Gobind Singh to honour Punjabi soldiers’ courage, state Congress chief Amrinder Singh Raja Warring condemned Pakistan as an “evil nation,” and Bharatiya Janata Party’s (BJP) Sunil Jakhar endorsed the operation as precise and justified, though he cautioned against the economic toll of war.
19-May-2025
Punjab Police on May 19 dismantled a terror module of the banned Khalistani outfit Babbar Khalsa International (BKI), backed by Pakistan’s Inter-Services Intelligence (ISI), and arrested six operatives—identified as Jatin Kumar alias Rohan, Barinder Singh alias Sajan, Rahul Masih, Abraham alias Rohit, Sohit, and Sunil Kumar— and seized a 30-bore pistol from their possession in Batala, Gurdaspur district. The module was allegedly planning a grenade attack on a liquor vend and was receiving direct instructions from Maninder Billa, operating from Portugal, and Mannu Agwan, who recently assumed operational control of BKI following the arrest of Harpreet Singh alias Happy Passia in the United States (US).
18-May-2025
Khalistani terrorist and chief of the banned outfit Sikhs For Justice (SFJ), Gurpatwant Singh Pannun, in a statement on May 18, provocatively labelled India’s official diplomatic mission to the United States (US) as a “Delegation of Devils,” in an apparent attempt to derail India’s global outreach following Operation Sindoor. Echoing Pakistan’s narrative, Pannun accused India of manufacturing war and further escalated threats against Indian diplomats by announcing a USD 10,000 reward for information on former Indian envoy Taranjit Singh Sandhu.
18-May-2025
Ex-Khalistani Kuljinder Dhillon on May 18 on the Figuring Out podcast revealed that the Khalistan movement was not purely about religion or rights, but that many involved were ordinary criminals using the cause as a cover for looting, bank robberies, and kidnappings.
18-May-2025
On May 18, Punjab Police, on day 78 of its “Yudh Nashian Virudh” campaign, conducted cordon-and-search operations (CASO) at 490 locations, registered 109 first information reports (FIRs), arrested 136 drug smugglers, and seized 11.3 kg of heroin and INR 3.48 lakh in drug money across Punjab. The police also launched Operation Seal-XI, targeting 92 entry and exit points across 10 border districts adjoining Haryana, Himachal Pradesh (HP), Rajasthan, Jammu and Kashmir (J&K), and the Union Territory of Chandigarh.
18-May-2025
Border Security Force (BSF) on May 18 recovered a drone in broken condition from fields near Rattankhurd village in Amritsar district. The recovered drone was a DJI Mavic 3 Classic model.