KHALISTAN EXTREMISM MONITOR
A project of the Institute for Conflict Management
A project of the Institute for Conflict Management
11-May-2023
According to reports, a city council in Sydney, Australia cancelled a Khalistan propaganda event organised by the Sikhs For Justice (SFJ) due to security reasons. The event was planned for next month but was cancelled by the council based on advice from security agencies. The cancellation was due to risks to council staff, council assets and members of the public which cannot be mitigated, council said in a statement. Banners and posters of the event placed around the city were removed, citing a lack of approval and an investigation is underway against the Victoria-based group.
05-May-2023
A Hindu temple in Sydney, Australia, BAPS (Bochasanwasi Shri Akshar Purushottam Swaminarayan Sanstha) Shri Swaminarayan Mandir was defaced with anti-India graffiti on the walls allegedly by pro-Khalistan elements on May 5. A Khalistan flag was also found hanging on the gate. The temple authorities reported the matter to the New South Wales police, and a member of parliament reached the temple to help repaint the wall.
15-Apr-2023
According to reports, the Auckland Police have arrested Baltej Singh, a pro-Khalistan activist in New Zealand and the nephew of Satwant Singh, the assassin of former Prime Minister Indira Gandhi, in connection with the recovery of 328 kg of methamphetamine worth close to INR 100 crore in the international market. Baltej Singh is known for organizing anti-India and pro-Khalistan protests and gatherings in New Zealand, and he is also listed as a significant contributor to fundraising efforts for the Khalistan movement.
10-Apr-2023
There is a poster circulating on social media that states the next Khalistan Referendum voting will take place on June 4 at the General Shabheg Singh Voting Centre in Sydney, Australia.
10-Apr-2023
Nepal Police on April 10 sated that they were on alert regarding the possible entry of fugitive pro-Khalistan preacher Amritpal Singh, days after his inclusion in the country's watchlist. According to the spokesperson of the Nepal Police, Poshraj Pokharaj Pokharel, there has been no indication of Amritpal's entry into Nepal and reports regarding Indian security personnel entering Nepal to locate the pro-Khalistan preacher are unfounded and untrue.
31-Mar-2023
An anti-India protest was held in Paris, France by the Gurudwara Prabandhak Committee France and European Sikh Organisation to support Amritpal Singh, a pro-Khalistan leader. The demonstrators strongly criticized the Indian police's crackdown on Amritpal Singh and other leaders of the Khalistan movement. They also expressed their condemnation of the arrest of numerous Sikhs by the Indian police over the past few days for their support of the Khalistan movement. During the protest, they chanted slogans in support of Khalistan and against India and Prime Minister Modi.
30-Mar-2023
Three men were arrested in relation to alleged violence that broke out on January 29 when pro-Khalistani supporters clashed with Indians at Federation Square in Melbourne, Australia. However, Victoria Police didn't specify whether the three were among the Khalistani backers, who incited violence during a referendum called by the banned Sikhs For Justice (SFJ) for the creation of Khalistan. All those charged have been bailed to appear at the Melbourne Magistrates' Court on August 8.
27-Mar-2023
According to an official statement, three suspected members of the banned Khalistan Tiger Force (KTF), identified Manpreet Singh (23), Amritpal Singh (24), and Arshdeep Singh (26) were arrested in Iloilo in Philippine during a joint operation by the Philippine government agencies this month. Alexander Ramos, the Executive Director of Cybercrime Investigation and Coordinating Center (CICC), stated on March 27 that heavily armed troops raided an apartment in an exclusive subdivision in the central Philippine city at dawn on March 7 and caught the militants off guard. The suspects, who are also on the Interpol Red Notice watchlist, are believed to have entered the country using fake passports. The authorities are also investigating the alleged connections of the suspects to another banned terrorist group, Jammu and Kashmir Ghaznavi Force (JKGF).
25-Mar-2023
The Indian embassy in Kathmandu on March 25 notified the Nepal government of the possibility that fugitive radical preacher Amritpal Singh may attempt to enter the country using a counterfeit passport. The embassy sent a note verbale to the department of consular services of Nepal's Foreign Ministry and the Department of Immigration, cautioning them that Singh, who is the subject of an "Look Out Circular" in India, "may attempt to escape through Nepal using an Indian passport or a forged passport from any other nation."
20-Mar-2023
The police department of Victoria, Australia on March 20 released the photographs of six men, suspected to be involved in the January 29 "Punjab independence referendum" event organized in Melbourne which ended up in fights between Khalistani activists and pro-India demonstrators. Two persons were injured in the violent incident where an Indian flag was also burnt by a group of men at the event. The police department has also requested assistance from the public in investigating the violent incident that occurred at the Khalistan Referendum in Federation Square.
19-Mar-2023
Khalistan supporters gathered outside the parliament building in Canberra, Australia to protest against the Indian police’s crackdown on Khalistani preacher Amritpal Singh and his associates in Punjab.
19-Mar-2023
Pro-Khalistan outfit, Sikhs For Justice (SFJ) reportedly organized a ‘Khalistan Referendum 2020’ in Brisbane, Australia on March 19. However, the turnout for the event was reportedly low, with only about 100 attendees present. The editor of Australia Today, Jai Bharadwaj, stated that the organizers originally intended for the event to run from 9 am to 5 pm, but closed it down at 4 pm due to lack of attendance. Even, the majority of gurudwaras turned down the requests for assistance from the referendum organizers.
18-Mar-2023
According to reports, the Pakistani media is openly campaigning for the second phase of ‘Khalistan Referendum’ which is going to take place at the Brisbane Exhibition and Convention Centre in Australia on March 19. The pro-Khalistan separatist group Sikhs For Justice (SFJ) is purportedly organizing the voting. An article in Radio Pakistan published on March 18, claimed that more than 50,000 Sikhs cast their ballots in favor of the Khalistan Referendum during the initial round of voting in Melbourne at the end of January 2023.
15-Mar-2023
Khalistan supporters organized an unauthorized gathering that obstructed the entrance to the Honorary Consulate of India situated in Brisbane, Australia, resulting in its closure on March 15. According to reports, slogans were raised against Hindus calling them supremacists with ‘Khalistan Zindabad’ during the gathering of Khalistani supporters. According to Sarah L Gates, the Director of Hindu Human Rights, the Indian consulate had to shut down for safety reasons after Sikhs For Justice (SFJ) targeted them with their propaganda. This is not the first instance of Khalistan supporters intimidating the Indian consulate in Brisbane, Australia; on February 21, they raised the Khalistan flag at the consulate's office.
10-Mar-2023
According to reports, Khalistan supporters on March 10 raised pro-Khalistan flags at the Mahatma Gandhi statue in Rome Street Parkland, Brisbane, Australia. The report said that few people were seen chanting "Khalistan Zindabaad" slogans with Khalistan flags at Rome Parkland in Brisbane.
07-Mar-2023
According to media reports, the President of Swaminarayan Temple located on Marshall Road in Perth, Australia received a threatening call on March 7. The President of Temple, Vinodbhai Hirani said that he received a call from a man who identified himself as "Gurupdesh Singh," from an American number, who warned, "the Hindus community to support Khalistan or face dire consequences". Notably, the Khalistan supporters recently vandalized the Laxmi Narayan Temple in Brisbane on March 4, which was the fifth attempt against Hindu temples in the last two months in Australia.
06-Mar-2023
According to reports, Prime Minister (PM) Narendra Modi will convey to his Australian counterpart Anthony Norman Albanese India's worries regarding the reported vandalism of several Hindu temples in Australia by pro-Khalistan supporters. According to sources, the PM would take the opportunity to tell Canberra of the expectation that such anti-India hate campaigns and secessionist propaganda would not be tolerated in Australia and that stern measures would be taken against those responsible for the vandalism of places of worship.
04-Mar-2023
According to sources, the wall of Shree Laxmi Narayan Temple in Brisbane, Australia was vandalized by unknown pro-Khalistan supporters on March 4. This was the fourth such incident of vandalism against Hindu temples in two months in Australia. Sarah Gates, who is the Director of Hindu Human Rights said, "This latest hate crime is a pattern of Sikhs For Justice (SFJ) globally, clearly attempting to terrorise Australian Hindus. Coupled with a barrage of propaganda, illegal signs, and cyberbullying, the organisation intends to present all-pervasive threats, fear, and intimidation."
21-Feb-2023
According to media reports, on the night of February 21, the Consulate of India in Brisbane, Australia, was attacked by Khalistani supporters who raised the Khalistan flag at the office in Taringa suburb. On February 22, Archana Singh, the Honorary Consul of India in Brisbane, arrived and noticed a Khalistan flag tied to the office. Sources said that Singh immediately informed Queensland Police, who confiscated the flag and ensured that the Indian Consul was not in immediate danger.
17-Feb-2023
According to the media reports, the president and the vice president of Gayatri Mandir in Brisbane, Australia has received threatening calls on February 17 from a man who identified himself as 'Guruawadesh Singh', Claiming that he was calling from Nankana Sahib in Pakistan, and asked the Hindu community to support the 'Khalistan Referendum' and to raise pro-Khalistani slogans if it wanted to observe Maha Shivratri peacefully, which falls on February 18.