KHALISTAN EXTREMISM MONITOR
A project of the Institute for Conflict Management
A project of the Institute for Conflict Management
24-Aug-2023
Border Security Force (BSF) and Punjab Police, in a joint operation, on August 24 recovered 360 grams of heroin from the outskirts of Rajoke village in Tarn Taran district.
24-Aug-2023
According to reports, flooded rivers along the Indo-Pak border have posed a challenge for the Border Security Force (BSF) and Punjab Police in monitoring anti-national activities in the border areas of Punjab. Smugglers are exploiting the situation to transport narcotics. Despite the challenges posed by the flooding, BSF personnel are maintaining constant vigilance, and recent arrests by the Special Task Force (STF) have unveiled smuggling routes and connections with drug smugglers based in Pakistan.
23-Aug-2023
Prior to the visit of the United Kingdom (UK) Prime Minister Rishi Sunak to India during the G20 Summit, Alex Ellis, the High Commissioner of the UK to India, in an interview, on August 23, discussed the extensive agenda for their bilateral meeting, including defence cooperation and progress on a free trade agreement as well as security challenges posed by China and Khalistani elements. Ellis acknowledged the Khalistan issue, emphasizing that extremism is not acceptable, and asserted that the UK has increased security, police presence, and cooperation with Indian authorities to address the problem, recognizing it as a shared concern rather than just an Indian one.
23-Aug-2023
A Delhi court on August 23 framed charges against Congress leader Sajjan Kumar in a case related to the burning of a gurdwara during the 1984 anti-Sikh riots, in New Delhi. The court deemed him the "principal abettor" in the incident, stating that evidence supported his involvement in an unlawful assembly that aimed to burn the gurdwara and destroy Sikh properties as a response to the assassination of Prime Minister Indira Gandhi.
23-Aug-2023
Punjab Police on August 23 shared a video showing a Pakistani drone airdropping a small packet of heroin in the Tarn Taran district of Punjab. According to the police, smugglers from across the border are now resorting to delivering narcotics during the daytime as well, posing a fresh challenge for the security forces. On the same day, Tarn Taran Police arrested an individual identified as Jugraj Singh in the Tarn Taran district and recovered 2 kilograms of heroin along with a drone from his possession. Singh was arrested when his bike was intercepted at a checkpoint, according to Tarn Taran Senior Superintendent of Police (SSP) Gurmeet Chauhan.
23-Aug-2023
The Anti-drug Special Task Force (STF) of Punjab Police on August 23 arrested three members of a cross-border drug smuggling module, identified as Agyapal Singh, Ranjodh Singh alias Rana and Sandeep Singh and recovered 41 kilograms of heroin and four mobile phones from their possession, in Mehmed Mandara Wala village in Amritsar district. The heroin was found concealed under the brick floor of a cattle shed.
23-Aug-2023
On August 23, the families of two Indians, Ratanpal Singh and Harvinder Singh, who were arrested by Pakistan Rangers for allegedly trying to smuggle narcotics into Pakistan, denied their involvement in the drug trade. The families claimed that the youths were swept away towards the Pakistan side during floods on July 27, 2023, while trying to help a relative. They believe the allegations are false. The families have sought assistance from various authorities to safely bring back their sons.
23-Aug-2023
Police on August 23 arrested two persons, identified as Lovepreet Singh alias Sonu and Akashdeep Singh and recovered 1.290 kilograms of heroin along with INR 30 lakh drug money, one .32 bore pistol with two magazines and 8 bullets from their possession near Bhuse village in Tarn Taran district.
23-Aug-2023
Punjab Police, along with the Border Security Force (BSF), in a joint operation on August 23, recovered a broken drone and 3.5 kilograms of heroin from the outskirts of Hazara Singh Wala village in Ferozepur district.
23-Aug-2023
The Gujarat Police on August 23 took custody of gangster Lawrence Bishnoi, who is currently jailed in Bathinda, Punjab. The Gujarat Police took his custody to investigate his potential involvement in a drug smuggling case that involved the seizure of 34 kilograms of heroin, worth around INR 200 crore, from a Pakistani fishing boat off the Gujarat coast in September 2022. Bishnoi is suspected of orchestrating the cross-border drug smuggling operation.
22-Aug-2023
Punjab Police, on August 22, in partnership with the Financial Action Task Force (FATF) and the Central Board of Direct Taxation (CBDT), organized a one-day workshop at Amity University in Mohali in Sahibzada Ajit Singh (SAS) Nagar district. The workshop aimed to sensitize participants to FATF provisions and Income Tax regulations concerning charitable institutions, ensuring protection from misuse by terrorist organizations for funding terror activities.
22-Aug-2023
A joint team of Border Security Force (BSF) and Punjab Police, on August 22 recovered 450 grams of heroin in a bottle from a farming field near Roranwala village in Amritsar district of Punjab. The BSF troops detected a buzzing sound from a suspected drone entering Indian territory on August 21 night in the same area, and a subsequent search of the area on August 22 morning led to the recovery.
22-Aug-2023
Heavy police force was deployed on August 22 in Mohali in Sahibzada Ajit Singh (SAS) Nagar district in Punjab, in anticipation of a farmers' protest rally in Chandigarh seeking compensation for flood-related crop losses.
22-Aug-2023
On August 22, a police officer named Bhushan Kumar from Jamshedpur, Jharkhand, issued an apology after a video of him calling the deceased Punjabi singer Sidhu Moose Wala a 'terrorist' went viral on social media. Kumar stated that he didn't know much about Moose Wala and that his comments were a result of a 'slip of the tongue.' He expressed remorse, apologized to Moose Wala’s parents, and pledged support for their pursuit of justice
21-Aug-2023
A Delhi court on August 21 adjourned the case related to the Pul Bangash killings during the 1984 anti-Sikh riots, in which Senior Congress leader Jagdish Tytler is an accused. The next hearing is scheduled for August 29, following a request from the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) for more time to respond to Tytler's application for certain documents.
21-Aug-2023
In a joint operation, the Border Security Force (BSF) and the Punjab Police on August 21 arrested two Pakistani smugglers and recovered 29.26 kilograms of heroin from their possession near Gatti Matar village in Mamdot Tehsil in Ferozepur district. The smugglers were apprehended after troops challenged them and fired upon them, with one of them sustaining a hand injury.
21-Aug-2023
According to Narinder Bhargav, Deputy Inspector General (DIG) of the border range in Amritsar, the Punjab Police has commenced the registration of First Information Reports (FIRs) for all cases involving the movement of unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) or drones along the Pakistan border. These drones are increasingly being employed to smuggle arms, ammunition, explosives, and drugs from across the border. Previously, only cases resulting in recoveries were registered during joint operations with the Border Security Force (BSF). This change facilitates investigations into drone activities and focuses on disrupting the supply links between Indian and Pakistani smugglers.
21-Aug-2023
According to reports, amid flooding along the Sutlej River in Ferozepur district in Punjab, cross-border smugglers are taking advantage of the situation to push contraband, arms, and ammunition into Indian territory. The Counter Intelligence (CI) wing has seized over 132 kg of heroin in the past month, with smugglers leveraging their diving skills during floods to facilitate smuggling operations along the river, which crosses into Pakistan multiple times before draining into the neighbouring country.
21-Aug-2023
The Punjab Police’s State Special Operation Cell (SSOC), on August 21 arrested a key operative of the Bambiha gang, identified as Simranjit Singh alias Simmi and recovered a pistol along with four live cartridges from his possession, near Dara Studio in Mohali in Sahibzada Ajit Singh (SAS) Nagar district. He was en route to deliver a consignment of weapons when he was arrested.
21-Aug-2023
According to sources, Gangster Lawrence Bishnoi allegedly tasked his brother, Anmol Bishnoi, to carry out the contract to kill Bollywood actor Salman Khan, after earlier attempts by other gang members failed. Lawrence's gang has reportedly shifted to using Germany-made PS 30 pistols instead of Turkish-made Zigana ones and is obtaining these weapons through foreign associates, including Ranjit Dupla in the United States (US). The gang has expanded its network in southern states, with support from individuals like Kala Jathedi, Naresh Sethi, and others. Anmol Bishnoi has recruited new members, including Akshay Bishnoi, and is believed to be responsible for extortion and shootings, with ties to a London-based criminal.