KHALISTAN EXTREMISM MONITOR
A project of the Institute for Conflict Management
A project of the Institute for Conflict Management
11-Apr-2025
Punjab DGP Gaurav Yadav, on April 11, conducted a night domination operation with senior district officials in Jalandhar district following the grenade attack at former BJP minister Manoranjan Kalia’s residence. The DGP inspected vulnerable locations and reviewed preparedness at police stations to ensure enhanced security and vigilance across the district.
11-Apr-2025
According to sources, following the extradition of Tahawwur Hussain Rana, India is intensifying efforts to bring back seven high-profile fugitives, including gangsters and economic offenders: Satinderjit Singh alias Goldy Brar, Arshdeep Singh Gill alias Arsh Dala, Anmol Bishnoi, Vijay Mallya, Nirav Modi, Mehul Choksi, and Sanjay Bhandari. The Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) has made 178 extradition requests since 2019, of which 23 have been successful. India is leveraging its global diplomatic network to ensure these individuals face justice.
11-Apr-2025
According to a police source, the key accused in the grenade attack on Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) leader Manoranjan Kalia’s residence used a stolen mobile phone and spent nearly two hours at Jalandhar City railway station after the April 8 incident. CCTV footage captured his face, aiding identification, although his full identity remains unknown. The phone was registered to a man from Budaun district in Uttar Pradesh (UP), who had filed a First Information Report (FIR) after it was stolen. The accused also made a Unified Payments Interface (UPI) transaction of INR 3,500, which led to the arrest of an e-rickshaw driver and his cousin who helped withdraw the cash.
11-Apr-2025
The Ajnala Subdivisional Court on April 11 remanded Papalpreet Singh, a close aide of radical Khalistani preacher and jailed Khadoor Sahib Member of Parliament (MP) Amritpal Singh, to four days of police custody in Ajnala, Amritsar district. He was arrested by Amritsar Rural Police following his release from Dibrugarh Central Jail in Assam, where he had been detained under the National Security Act (NSA) for two years. Papalpreet is accused of being a key perpetrator in the February 2023 Ajnala police station attack.
11-Apr-2025
Family members of Papalpreet Singh, a close aide of radical Khalistani preacher and jailed Khadoor Sahib Member of Parliament (MP) Amritpal Singh, have recently defended him, claiming he was focused solely on combating drug abuse in Punjab and did not promote violence. His mother described him as a devout follower of Sikh teachings, while his uncle criticised the application of the National Security Act (NSA), calling it a reflection of a one-sided narrative.
11-Apr-2025
According to sources, fractures have begun to emerge within the once tightly-knit inner circle of radical Khalistani preacher and jailed Khadoor Sahib Member of Parliament (MP) Amritpal Singh, as his close aides are gradually being transferred from Dibrugarh Jail in Assam to Punjab. On April 11, Papalpreet Singh—Amritpal’s closest confidant—was remanded to four-day police custody by the Ajnala Court in connection with the 2023 Ajnala police station attack. With his detention under the National Security Act (NSA) set to expire on April 22, Amritpal remains the sole detainee in Dibrugarh.
11-Apr-2025
The National Investigation Agency (NIA) has intensified its hunt for Kulveer Singh Siddhu, a wanted Babbar Khalsa International (BKI) militant with a INR 10-lakh bounty, by posting wanted posters across Puranpur in Pilibhit district, Uttar Pradesh. Siddhu is accused of involvement in the April 2024 murder of Vishva Hindu Parishad (VHP) leader Vikas Prabhakar in Punjab and is believed to have lived covertly in Puranpur for over three years before fleeing to Greece. According to the NIA, Siddhu provided shelter to three Khalistan Zindabad Force (KZF) militants killed in a December 2024 police encounter and maintained contact with local youth. He is currently believed to be in the United Kingdom and remains in touch with pro-Khalistan operatives abroad.
11-Apr-2025
Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) leader and Member of the Legislative Assembly (MLA) Kulwant Singh Pandori, on April 11, strongly condemned the derogatory remarks made by Khalistani terrorist Gurpatwant Singh Pannun against Dr. B.R. Ambedkar, while addressing the media in Barnala, Barnala district. He stated that instead of making derogatory statements against Dr. Ambedkar, Pannun should study his history to understand his struggles and achievements.
11-Apr-2025
Former Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) Punjab minister Manoranjan Kalia, on April 11, criticised the state police for what he described as “premature conclusions” in the investigation into the grenade attack at his residence, even as a purported audio confession surfaced in which a man identifying himself as Zeeshan Akhtar claimed responsibility. Kalia questioned the credibility of the police narrative, emphasising that the attacker has yet to be identified. He dismissed the audio confession as “concocted” and reiterated that only the arrest of the actual perpetrator would uncover the full truth.
11-Apr-2025
The Anti-Narcotics Task Force (ANTF) of the Punjab Police, on April 11, arrested a drug peddler identified as Hira Singh and seized 18.227 kg of heroin in Amritsar district. Singh and his accomplice, Kulwinder Singh, are believed to have links with a Pakistan-based smuggler, Billa, and are allegedly involved in smuggling drugs via drones across the International Border. Police are continuing efforts to apprehend Kulwinder Singh, who remains at large.
11-Apr-2025
Punjab Police, on April 11—Day 42 of the “Yudh Nashian Virudh” campaign—arrested 109 drug smugglers and recovered 2.9 kg of heroin, 1.6 kg of opium, 350 kg of poppy husk, and INR 26,220 in drug money from their possession across Punjab.
11-Apr-2025
Rajasthan Police’s Anti-Gangster Task Force (AGTF) on April 11 arrested Ilyas Khan, a key aide of the Lawrence Bishnoi–Rohit Godara gang, in Ramgarh, Sikar district in Rajasthan. Khan, reportedly involved in multiple criminal activities linked to the gang, was apprehended following a detailed investigation. His arrest is considered a significant step in dismantling the gang’s operations in the region.
10-Apr-2025
Pro-Khalistani slogans were found painted on the wall of Ambedkar Housing Society in Sector 76, Mohali, in Sahibzada Ajit Singh (SAS) Nagar district on April 10, with Khalistani terrorist and chief of the banned terror outfit Sikhs For Justice (SFJ), Gurpatwant Singh Pannun, claiming responsibility via a video message.
10-Apr-2025
Gippy Grewal’s film Akaal: The Unconquered recently sparked controversy, drawing sharp backlash from sections of the Sikh community over the alleged misrepresentation of revered historical figures. Protests erupted in Patiala and Ludhiana, led by Baba Bakshish Singh—a staunch advocate for the respectful portrayal of Sikh history and traditions—who condemned scenes depicting drinking, tobacco use, and shaven-headed characters as deeply offensive to Sikh values.
10-Apr-2025
Lok Sabha member Dr. Raj Kumar Chabbewal, on April 10, condemned Khalistani terrorist and chief of the banned Khalistani outfit Sikhs For Justice (SFJ), Gurpatwant Singh Pannun, for his derogatory remarks about Dr. B. R. Ambedkar, calling them a deliberate ploy to incite unrest in Punjab. Speaking in Jalandhar, he asserted that anti-Punjab forces like Pannun are threatened by the state’s progress, but the government will not allow their agenda to succeed.
10-Apr-2025
Khalistani terrorist and chief of the banned outfit Sikhs For Justice (SFJ), Gurpatwant Singh Pannun, on April 10 issued a warning to Himachal Pradesh Chief Minister Sukhvinder Singh Sukhu, demanding the cancellation of all Ambedkar Jayanti celebrations in the state, through a public letter circulated to the media. Pannun also announced a reward of INR 11 lakh for hoisting the Khalistan flag at the Ambedkar statue in Chaura Maidan, Shimla. Additionally, he condemned Dr. B. R. Ambedkar for allegedly enabling the marginalisation of Sikhs through Article 25(b) of the Constitution.
10-Apr-2025
According to a senior officer, the Border Security Force (BSF) will launch a large-scale anti–improvised explosive device (IED) sanitisation drive along the India–Pakistan border in Punjab, following the recovery of two such devices from a farming field in Gurdaspur on April 9, which injured one jawan. This marks the first instance of IED recovery in the region, prompting heightened security measures. The area where the explosives were found lies ahead of the border fence, and officials suspect cross-border involvement due to the military-grade nature of the devices. Additional detection equipment and sniffer dogs will be deployed to secure cultivable land frequently accessed by farmers and civilians.
10-Apr-2025
On April 10, Punjab Police, on Day 41 of the 'Yudh Nashian Virudh' campaign, arrested 84 drug smugglers and recovered 2.5 kg of heroin, 86 kg of poppy husk, and INR 70,400 in drug money from their possession across Punjab.
09-Apr-2025
Police on April 9 arrested three individuals, identified as Ranjit Singh alias Rana, Gurdev Singh alias Gedi, and Shailendra Singh alias Selu, and seized 500 grams of heroin, one Glock 9mm pistol along with two magazines, and INR 33 lakh hawala money from their possession, in Lopoke village in Ajnala in Amritsar district.
09-Apr-2025
Punjab Police, on April 9, on Day 40 of its ‘Yudh Nashian Virudh’ (War Against Drugs) campaign, arrested 111 drug smugglers and recovered 3.7 kg of heroin, 253 kg of poppy husk, and INR 98,800 in drug money from their possession across Punjab.