KHALISTAN EXTREMISM MONITOR
A project of the Institute for Conflict Management
A project of the Institute for Conflict Management
20-Feb-2022
Remembering the sacrifice of over 150 Sikhs who laid down their lives during the Saka Nankana Sahib on February 20, 1921, the Shiromani Gurdwara Parbandak Committee (SGPC) organized a function to pay homage to the martyrs.
19-Feb-2022
Four persons who are allegedly associated with Khalistani terrorist groups, identified as Sunil, Jatin, Sagar and Surendra, were arrested with a cache of illegal weapons in Sonipat in Sonipat district of Haryana on February 19. An automatic AK-47, four foreign pistols, one country made pistol, and 56 cartridges were recovered from their possession. Sonipat Superintendent of Police (SP) Rahul Sharma said that primary probe revealed that the illegal weapons had been provided by Khalistani terrorists, who had deposited lakhs in the accused’s bank accounts as well. “The accused were connected to the main leaders of the Khalistan Tiger Force (KTF), International Sikh Youth Federation (ISYF) through social media,” SP said. The arrested accused also admitted to killing one Avtar Singh in Udhampur Kalan village of Punjab on the behest of Khalistani leaders, Sharma added.
19-Feb-2022
Just hours before the Punjab Polls the Khalistani secessionist organization, Sikhs For Justice (SFJ) made some revelations regarding the Punjab Assembly Elections that are due for February 20. SFJ claimed that around 20 thousand Booth Level Officers (BLOs) in Punjab who are on election duty are in constant contact with the SFJ and they will also be conducting polling on the Khalistan referendum. "Thousands of BLOs have assured their support to SFJ ion Campaigning for Khalistan on 20th February and also pledged to organise the Khalistan referendum voting in Punjab," said Gurupatwant Singh Pannun, in a video message. Pannun also launched an attack on Punjab Congress chief Navjot Singh Sidhu asking if he is a "terrorist" or an "ISI" agent citing his contacts with Pakistan PM Imran Khan and General Bajwa.
19-Feb-2022
The intelligence agencies issued a nationwide security alert after pro-Khalistan outfit, Sikhs For Justice (SFJ) call for a bandh. As Punjab is set to go for polling on February 20 Gurpatwant Singh Pannun, who is the founder of SFJ, issued a video and called for a ‘Rail-Punjab Bandh’ on February 19. In the video, Pannun has also asked his followers to install "Kesri Khalistan" flags at polling stations in Punjab and shout slogans of "Khalistan Zindabad" on the day of the election.
19-Feb-2022
The Ludhiana Commissionerate Police claimed that Rs 2.02 crore, a huge cache of arms, ammunition, liquor and drugs were seized during the Model Code of Conduct enforced in Ludhiana district since January 8. Besides, 546 anti-social elements, troublemakers, law-breakers and proclaimed offenders have been arrested while 19,112 licensed arms have been deposited with the police, the officials said. The Commissioner of Police, Gurpreet Singh Bhullar, said that cash amounting to Rs 2,02,45,835, which is a record seizure so far, was recovered during the search and seizure operations during the poll code. While Rs 1,71,25,655 were released after verification, the remaining cash of Rs 29.96 lakh is still under investigation. He disclosed that nine illegal arms, 33 cartridges, 6,000 litres of licit liquor, 120 litres of illicit liquor, 1,99,920 litres of lahan, 82 kg of poppy husk, 128.5 gram heroin, 480 intoxicating tablets, 2.2 kg of opium, 2 kg of charas, and 14,950 kg of ganja have been seized during the poll code.
18-Feb-2022
Intelligence agencies have sounded a nationwide alert after Sikhs for Justice (SFJ) leader Gurpatwant Singh Pannun released a video on Facebook where he issued a call for 'Rail-Punjab Bandh' on February 19. Voting for Punjab's 117-member assembly is set to take place in a single phase on February 20. Pannun has also asked his followers to install "Kesri Khalistan" flags at polling stations in Punjab and shout slogans of "Khalistan Zindabad" on the day of the election. In the video, Pannun also termed the recent death of Punjabi actor Deep Sidhu as a "political murder". Blaming the Government of India for his death, he also asked his followers to avenge the actor-turned-activist's death. Pannun also said that Deep Sidhu was a "true follower" of Jarnail Singh Bhrindanwale and always supported the demand for a separate Khalistan.
17-Feb-2022
The Counter Intelligence wing of the Punjab Police arrested a former militant, Harjant Singh alias DC, along with 3 kg of heroin smuggled from across the International Border. Police recovered the contraband allegedly smuggled via a drone at Ghonewala village, falling under the Dera Baba Nanak police station in Gurdaspur district. Later it was found that the heroin was smuggled by a Pakistan-based smuggler.
17-Feb-2022
Three men, identified as Jagtar Singh, Harjinder Singh and Daljit Singh were arrested with 13kg of opium at a checkpoint on the Sidhwan-Swaddi Kalan Link Road in Ludhiana district. Police also recovered ₹12,900, allegedly earned from the sale of drugs, from them.
17-Feb-2022
The Punjab and Haryana High Court (HC), in connection with the drug menace in the state, has made it clear that Punjab — once known as one of the prosperous states — was on the brink. The assertion came as the HC called for dealing stringently with the accused even at the stage of granting a bail in drug cases involving commercial quantity.
17-Feb-2022
According to officials, the Narcotics Control Bureau (NCB) has been asked by various states to investigate 25 important drug cases to unearth a larger pan-India conspiracy. Union Home Minister Amit Shah had recently urged states to work jointly with the NCB to unearth the larger conspiracy of drug rackets having national and international links. NCB Director Satya Narayan Pradhan had written a letter to various states in November last year, requesting them to hand over important cases to the agency.
17-Feb-2022
According to top Intelligence sources, the current Hijab controversy in Karnataka seems to be fuelled by Pakistan as more than 100 Twitter accounts in the name of Muskan Khan have been created since February 9, after her video went viral on the Internet where she is seen chanting ‘Allah Hu Akbar’ when allegedly heckled by a group of miscreants. One of the multiple fake accounts has nearly 5,000 followers with earlier location traced to Pakistan, the sources said.
17-Feb-2022
Gurpatwant Singh Pannun, the chief of Sikhs For Justice (SFJ), alleged that the top leaders of Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) had fudged the letter “of him supporting AAP” to garner support of radicals. This comes after the letter was circulated on social media which read that Pannun has announced that he will be supporting the Aam Aadmi Party as Punjab goes to polls on February 20.
16-Feb-2022
The Border Security Force (BSF) recovered some bottles containing 3.950 kg heroin worth Rs 20 crore along with Chinese pistols, besides two magazines and 26 live rounds, in Tarn Taran in Tarn Taran district. According to the report, the BSF jawans observed some suspicious movement and heard a thumping sound during the wee hours following which a search operation was carried out.
16-Feb-2022
Police arrested a drug peddler, identified as Gurjeet Singh alias Jeeta and recovered 10 kg of opium from him in Kapurthala in Kapurthala district.
16-Feb-2022
Few youths from Ambala and nearby Punjab village areas gathered to pay homage to actor-turned-activist Sandeep Singh Sidhu alias Deep Sidhu and raised slogans including "Deep Sidhu Zindabad" (long live Deep Sidhu), "Bole So Nihal Sat Sri Akal", "Deep Sidhu amar rahe", "Deep Sidhu teri soch te pehra devange thok ke" (Deep Sidhu will stand firm on your vision), "Raj Karega Khalsa", and "Khalistan Zindabad". Some of the youths also raised the slogan "Shaheed Deep Sidhu Zindabad", while terming him as a martyr.
15-Feb-2022
Actor Deep Sidhu, the prime accused in last year’s Republic Day violence case, was killed in a road mishap on the Kundli-Manesar-Palwal (KMP) expressway. Sidhu was facing a criminal trial for spearheading the Red Fort violence.
15-Feb-2022
The Narcotics Control Bureau (NCB) Director General SN Pradhan revealed that India has witnessed an exponential increase of 300 percent in heroin seizures -- from 2146 kg in 2017 to 7282 kg in 2021 -- in the last five years. Similarly, there is an increase of 172 percent in the seizure of opium - from 2551 kg in 2017 to 4386 kg in 2021 - and a 191 percent increase in the seizure of cannabis from 3, 52, 539 kg in 2017 to 6, 75, 631 kg in 2021.
15-Feb-2022
The Digital Forensics, Research and Analytics Center (DFRAC) reported that Pakistan is using the digital medium to fulfill their 'wicked agenda' and defame India on the ongoing Hijab row controversy. This "dirty trick" is being played by Pakistan to disturb India's internal peace and distract common people from the problems in their own country, the report said.
15-Feb-2022
According to reports, separatist Sikh body, Dal Khalsa decided to boycott the February 20 Punjab assembly polls, stating that it believes that the resolution to the state’s problems lies in referendum under the United Nations (UN) and not elections under the Indian dispensation. The president of Dal Khalsa, Harpal Singh Cheema said that despite Sikhs forming governments in Punjab and sending members to the Parliament, the Punjab problem has remained the same even after 40 years. Party leaders also urged the people to think before casting their vote, saying Punjab does not have its own capital city, the waters of Punjab unabatedly flow to Haryana, Delhi and Rajasthan without royalty to the riparian state.
14-Feb-2022
According to reports, amid threats from Khalistani and Pakistan supported terror outfits, the Union Government has decided to deploy a large number of security forces in Punjab for the forthcoming Assembly elections scheduled on February 20. Sources revealed that around 455 companies of Central Armed Police Force (CAPF) will be deployed in the border state, and the process of deployment has already begun. This would be in addition to Punjab police personnel who will be responsible for managing the law-and-order situation in the state. The sources also said that over 200 companies have already reached Punjab for election duty, while the rest of the forces will be deployed in the state latest by February 16.