KHALISTAN EXTREMISM MONITOR
A project of the Institute for Conflict Management
A project of the Institute for Conflict Management
04-Sep-2023
Punjab Police Inspector General (IG) (headquarters) Sukhchain Singh Gill on September 4 stated that Punjab Police plans to implement Section 64 (A) of the Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances (NDPS) Act, which grants immunity from prosecution to addicts who willingly seek de-addiction treatment from government-recognized hospitals or institutions. This approach will treat individuals caught with small quantities of heroin or narcotics for personal use as victims eligible for treatment rather than criminal prosecution.
04-Sep-2023
Punjab Police Inspector General (IG) (headquarters) Sukhchain Singh Gill on September 4, addressing the media in Chandigarh announced that in the past 14 months, Punjab Police have arrested 19,093 drug smugglers, including 2,778 major culprits. They have registered a total of 14,179 First Information Reports (FIRs), with 1,717 related to commercial drug quantities. Through cordon and search operations, the police recovered 1,400 kilograms of heroin in drug-affected areas in the state, and an additional 147.5 kilograms was seized from seaports in Gujarat and Maharashtra, making the total heroin recovery 1,548.27 kilograms during this period. Police have also recovered INR 13.96 crore of drug money from the possession of drug smugglers arrested in the span of the last 14 months. He also disclosed that the Police seized around 240 kilograms of heroin in August.
04-Sep-2023
Punjab Police on September 4 held police-public meetings in the rural as well as city areas of Punjab at various locations as part of a month-long campaign against drug abuse.
04-Sep-2023
Police on September 4 arrested two youths, identified as Pawan of Bir Talab and Gurwinder Singh and recovered 400 gm of heroin from their possession in Bir Talab village in Bathinda district. After arresting Pawan and seizing 400 grams of heroin from his possession, the police arrested Gurwinder Singh, a college student, based on Pawan’s disclosure.
04-Sep-2023
The Tarn Taran police on September 4 busted a drug and hawala racket by arresting six individuals identified as Lovejit Singh alias Lovepreet Singh, Sukhwinder Singh, Sukhmanjit Singh, Shashank Wadhwan, and his two brothers, Abhishek Wadhwan and Neeraj Wadhwan. Police also recovered a .315 bore pistol, 1.2 kilograms of heroin, and INR 1.14 crore in drug money from their possession. Lovejit, Sukhwinder, and Sukhmanjit were arrested in Amritsar, Punjab, while Shashank, Abhishek, and Neeraj were arrested in Madhya Pradesh (MP).
03-Sep-2023
Gurpatwant Singh Pannun, the chief of banned Khalistani terror outfit Sikhs For Justice (SFJ) in a video released on September 3, has called for challenging India's sovereignty during the G20 Summit, urging Sikhs to support the Khalistan referendum and email G20 nations' representatives to repudiate India's territorial integrity. He also released an audio message urging Kashmiri Muslims to migrate to Delhi and disrupt the G-20 Summit. Earlier he had threatened to hoist the Khalistan flag at New Delhi’s Indira Gandhi International (IGI) airport and has previously claimed responsibility for anti-India graffiti at metro stations in Delhi.
03-Sep-2023
Punjab Police on September 3 conducted a special cordon and search operation involving 150 police teams and approximately 1,200 personnel at suspected hideouts of persons linked with Khalistani terrorist Lakhbir Singh alias Landa, in 28 police districts in Punjab. Multiple individuals have been detained for additional scrutiny, and potentially incriminating evidence confiscated from their possession is currently under further examination. The operation included raids, detentions, and the seizure of incriminating materials. Additionally, police checked arms licenses, inquired about ammunition sources, gathered information on foreign-based family members, examined bank transactions from abroad, and assessed property details for further investigation.
03-Sep-2023
According to sources, Punjab Police are implementing a multipronged strategy to combat drug abuse, especially in border areas, with the goal of making Punjab a drug-free state in a year. They are increasing coordination with the Border Security Force (BSF) and forming village defence committees (VDC) to combat cross-border drug smuggling using drones. Additionally, efforts to raise awareness about the harmful effects of drugs and provide rehabilitation for drug abuse victims are underway, with plans for public cooperation, meetings, rallies, and seminars. The police are also investigating the supply chain of drug peddlers to disrupt the entire network.
02-Sep-2023
Four smugglers, Rajdeep Singh, Ram Singh, Jaspal Singh and Rajwinder Singh who were arrested on September 2 in connection with a cross-border drug smuggling operation involving drones, were sent to three-day police custody by the Duty Magistrate in Batala Gurdaspur district.
02-Sep-2023
The Punjab Police, on September 2, busted a drug cartel that was being operated from inside Faridkot jail in Punjab, by arresting seven persons and recovering 15 kilograms of heroin and INR 7 lakh in drug money from them. On September 1, the police arrested the delivery persons, identified as Gurpinder Singh alias Bhinda, Narinder Singh, Ranjodh Singh alias Jodha, and recovered 15 kilograms heroin from their possession, from near Haruwal village in Dera Baba Nanak Tehsil in Gurdaspur district. On the basis of information provided by Bhinda, the police arrested the four receivers on September 2, identified as Rajdeep Singh, Ram Singh, Jaspal Singh and Rajwinder Kaur and recovered INR 7 lakh drug money and two cars from their possession, near Town Hall in Amritsar city in Amritsar district. The mastermind, Jaspreet Singh alias Kali, currently in Faridkot Jail, was discovered to be coordinating a drug cartel with Pakistan-based smugglers via WhatsApp.
02-Sep-2023
Police on September 2 arrested two persons, including a woman, identified as Lovepreet Singh and Baljit Kaur under the charges of culpable homicide and drug smuggling after a 32-year-old man identified as Gurpreet Singh alias Gopi died of an alleged drug overdose, in Gagomahal village in Amritsar district.
02-Sep-2023
The Punjab police uncovered the active involvement of the drug smuggler Amrik Singh with the Pakistan spy agency Inter-Services Intelligence (ISI). Amrik Singh, who is serving a sentence for a drug-related offense, was found to have shared sensitive information about an Indian Army camp in Himachal Pradesh (HP) with ISI officials. This information included details about personnel, vehicles, and convoy movements. Amrik Singh had escaped from custody in October 2022 but was rearrested in November 2022. He now faces charges under the Official Secrets Act, and his relative working in the Army is also under investigation.
02-Sep-2023
According to reports, the Patiala police in Punjab are actively pursuing the seizure of properties belonging to drug smugglers involved in commercial drug activities, following directives from the Punjab Police leadership. They have already proposed seizing properties worth INR 5.67 crore, with seven properties valued at INR 2.1 crore already frozen in the district. The police are employing a multi-pronged strategy to apprehend drug smugglers and confiscate their ill-gotten assets under Section 68 of the Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances (NDPS) Act.
02-Sep-2023
According to reports, Sangrur police in Punjab have frozen properties worth INR 1 crore belonging to three drug smugglers who were arrested under the Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances (NDPS) Act for possessing drugs in commercial quantities. Over 100 panchayats in the district have passed resolutions against drug sales in their villages and are actively supporting the Punjab Government's anti-drug campaign.
01-Sep-2023
A video depicting a young girl involved in a drug-related transaction went viral on September 1, leading to the arrest of Gurjant Singh, the girl's brother, in Badshahpur village of Kapurthala district. The police recovered 10 grams of heroin from his possession, while the girl and her mother remain at large.
01-Sep-2023
The Border Security Force (BSF) and the Punjab Police, in a joint search operation, on September 1, recovered 2.7 kilograms of heroin from near the international border (IB) on the outskirts of Mehdipur village in Tarn Taran district. The heroin consignment was found in a white coloured sack with illuminating strips and hooks attached to it, indicative of a drone drop.
01-Sep-2023
A joint team of the Punjab Police and the Border Security Force (BSF) on September 1 recovered 2.43 kilograms of heroin from the residence of an individual, identified as Bittu Singh, in Tarn Taran in Tarn Taran district.
01-Sep-2023
Police, on September 1, arrested an alleged member of Lawrence Bishnoi-Goldy Brar gang, identified as Anjeet from Rohini in North West Delhi district of Delhi. Anjeet had a criminal history involving illegal drug supply and was also involved in extortion attempts and other criminal activities for the gang. He had been evading court proceedings in multiple cases.
31-Aug-2023
Anti-Gangster Task Force (AGTF) of Punjab Police, in a joint operation with Mohali Police, on August 31 arrested six associates of Pakistan-based Babbar Khalsa International (BKI) terrorist Harwinder Singh alias Rinda, identified as Roshan Kumar, Saurab Kumar, Vikram Kumar, Amrinder Singh alias Billi, Arshveer Singh and Sunny, and recovered five pistols along with ammunition from their possession in Zirakpur in Sahibzada Ajit Singh (SAS) Nagar district. According to the Director General of Police (DGP) Punjab Gaurav Yadav, the suspects were traveling in a Hyundai Verna car when they were arrested, and one of the accused, Arshveer Singh, was wanted for a double murder case in Patiala.
31-Aug-2023
Within hours of Delhi Police announcing the arrest of two operatives of banned Khalistani outfit Sikhs For Justice (SFJ) on August 31, SFJ chief Gurpatwant Singh Pannun issued a threat that its operatives would storm Indira Gandhi International (IGI) Airport in New Delhi with Khalistan flags to avenge the arrests. He also declared a cash reward of INR 1 lakh for information about the families of Delhi Police officers in Canada, the United Kingdom (UK), Germany, Italy & Australia.