KHALISTAN EXTREMISM MONITOR
A project of the Institute for Conflict Management
A project of the Institute for Conflict Management
03-Mar-2025
Punjab Police on March 3 arrested 70 drug smugglers, including two after an exchange of fire, registered 48 First Information Reports (FIRs) and seized 4.63 kg of heroin, 500 grams of ganja, 100 grams of opium, 1548 intoxicant tablets/pills/injections and INR 1.32 lakh drug money from the possession of arrested drug smugglers across Punjab, as part of Punjab's anti-drug campaign “Yudh Nashian Virudh”.
03-Mar-2025
The Punjab and Haryana High Court has asked the Gauhati High Court’s Registrar-General to facilitate the service of notice to Khalistani radical preacher and Khadoor Sahib MP Amritpal Singh, who is lodged in Dibrugarh Central Jail, Assam, regarding a petition challenging his election. The petition alleges that Amritpal concealed crucial details in his affidavit, violated election expenditure rules, and engaged in corrupt practices by seeking votes on religious grounds. It also raises concerns over foreign funding and the use of religious venues for campaigning. The petitioner seeks the annulment of the June 2024 election results.
02-Mar-2025
Amritsar Commissionerate Police on March 2 arrested a drug smuggler, Sahil alias Neela, after a brief encounter and seized a .32 bore pistol and a motorcycle from his possession near Palm Garden Colony in Amritsar district.
02-Mar-2025
The Kar Sewa sect of Khadoor Sahib organized its annual congregation on March 2 in Khadoor Sahib, Tarn Taran district, to honour the legacy of Baba Gurmukh Singh, Baba Sadhu Singh, Baba Jhanda Singh, Baba Uttam Singh, and other Sikh figures. The event featured a religious Diwan with Gurbani shabads by Ragi Jathas and a recitation of Zafarnama by Japleen Kaur. Pinderpal Singh delivered Katha, while Baba Sewa Singh honoured Sikh sect representatives with Siropas and urged the community to plant saplings to combat pollution.
02-Mar-2025
On March 2, Punjab Police conducted a massive anti-drug drive, raiding 510 locations and arresting 43 smugglers as part of efforts to curb drug trafficking. The operation led to the seizure of 776 grams of heroin, 14 kg of opium, 38 kg of poppy husk, 2,615 intoxicant tablets, and INR 4.60 lakh in cash across Punjab. A total of 333 individuals were arrested, and 27 first information reports (FIRs) were registered. Over 300 police teams, comprising more than 2,000 personnel, carried out the crackdown.
02-Mar-2025
Punjab Chief Minister (CM) Bhagwant Singh Mann on March 2 described the state government's anti-drug drive as a "historic moment" during his speech at the passing-out parade of 2,500 recruits at a police training center in Jahan Khelan, Hoshiarpur district. He praised the intensified efforts of the police to dismantle supply networks and arrest smugglers. Mann vowed to eradicate gangsters and drug traffickers, accusing previous regimes of shielding criminals, and reaffirmed his commitment to making Punjab drug-free. He also highlighted the success of the Sadak Surakhya Force, which has contributed to a 48.10% reduction in road accident fatalities since its launch.
02-Mar-2025
A special court in Ludhiana on March 2 sentenced Punjab Police head constable Gobind Singh and his associate Nasib Singh to three years in prison for attempting to smuggle opium to Canada by concealing it inside hockey sticks. The Narcotics Control Bureau (NCB) had intercepted a parcel containing 438 grams of opium at a courier office in Ludhiana in 2024, leading to their arrest. Investigations uncovered a broader smuggling network with links to Canada.
02-Mar-2025
The Jalandhar Commissionerate Police on March 2 arrested two gangsters linked to the US-based Sonu Khatri Gang following a chase and gunfight, identified as Sukhwinder Kumar alias Sukh and Harpreet Singh alias Mamu alias Preet and seized two sophisticated .32 bore pistols, seven live cartridges, and a motorcycle from their possession near the Suchi Pind area in Jalandhar district. The accused were wanted in multiple criminal cases, including the April 2024 murder of Jammu and Kashmir (J&K) Police Sub-Inspector Deepak Sharma.
02-Mar-2025
Kapurthala Police on March 2 launched a large-scale crackdown on drug-related activities under the Punjab government’s ‘Yudh Nashe Virodh’ campaign, conducting extensive raids in drug-affected areas of Kapurthala and Phagwara. Senior Superintendent of Police (SSP) Gaurav Toora stated that the police are implementing an "Enforcement, De-Addiction, and Prevention" (EDP) strategy, including surprise checks, criminal searches, and awareness campaigns.
02-Mar-2025
On March 2, members of various Sikh organizations, including Shiromani Akali Dal 1920, Alliance of Sikh Organizations, International Sikh Federation, Misal Sutlej, Darbar-e-Khalsa, and Giani Dit Singh Sahit Sabha, gathered at Akal Takht to perform ardas for the implementation of the December 2 hukamnama and demanded the excommunication of Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD) leaders for defying a panel’s directive. Before the prayer, they held a demonstration outside the Golden Temple complex in Amritsar. A memorandum was submitted to Akal Takht Jathedar Giani Raghbir Singh, urging action against SAD leaders. The Sikh leaders emphasized that Akal Takht’s authority stands above the Sikh Gurdwara Act of 1925 and must be upheld.
02-Mar-2025
The Shiromani Gurdwara Parbandhak Committee (SGPC) on March 2 strongly condemned the attack on two Sikh businessmen and the vandalism of their showroom in Rishikesh, Uttarakhand. SGPC chief secretary Kulwant Singh Mannan wrote to Chief Minister Pushkar Singh Dhami, demanding swift action against the perpetrators. He emphasized that the attack included the forcible removal of a turban and urged authorities to add charges of hurting religious sentiments.
02-Mar-2025
Jalandhar Rural Police on March 2 demolished illegal structures belonging to two drug smugglers, Jasvir Singh alias Sheera and Bholi, in Khanpur and Mandi villages of Phillaur, Jalandhar district. Police stated that Bholi had been arrested in cases involving smack, poppy husk, and other narcotics, while Sheera was booked for smuggling charas and intoxicant injections. The demolition was carried out following a request from the block development and panchayat officer (BDPO), ensuring legal procedures were followed. This marks the seventh such demolition in Punjab since February 25.
01-Mar-2025
Jathedar of Akal Takht Giani Raghbir Singh on March 1 rejected the membership drive conducted by Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD) and directed the remaining five members of the seven-member committee to initiate a fresh enrolment process, in Amritsar, Punjab. The committee, formed on December 2, 2024, was chaired by SGPC president Harjinder Singh Dhami, who has now resigned. Other members included Kirpal Singh Badungar, Iqbal Singh Jhunda, Gurpartap Singh Wadala, Manpreet Singh Ayali, Santa Singh Umaidpuri, and Bibi Satwant Kaur. Singh stated that only Dhami's resignation had been received and that a coordinator would soon be appointed to oversee the process.
01-Mar-2025
Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) National Spokesperson RP Singh on March 1 in Chandigarh reaffirmed the party’s commitment to securing justice for the victims of the 1984 anti-Sikh violence, stating that the BJP would push for a death sentence for former Congress Member of Parliament (MP) Sajjan Kumar. He credited the verdict to the efforts of Prime Minister (PM) Narendra Modi and Union Home Minister (UHM) Amit Shah. Singh urged the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) to appeal to a higher court and demanded action against Jagdish Tytler and Kamal Nath. He further alleged that Sikh riot victims were deliberately pushed into drug addiction to weaken their pursuit of justice.
01-Mar-2025
Punjab Police on March 1 conducted a large-scale Cordon and Search Operation (CASO) at identified drug hotspots, resulting in the arrest of 290 drug smugglers and the registration of 232 First Information Reports (FIRs). The operation led to the seizure of 8.14 kg of heroin, 1.21 kg of opium, 3.5 kg of cannabis, 19 kg of poppy husk, 700 gm of charas, 16,238 intoxicant tablets/pills/injections, and INR 8.02 lakh in drug money. Over 900 police teams, comprising 8,368 personnel, carried out 798 raids across Punjab.
01-Mar-2025
Border Security Force (BSF) Inspector General (Punjab Frontier) Atul Fulzele on March 1 in Chandigarh criticized the Punjab government for excluding BSF from recent discussions on drug eradication. He stated that since October 2023, BSF had submitted a list of 136 notorious drug smugglers for action under the Prevention of Illicit Traffic in Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances Act, but no action had been taken. Fulzele also highlighted delays in installing Closed-Circuit Television (CCTV) cameras near the international border, affecting surveillance. He emphasized that while BSF’s jurisdiction was extended up to 50 km, it did not come with expanded legal powers, necessitating better coordination with state police.
01-Mar-2025
Health Minister Dr. Balbir Singh on March 1 stressed the importance of public cooperation in Punjab’s anti-drug campaign, ‘Yudh Nashian Virudh’ (War Against Drugs), led by Chief Minister (CM) Bhagwant Singh Mann. During his visit to the Model De-Addiction Centre at Government Rajindra Hospital and Saket Hospital in Patiala district, he reiterated that drug smugglers must either leave the state or abandon their trade, as the government was committed to imprisoning them. He assured that drug addicts would be rehabilitated and provided job opportunities to reintegrate into society.
01-Mar-2025
The Amritsar Police on March 1 arrested two drug smugglers, identified as Karanpal Singh and Ranjit Singh, who were part of a trans-border smuggling racket, and seized 4 kg of heroin and a motorcycle from their possession near Jhabal Road in Amritsar district.
01-Mar-2025
The Ferozepur Police on March 1 arrested three drug smugglers, identified as Balkar Singh, Gurmeet Singh, and Lakhwinder Singh, and seized 2 kg of heroin and a motorcycle from their possession in Nehar Guddar Dhundi village in Ferozepur district.
01-Mar-2025
The Counter-Intelligence (CI) wing of Amritsar Police on March 1 busted an illegal weapons smuggling module with the arrest of Gurbaaz Singh, an associate of the Jaggu Bhagwanpuria gang, and seized six pistols smuggled from Madhya Pradesh (MP), in Amritsar district. Police stated that Gurbaaz is already facing eight cases related to attempted murder, snatching, the Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances (NDPS) Act, and violations of the Arms Act. The preliminary probe revealed that the firearms were smuggled from MP for criminal activities in Punjab.