KHALISTAN EXTREMISM MONITOR
A project of the Institute for Conflict Management
A project of the Institute for Conflict Management
18-Apr-2023
Gurcharan Singh Grewal, the general secretary of the Shiromani Gurdwara Parbandhak Committee (SGPC), on April 18 responded to the controversy surrounding a video showing a Golden Temple sewadar refusing entry to a woman with the Indian tricolour painted on her face. In a video message, Grewal acknowledged that every place of worship has its own rules that must be followed by sewadars. He also apologized on behalf of the SGPC if any yatri had been mistreated. Grewal expressed his surprise at the negative responses the incident received on Twitter, stating that the Sikh community has always respected the tricolour and that he did not appreciate the incident being linked to Khalistan.
18-Apr-2023
Bhagwant Singh Sialka, an attorney and member of the Shiromani Gurdwara Parbandhak Committee (SGPC), on April 18 stated that the Amritsar district magistrate had granted permission for a meeting to take place between the nine prisoners currently detained in Assam's Dibrugarh jail under the National Security Act (NSA) and their respective family members.
18-Apr-2023
Police on April 18 arrested two persons, identified as Buddu and Emil Bodra along with 18 kg of opium from Khamachon village in Shaheed Bhagat Singh Nagar district.
18-Apr-2023
According to sources, the state is taking steps to tackle the problem of drones being used in narco-terrorism from across the border by training qualified instructors in drone technology. The Department of Technical Education and Industrial Training has initiated a pilot project to train a group of instructors at the National Skill Training Institute in Kanpur. Initially, these instructors will be deployed to provide training to students at the ITIs situated in Mohali, Lalru, Patiala and Pathankot.
18-Apr-2023
Patiala House Court in Delhi on April 18 granted seven days of custody of Lawrence Bishnoi to the National Investigation Agency (NIA) in a terror funding to pro-Khalistani outfits-related case.
18-Apr-2023
Gurpatwant Singh Pannun released a video on April 18 in which he offered a reward of INR 500,000 to Sarabjit Singh, a Sewadar at the Golden Temple, for stating that Punjab is not a part of India and that the national flag cannot be brought into the temple.
17-Apr-2023
The National Investigation Agency (NIA) on April 17 took over the investigation into the violent protest by pro-Khalistan protesters outside the Indian high commission in London on March 19. According to sources, the NIA plans to send a team to the area very soon to investigate a wider conspiracy by pro-Khalistan elements. The Delhi Police, which registered a case under the Unlawful Activities Prevention Act (UAPA), are currently investigation the case.
17-Apr-2023
A row broke out over a video that went viral showing a woman being stopped from entering the Golden Temple because she has the colours of the national flag painted on her face on April 17. According to the Shiromani Gurdwara Parbandhak Committee (SGPC), the sewadar requested that the woman observe the decorum (maryada) of the religious place. The SGPC further declared that it was starting an investigation into the situation and condemned some individuals for purposefully giving the incident a false interpretation.
17-Apr-2023
Punjab Chief Minister, Bhagwant Mann on April 17 dismissed Rajjit Singh from the Punjab Police Service (PPS) and instructed a vigilance investigation into his disproportionate assets. The decision was made following reports of a supposed connection between police officers and drug traffickers in the state.
17-Apr-2023
The fugitive pro-Khalistani leader and the head of Waris Punjab De (WPD), Amritpal Singh, in a message to the media, categorically stated that he wants Khalistan and Khalistan is his ideology, as it will end the suffering of the Sikh people. He stated, “I want Khalistan. Khalistan is my ideology. It is our birthright to think independently. My critics have a right to their opinion and I have mine.” He further mentioned that everyone around him possesses licensed weapons.
17-Apr-2023
A day after Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD) president Sukhbir Singh Badal wrote to Prime Minister (PM) Narendra Modi to seek the repeal of laws like National Security Act (NSA) and Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act (UAPA), the radical group Dal Khalsa asked Sukhbir to apologise to all people charged with the same laws when SAD was in power. According to Dal Khalsa leader Kanwar Pal Singh, the SAD-BJP government abused these severe laws against dissenters and opponents from 2007 to 2017, resulting in the arrest of over 200 activists. However, all cases were fabricated and all defendants were ultimately acquitted by the courts.
17-Apr-2023
Punjab police arrested two suspects, identified as Gurjant Singh and Nisha Rani allegedly having ties with fugitive Khalistani leader Amritpal Singh from a house in Sector 89 in Mohali in SAS Nagar district on April 17. Later, the two suspects were taken to an undisclosed location.
16-Apr-2023
The Border Security Force (BSF) on April 16 recovered two packets of heroin weighing 2 kg dropped by a Pakistani drone on the outskirts of Chakwazida village near the International Border (IB) in Fazilka district.
16-Apr-2023
The Border Security Force (BSF), during a search operation on April 16, recovered a broken propeller of a DJI series quadcopter, and a 5,935 Mah “Made in China” drone battery from near Dhanoe Kalan village in Amritsar district.
16-Apr-2023
A court in Hoshiarpur on April 16 sent a close aide of radical preacher and Khalistan sympathiser Amritpal Singh, Joga Singh to three-day police remand. He was arrested by police for reportedly providing shelter and other forms of support to Amritpal Singh in Pilibhit district of Uttar Pradesh (UP).
16-Apr-2023
Reports suggest that the Punjab police on April 16 conducted a search operation at a suspected hideout of Amritpal Singh, the leader of Waris Punjab De (WPD), in the Rania area of Sirsa district of Haryana. However, the search did not yield any results, and the police had to leave the location empty-handed.
16-Apr-2023
According to AK Vidyarthi, the Deputy Inspector General (DIG) of Border Security Force (BSF), in the last month, there have been nearly 10 instances of drone incursions into Indian territory along the Punjab border with Pakistan. However, despite their efforts, BSF soldiers have only managed to capture one of them. To date, the BSF has confiscated 40 kg of heroin and 7 pistols, along with ammunition. According to the DIG, the movement time of drones within Indian territory has been reduced by smugglers and anti-national elements, which has made it challenging for the troops to intercept them. BSF has reported that between March 19 and April 15, there were 10 instances of drones infiltrating Indian territory from the Pakistani side and delivering arms and drugs. Among these occurrences, one black quadcopter (DJI Matrice) was apprehended on March 27 in Rajatal village of the Amritsar district. Interestingly, on March 27, the BSF captured two suspects and seized a drone, a pistol, and 10kg of heroin in four different incidents reported along the India-Pakistan border.
16-Apr-2023
Police on April 16 carried out cordon and search operations in various regions of the Tarn Taran district to curb drug and illegal alcohol trafficking. As a result, 35 individuals involved in the production and smuggling of illegal alcohol and drugs were apprehended. Police sources revealed that during the operations, two proclaimed offenders were also arrested. Additionally, a significant quantity of illicit liquor, 1 kg of opium, and 16gm of heroin were confiscated from the Bhikhiwind sub-division, while 795gm of heroin and 300 tablets of intoxicants were seized from the Goindwal sub-division.
15-Apr-2023
Punjab Police on April 15 arrested a key associate of pro-Khalistan preacher Amritpal Singh, identified as Joga Singh, who is in-charge of ‘dera’ in Pilibhit in Uttar Pradesh, from Sirhind in Fatehgarh Sahib district. According to Narinder Bhargav, the Deputy Inspector General (DIG) in the border range, Joga Singh had direct contact with Amritpal Singh, the head of Waris Punjab De (WPD). He facilitated shelter and transportation for the pro-Khalistan leader and his assistant Papalpreet from March 18 to March 28, arranging their stay in Pilibhit before their return to Punjab.
15-Apr-2023
The head of Sikhs For Justice (SFJ), Gurpatwant Singh Pannun, has claimed responsibility for the shooting and killing of four soldiers at Bathinda Military Station on April 12. In a video, he has demanded the creation of Khalistan as a separate nation for Punjab to prevent such attacks and warned Union Defence Minister Rajnath Singh. The Khalistan Tiger Force (KTF) has also claimed responsibility for the firing at the Bathinda Army Cantt. Ajit Singh, a member of KTF, has issued a letter on letterhead alleging that the Indian Army was responsible for the killing of Sikhs during their attack on the Golden Temple in 1984, and this attack on the Indian Army was an act of vengeance.