KHALISTAN EXTREMISM MONITOR
A project of the Institute for Conflict Management
A project of the Institute for Conflict Management
18-May-2020
According to highly-placed diplomatic sources, German prosecutors will present evidence that a Frankfurt man scheduled for trial in a Federal state-security court in August received payoffs from India’s Research and Analysis Wing (RAW) for spying on Khalistan and Kashmiri secessionists, as well as other sensitive details of the intelligence service’s operations in that country. The upcoming trial of German resident, identified as Balvir Singh scheduled for August 25, according to German government documents, is the third recent case involving RAW assets in that country, and comes in the wake of similar prosecutions in Canada and the United Arab Emirates (UAE).
13-May-2020
The federal prosecutor's office said that espionage charges against the Indian man, identified as ‘Balvir S’ in line with German privacy rules, were filed at a state court in Frankfurt. The man is accused of agreeing to pass information on Sikhs and the ‘Kashmir movement’ and their relatives to an employee of India's Research & Analysis Wing (R&AW) on or before January 2015. According to German prosecutors, the suspect was in regular telephone and personal contact with the Germany-based intelligence officer and passed on information ‘in numerous cases’ until December 2017. However, they did not specify whether he is in custody. The trial will open on August 25.
09-May-2020
According to reports, Indian counter-terror agencies are suspecting a Khalistan conspiracy in the case of alleged Indian national, identified as 54-year-old Balvir who was accused of spying for Indian intelligence agencies and is set to face trial in Germany. The federal prosecutors have told a regional court in Germany that Balvir was spying on Sikh and Kashmiri communities for India's external intelligence agency, Research & Analysis Wing (R&AW). Indian counter-terror officials said that there is an increasing trend where anonymous complaints and petitions are being filed as part of a motivated campaign by the Khalistan groups against those who are taking them on. The Khalistanis are a potent force in countries like Germany, Canada, UK and US, said the official. Indian security agencies also suspect that elements in Germany with links to security agencies are providing support to the Khalistani leaders. They see this as a reason why no legal action is taken against the Khalistani operatives in that country. One of the top operatives roaming freely in Germany is Gurmeet Singh alias Bagga alias Doctor of the Khalistan Zindabad Force (KZF). Gurmeet Singh has allegedly been instrumental in re-organizing the terrorist group to revive terrorism in Punjab - where he is believed to have established sleeper cells, which was recently busted by the Punjab police. The National Investigation Agency (NIA) has recently issued red corner notices against Bagga and other Khalistani terrorists operating in different countries. According to sources, the counter-terror agencies are hot on the trail of not only Bagga but other Khalistani leaders with close links in Germany, like Gajinder Singh, Dal Khalsa, Wadhwa Singh, Babbar Khalsa, whose families are residing in Germany. Many of their associates, as well as other Khalistani leaders, have close ties in Pakistan, said the sources.
08-May-2020
Frankfurt court stated that an Indian national, identified as 54-year-old Balvir will stand trial in Germany accused of spying on Sikh and Kashmiri communities for New Delhi's Secret Service. Federal prosecutors alleged that the suspect has been working with the Indian foreign intelligence agency Research & Analysis Wing (R&AW) since 2015.
04-Apr-2020
Afghanistan’s National Directorate of Security (NDS) said that Afghan forces have arrested the leader of the country’s Islamic State (ISIS) group affiliate and the mastermind behind the attack on the Gurudwara that killed 25 Sikh devotees. The NDS said in a statement that Aslam Farooqi, also known as Abdullah Orakzai, had been arrested along with 19 other men in a ‘complex operation’. An NDS official said that Farooqi was the mastermind behind an IS-claimed attack on a Sikh temple in Kabul last month that killed at least 25 people. Known as Islamic State in the Khorasan (IS-K), the Afghan IS branch has been on its back foot in recent months following continued operations by US forces and separately by the Taliban.
29-Mar-2020
Members of the minority Sikh community from Kabul and Jalalabad in Afghanistan held meetings to deliberate on their future prospects in the war-ravaged country after the terror attack on Gurudwara Har Rai Sahib in Kabul, which left 25 Sikhs dead. Separate lists of Sikh families who have complete travel documents and those who require passport and other documents were prepared in Kabul and Jalalabad gurdwaras to begin the process of mass migration to an as yet unknown destination.
26-Mar-2020
The United Nations Security Council (UNSC) condemned the terrorist attack on the Sikh Gurudwara in Kabul that killed 25 people. The UNSC in a statement, it "condemned in the strongest terms the heinous and cowardly terrorist attack" that took place in Shor Bazar area in Kabul. "The members of the security council underlined the need to hold perpetrators, organizers, financiers and sponsors of these reprehensible acts of terrorism accountable and bring them to justice, and urged all States, in accordance with their obligations under international law and relevant security council resolutions, to cooperate actively with the government of Afghanistan and all other relevant authorities," the statement said.
26-Mar-2020
A day after the terror attack on Gurudwara in Kabul, the Sikh Diaspora has come forward to extend a helping hand to the anguished Sikh families mourning the deaths of their loved ones to help them rebuild their lives. The United Kingdom (UK)-based chairman of Seva Trust, Charan Kanwal Singh Sekhon, said that a fund-raiser campaign has been started in UK to raise £30,000 to help the families of the victims.
26-Mar-2020
Mortal remains of 25 Sikhs, including elderly persons, young children and women, were consigned to flames in a crematorium in Kabul, Afghanistan even as another bomb explosion rocked the cremation site. But no causality was reported in the bomb blast which occurred just as the grieving Sikh families were going home after the cremation.
25-Mar-2020
At least 25 people were killed after terrorists attacked a Gurudwara in Kabul in Afghanistan on March 25 morning. According to media reports, four terrorists, including suicide bombers, attacked Gurudwara Har Rai Sahib in Kabul at around 7.45 am local time. There were around 120 people inside the Gurudwara, including 20 families, when the attack began. The Afghanistan Ministry of Interior stated that at least 25 people were killed and eight wounded in the attack. In total, 80 people including women and children were rescued, said the Ministry’s statement. According to SITE, which monitors jihadists networks, the Islamic State has claimed responsibility for the attack.
29-Jan-2020
The Punjab police has to wait further to extradite the prime accused in the Nabha jailbreak incident, Ramanjit Singh Romi, from Hong Kong as the Hong Kong government has asked its population to work from home and suspended working in a number of departments including the justice department due to the increasing cases of Corona virus infection. Last month, Romi had filed a second appeal in the higher court in Hong Kong challenging his extradition to India after the Eastern Court had dismissed his plea challenging his extradition to India on the grounds that he was being targeted for being a pro-Khalistan and claimed he was ‘at risk of brutal treatment if returned to the country of his birth.’The higher court while admitting his second plea had called for a day-to-day hearing which had started early this month. The Punjab police had been expecting that the hearing would be completed soon and they will be able to secure his custody.
15-Jan-2020
According to local sources in Italy, since the last couple of months, a steady stream of Sikh asylum seekers have been arriving every day at the local refugee centers in Italy and all of them declare to be ‘persecuted in India’, and claim to be members of the ‘Khalistan Movement’. The report said that it is a totally new phenomenon as Sikhs would mainly come as economic migrants or to join their families already working and living in Italy.The stream of asylum seekers in the past few months is big enough to have been noticed by the people working every day at the refugee offices, and to puzzle them. Though there are no official data yet about the number of requests being actually accepted by the Italian authorities, but most likely, they will accept almost all requests – mainly because in Italy, the concept of ‘Sikh militancy’ is widely unknown, the report said.
10-Jan-2020
Three Pakistan nationals living in Italy, identified as Chaudhary Abbasi, Liaquat Ali and Tanveer Kader offered an apology in a Gurudwara after they were threatened with a police case for allegedly circulating videos which were derogatory to Sikh Gurus and Hindu deities. The president of the Sikhs Sewa Society Italy, Jagjit Singh said, “The incident happened 10 days ago... after they realized their mistake, they approached the gurudwara to tender an apology.” According to sources, Liaquat Ali, who owned a restaurant in Brescia, and Kadar, who belonged to Tehreek-e-Kashmir, Italy, were close to Rizwan Salabat, ISI’s station head in Milan. Rizwan was close to Khalistani elements and sought their support to assuage the hurt feelings of Sikhs, the source said. It also said, in 2019, Ali played host to a few Khalistani Sikhs during their visit to Italy to win over Sikhs there for Khalistan movement and during their anti-India demonstration in Geneva, which was attended by radical Sikhs and Pakistanis living in Italy and Switzerland. The decision to drop the police complaint was taken after intervention of a few Sikh hardliners in Italy.
09-Jul-2019
Malaysia detained four foreigners, including a 24-year-old Indian national who had allegedly acted as a facilitator to a senior member of Babbar Khalsa International (BKI) - a Khalistani separatist group. The other arrestees were identified as two ethnic Rohingya from Myanmar (detained for providing support to the Arakan Rohingya Salvation Army [ARSA], the insurgent group) and a 54-year-old Philippine national with alleged ties to Abu Sayyaf, a militant organisation aligned with the Islamic State (IS).
22-Feb-2018
A Special team of Hong Kong Police arrested Punjab-based gangster Ramanjit Singh alias Romi in a robbery case in Hong Kong. Ramanjit Singh, who faced several criminal charges in India, was involved in plotting the Nabha jail break in 2016. In 2016, over Patiala Police’s request— the Interpol had issued a ‘Red Corner Notice’ (RCN), but Ramanjit Singh disappeared. In 2016, he was arrested but released on bail. He jumped the bail and fled to Hong Kong. Being in Hong Kong, Ramanjit kept in contact with Gurpreet Singh Sekhon—a key plotter and one of the prisoners to escape the Nabha jail in November 2016.
05-Oct-2015
Germany has become a meeting point of BKI and other militant groups. There have been a massive Germany based recruitments in BKI in the past few months as BKI is in immense pressure from Pakistan’s ISI to attack Indian establishments, even BKI is advised to coordinate with outfits like LeT. A few months ago, BKI’s Pakistan- based commander Wadhwa Singh and his counterpart from LeT held several meetings in Choburjee, Lahore and have been trying to orchestrate a "synchronized attack" on Punjab and Delhi as per the Indian security agencies reports and sources.
27-Oct-2014
Thailand Government issued a lookout notice for Jagtar Singh Tara, a top BKI militant, on India’s request. This is part of the Centre’s urgent crackdown on what is being termed as re-configuration and likely impetus to Punjab militancy with help from across the border. However, there is a bit of confusion on whether Tara is in Malaysia or Thailand, with sources pointing out that the border between the two countries is porous. A Thailand military Internal Security Operations Command Region (ISOC) official said border control units have been instructed to screen visitors and Tara’s photos were also posted on local police’s wanted list. The main town on the Thai-Malaysian border Su-ngai Kolok had been specifically alerted. For India, Tara will be an important catch as he is increasingly seen as being projected as the top leader of BKI by his Pakistan ISI handlers, replacing Wadhwa Singh with whom he has had a rift over the years. According to Indian security agencies, the ISI had always used Thailand as a terror hub, especially to channel FICN. In July, three Pakistani nationals were arrested near the Pakistan embassy in Bangkok with FICN worth INR 150000.
26-May-2009
The KZF has claimed responsibility for the May 24 attacks on a Gurdwara in Vienna. The London-based Akash Radio Website claimed that it had received an e-mail, written on the KZF's letterhead, was signed by one Ranjit Singh. The letter said the incident occurred because "these people did not heed to the warnings that they should not disrespect Guru Granth Sahib ji by sitting parallel to Sri Guru Granth Sahib ji; letting people bow before them in the Guru Sahib's presence and committing various unacceptable anti-Maryada (Sikh code of conduct) acts. As they continued to commit such sins, the KZF was forced to take this action."
26-May-2009
Another Khalistani militant outfit, the BKI, which also figures on the US’s list of terrorist organizations, has condemned the killing of Sant Rama Nand in Vienna. London-based Akash Radio Website claimed that the BKI chief Wadhwa Singh Babbar said in an e-mail that the entire Sikh Panth regretted the attack on Sant Niranjan Das and Sant Rama Nand. The e-mail said: "Everyone knows that this attack was not done by the Sikh Panth. Indian agencies are behind this attack, and they are trying to split the Ravidasiya community from the Sikh Panth. The Khalsa Panth will continue to cherish this relationship formed since the times of Guru Nanak Devji… The Khalsa Panth requests the Ravidasiya community to maintain peace. The Khalsa Panth will always stand by the Ravidasiya community and will not let the Indian agencies succeed in their mal-intensions."
24-May-2009
A violent clash between two groups of Sikh worshippers broke out in a Gurudwara in Vienna, capital of Austria. Austrian Police said that the two groups of Sikh worshippers clashed with knives and a handgun in the Gurudwara. A 56-year-old Sikh Guru Sant Ram Nand was shot at and injured and he died later in the night. 30 others were also injured. Sant Ram Nand was accompanying another Guru Sant Niranjan Das who was the preacher at the ceremony in the Gurudwara. The two preaching to a gathering that calls itself the Shri Guru Ravidass Sabha. The clash broke out when groups of people of rival Sikh sect intruded and attacked the gathering with knives and guns objecting to the sermon. Sant Ram Nand belonged to DeraSach Khand, a follower of Guru Ravidass. Some reports suggest that militants belonging to KZF had killed him. The Vienna violence spread to Punjab (India) as well. The army was called in Chandigarh.