KHALISTAN EXTREMISM MONITOR
A project of the Institute for Conflict Management
A project of the Institute for Conflict Management
05-Sep-2004
The Punjab Police arrested five Kahlistani terrorists, including two suspected Pakistani nationals, along with arms and ammunition from the Pathankot area of Gurdaspur district. The arrested include Saroop Singh, a resident of Jalandhar district and a member of the KCF-Panjwar. He was also closely associated with KCF terrorist Ranjit Singh alias Neeta. Saroop Singh’s brother Nirmal Singh alias Nimma and Rashpal Singh, a resident of the Adampur area in Jalandhar, were the other two arrested. Two other persons who are suspected to be residents of Pakistan, however, identified themselves as Rattan Singh and Avtar Singh.
24-Aug-2004
A BKI terrorist, identified as Gursewak Singh alias Babla, escaped from the Punjab Police custody at Bara Hindu Rao hospital in New Delhi while he was being taken for medical treatment.
17-Aug-2004
According to the annual report of Union Home Ministry 2003-04, Pakistan continues to provide sanctuary to various Sikh militant groups and the ISI, Pakistan’s external intelligence agency, was exerting pressure on these outfits to revive terrorist activities in Punjab. The report indicated that Pakistan continues to provide sanctuary to leaders of important pro-Khalistan militant outfits like BKI headed by Wadhwa Singh, KCF led by Paramjit Singh Panjwar and ISYF led by Lakhbir Singh Rode. Militant groups like KZF led by Ranjit Singh alias "Neeta" and Dal Khalsa International led by Gajinder Singh also continued to receive sanctuary from Pakistani soil, the report said.
16-Aug-2004
Punjab Police arrested the ‘self-styled chief’ of KLF, Harnek Singh alias Bhupat a checkpoint near Madhopur village in the Fatehgarh Sahib district. The accused is wanted in many cases relating to mass killings of innocent people, assassination attempts on political leaders and police officers, kidnappings and extortion. A revolver, some live ammunition, and documents relating to fixed deposits were recovered from his possession.
29-Apr-2004
Two Sikh terrorists, allegedly involved in cases of abduction for ransom and extortion across North India and suspected to be having links with Europe-based Khalistan groups were shot dead during an encounter with the Inter-State Cell of the Delhi Police at Timarpur in Northern Delhi.
29-Apr-2004
Three suspected Punjab terrorists were arrested at Durg in the Akola district of Maharashtra.
03-Jul-2001
Separatist leader and Khalistan ideologue Jagjit Singh Chauhan, in Mohali, said that the three other Panthic Committee members were already in Punjab to achieve their goal of Khalistan through 'democratic' and 'non-violent means'. Regarding their identities, he said, "As per my information, the two are Jarnail Singh Hoshiarpuria and Shehbag Singh." According to police sources their names have figured in the preliminary investigations of various bomb blasts and other terrorist activities in the State. These revelations by Chauhan support the assertion by Pritpal Singh Khalsa, the Switzerland-based 'godfather' of Wassan Singh Zaffarwal who also stated that two Panthic Committee members, who are till date absconding are already in Punjab.
30-Jun-2001
Police arrested 12 persons, on their arrival from Pakistan, at Attari in Amritsar, for their alleged links with Pakistan's ISI. Police sources said the arrested persons had left India about five years ago and had gone to Pakistan through Lebanon. Police are trying to verify the antecedents of the members of the group.
28-Jun-2001
The separatist Sikh leader and Khalistan ideologue Jagjit Singh Chauhan, in Mohali, said that he would remain active for the cause of Khalistan. Chauhan, who returned to India after spending 21 years in exile in the UK, claimed that the undercurrents of the Khalistan movement were very strong there and in other western countries. He added that the urge for Khalistan manifests in the form of protests, conferences, rallies, and demonstrations and also in the form of several pro-Khalistan magazines published in the UK. The Federation of Sikh Organisations, which serves as the platform for different organizations, continues to hold periodic meetings. Chauhan said he had been in touch with various pro-Khalistan groups and terrorist leaders such as the BKI and the ISYF. But he denied having links with groups and terrorist leaders based in Pakistan. He also revealed that he had been in touch with Wassan Singh Zaffarwal after the latter left Pakistan. He said, "We have planned to come to India. Since Zaffarwal decided to follow the illegal route to return, he was able to make it much earlier."
18-Jun-2001
Police arrested a terrorist of the Babbar Khalsa from Dhingar village in Mansa District. The terrorist had been declared a proclaimed offender since 1992 under various sections of the Arms Act and the now-defunct TADA Act.
13-Jun-2001
Punjab Chief Minister Prakash Singh Badal said that his government would never allow militancy to raise its ugly head in Punjab once again. He said it was the responsibility of everyone, especially of the media, not to glorify the deeds of terrorists as it was not in the interest of the country. When asked about the insecurity that had spread among the people following the granting of permission to terrorists to return to the State from their foreign-based hideouts, he said nobody would be allowed to indulge in violence.
30-May-2001
A day after Punjab and Haryana High Court permitted him to visit India, the Khalistan protagonist Jagjit Singh Chauhan, in a telephonic interview to a national daily, expressed his keenness to return to Punjab. A former Punjab Minister and Deputy Speaker of the State Assembly, Chauhan said he aimed to work and struggle through peaceful means for the attainment of Khalistan, which would include Punjab and the Punjabi- speaking areas of the neighbouring States. He denied that Khalistan was a communal movement aimed at setting up a theocratic state.
29-May-2001
The Punjab and Haryana High Court permitted London based Khalistan terrorist leader Jagjit Singh Chauhan to visit India. Responding to a petition filed on behalf of Chauhan, the Court rejected the government's contention that there were several intelligence reports regarding Chauhan's continuing activities as a propagandist of Khalistan and directed the Union government to issue necessary travel documents to Chauhan through the Indian High Commission in London. The Court observed that a citizen could not be denied his fundamental rights based on such reports only.
17-May-2001
Police arrested two KLF terrorists from Ludhiana. They were arrested while trying to snatch the car of a resident whom they killed when he refused to oblige. A senior police official said eight criminal cases, including murder, were registered against one of the terrorists identified as Jasbir Singh Jassa, who had been absconding from the Nabha jail since August 21, 2000. The duo reportedly carried out orders at the behest of England-based KLF members, Gurnam Singh, and Sandeep Singh.
14-May-2001
According to media reports, radical Sikh organizations in Punjab have renewed their efforts to observe the anniversary of Operation Bluestar, on June 6, 2001, at the Golden Temple in Amritsar. As many as 15 different organizations have reportedly decided to declare Jarnail Singh Bhindranwale a martyr and observe June 6 as ‘martyrdom day’. These organizations have reportedly formed a 15-member Sant Jarnail Singh Shaheedi and Ghalughara Yadgari Committee. The Committee has also approached Akal Takht Jathedar Giani Joginder Singh Vedanti to declare Bhindranwale a martyr.
09-May-2001
In a bid to revive terrorism in Punjab and provide financial assistance to undertrial terrorists, funds from abroad continue to flow into the country. This was revealed by Sukhwinder Singh alias Sukha, the leader of Babbar Khalsa who was arrested on May 1, 2001. A senior police officer said that Sukha had received a sum of Rs one lakh through hawala transactions from Germany. This amount was sent by a German-based person known as 'Babaji' and another known as Piara Singh, both of whom are active fundraisers of the Babbar Khalsa.
09-May-2001
In another development, the chief of the KCF-Punjwar, Paramjit Singh Panjwar, in an interview dubbed reports in the media suggesting his willingness to surrender, denied he has no such plans.
05-May-2001
Gurcharan Singh Tohra, former president of the SGPC urged the government to announce a general amnesty for all those who had been blacklisted for their role in the terrorism in Punjab during the eighties. Tohra said, ‘Those involved in the Khalistan movement are not the only ones wishing to return, but there are people who had fled the country out of fear of the police or some other reasons. Now that the separatist movement has died down, the Indian Government should initiate a move to heal the wounds’.
04-May-2001
After the arrest of the KCF chief Wassan Singh Zaffarwal, Punjab police are reportedly getting feelers from at least three other dreaded terrorists, including Pakistan-based KCF chief (Panjwar) Paramjit Singh Panjwar, for their surrender. Though admitting that some terrorists settled abroad had sent feelers for their surrender, Punjab DGP Sarabjit Singh refused to name them. However, the DGP said, "We may have some big names like Zaffarwal in our custody soon". He said Pakistan-based terrorists were shaken by Zaffarwal's arrest and were being pressured by the ISI to step up subversive activities in northern parts of the country. Media reports quoting intelligence sources said Punjwar, who is wanted in several cases including killings, had recently escaped from Pakistan and made contacts with some senior Punjab police officials.
03-May-2001
Police unearthed an illegal arms factory, 100 yards away from a police station, at Mohali. The factory was reportedly operating clandestinely for the past 12 years.