KHALISTAN EXTREMISM MONITOR
A project of the Institute for Conflict Management
A project of the Institute for Conflict Management
11-Feb-2023
According to reports, pro-Khalistan terrorist group Sikhs For Justice (SFJ) announced to hold its next round of ‘Khalistan Referendum’ voting in Brisbane, Australia on March 19. Gurpatwant Singh Pannun, the head of SFJ, declared that "the March 19 “Battlefield - Brisbane” Khalistan Referendum Voting Centre is dedicated to Shaheed Bhai Harmeet Singh Bhaowal and Shaheed Bibi Baljinder Kaur who were bombed to death along with their nine months old son Pavittar Singh on December 05, 1992, by the Indian Police forces in Haryana."
05-Feb-2023
According to reports, Victorian Hindus presented a list of demands to Australian Home Affairs Minister, Clare O’ Neil, at Durga Temple, in the wake of recent by attacks by Khalistanis with terror-links on Indians in Melbourne on February 5. The Australian Hindu Association awaits a prompt response from the Minister, said the report.
30-Jan-2023
India's high commissioner to Australia, Manpreet Vohra, on January 30 visited temples vandalised by alleged Khalistan supporters, in the second-largest city of Melbourne. According to reports, Vohra offered prayers at BAPS Shri Swaminarayan Temple and ISKCON Krishna Temple in the city, two of the three sites where anti-India graffiti was painted, allegedly by Khalistan supporters, in recent days.
29-Jan-2023
A video shared on social media showed a group of men waving the Khalistani flag and attacking Indians carrying the Indian national flag, leaving five injured in Australia. The pro-Khalistani forces are also seen carrying rods and attacking the men carrying the Indian flag in the video. Condemning the attack, the Victoria Police informed that as of now two people have been arrested following the violent attack. The two arrested men are in their 30s and have been issued a penalty notice for "riotous behaviour". They said the five injured people have been admitted to the hospital.
29-Jan-2023
India on January 30 lodged a protest with Australian authorities over attacks by Khalistani activists on people of Indian origin who were protesting against a so-called “Khalistan referendum” organised by the outlawed Sikhs For Justice (SFJ) over the weekend. Indian high commissioner Manpreet Vohra took up the violent incidents in central Melbourne on January 29 with the premier of Victoria state, Daniel Andrews, at a meeting on January 30. Meanwhile, Australian high commissioner Barry O’Farrell, in New Delhi, said he was “appalled” by the incidents and that Victoria police are investigating a number of people for “criminal acts of violence”. According to reports, scuffles between Khalistani activists and pro-India groups occurred at Federation Square in Melbourne on January 29 afternoon amid the non-binding referendum on creating an “independent Khalistan”, which has already been denounced by India. SFJ organised the referendum in Australia after similar polls in Canada, the United States (US) and the United Kingdom (UK).
28-Jan-2023
According to reports, the pro-Khalistani outfit, Sikhs for Justice (SFJ) announced that voting for their Australian chapter of “Khalistan independence referendum” will be held at Federation Square in Melbourne on January 29. Melbourne’s Ravi Inder Singh, a representative of the Miri Piri Gurudwara said that the voting exercise, known as the “Khalistan referendum”, would be a significant step towards self-determination for millions of Sikhs around the world.
25-Jan-2023
According to report, 'Signals that pro-Khalistan elements are stepping up their activities in Australia, actively aided & abetted by members of proscribed terrorist orgs such as the Sikh For Justice (SFJ) & other inimical agencies from outside Australia, have been evident for some time, said High Commission of India, Canberra'
23-Jan-2023
According to reports, the wall of Iskcon temple, a well-known centre of the Bhakti Yoga movement, was defaced with "Khalistan Zindabad” graffiti in Albert Park, Melbourne. This was the third such attack on Hindu temples in Australia this month.
17-Jan-2023
According to a report, the historic Shri Shiva Vishnu Temple in Carrum Downs in Melbourne, Victoria was allegedly vandalised by the miscreants on January 17. Anti-India and anti-Hindu graffiti was painted near the temple premises during vandalisation.
13-Jan-2023
According to reports, the Melbourne Temple vandalism has shocked the Indian community in Australia. The walls of the Melbourne’s Mill Park BAPS Swaminarayan Mandir had slogans saying Hindustan Murdabad and with praises of Jarnail Singh Bhindranwale, the controversial Khalistani militant leader. Report said, there are grave concerns amongst the community and the Australian government regarding the spread of Indian anti national Khalistani elements in Australia. The Australian national newspaper reported in December 2022 that senior Indian government officials have raised the alarm over the growth of Sikh separatism in Australia and its links to terrorist groups in India, warning the Albanese government ministers of the movement’s propensity for violence. The report in the paper also attributed a source in the Indian government having concerns that the local Khalistani movement leaders were recruiting impressionable Indian Sikhs in Australia “who didn’t know what they were getting into.” There are concerns that the Sikh separatist groups Baber Khalsa International (BKI), Khalistan Commando Force (KCF), Khalistan Zindabad Force (KZF) and International Sikh Youth Federation (ISYF) which are all banned by India could be infiltrating Australia, as they have created a foothold in Canada. With the close relationship between India and Australia emerging, Australia needs to do more to stamp out these Indian anti-national elements in the community, the report added.
13-Jan-2023
According to India government sources, India has raised strong objections with the local authorities of Australia in connection with the Melbourne Temple vandalism. The BAPS Swaminarayan Mandir in Melbourne’s northern suburb of Mill Park was defaced on January 12, with graffities against India. India asked them to initiate a probe and arrest the Khalistani group behind the incident. “Hindus live peacefully in Melbourne, but some groups are trying to creating tension between the authorities and the community. The Melbourne authorities should look into this otherwise these groups will spread here like the United Kingdom (UK) and Canada," said government sources.
12-Jan-2023
According to reports, a Hindu temple in Australia's Melbourne was defaced with anti-India graffiti and pro-Khalistan slogans by an alleged group of Khalistani supporters. Reports said the walls of BAPS Swaminarayan Mandir in Melbourne's northern suburb of Mill Park were painted with "Hindustan Murdabad" which means down with India. The officials of the temple trust said in a statement, "We are deeply saddened by the anti-India graffiti at the gates of the BAPS Shri Swaminarayan Mandir in Mill Park, Melbourne, Australia by anti-social elements. The BAPS temple in Mill Park, like all temples of BAPS worldwide, is an abode of peace, harmony, equality, selfless service, and universal Hindu values." A police complaint has been registered by the Hindu local body.
10-Jan-2023
According to reports, ahead of the so-called Khalistan referendum in the Australian city of Melbourne, tensions arose over the display of posters praising Indira Gandhi’s assassins. A Sikh group has decided to hold a car rally on January 15 to commemorate the 34th anniversary of the death of Indira Gandhi’s assassins, Satwant Singh and Kehar Singh. Meanwhile, ‘Khalistan Referendum’ poster, which has pictures of Satwant and Kehar Singh, placed outside the Plympton Gurdwara went viral on social media. The Khalistan referendum will be held in Melbourne on January 29. Later, unknown people sprayed the posters. On the other hand, the Hindu community approached the government to stop the Khalistan referendum, but the Australian government refused to stop the Khalistan referendum after examining all the issues.
04-Jan-2023
A poster of a so-called referendum by the Khalistanis was found outside Plumpton Gurdwara, Victoria, Australia and the same was shared on the social media platforms. The posters included the images of former Indian Prime Minister (PM) Indira Gandhi, Beant Singh and Satwant Singh. The poster read, 'the last battle. Khalistan Referendum. Voting January 29, Melbourne.' This comes in the wake of India warning Australia of increasing presence of Khalistani extremists in the country in December. This was following a Khalistani Referendum Rally being announced. The Australian authorities began looking into the matter following the warning. It however seems that no major action has been initiated by Australia ahead of the so-called referendum schedule for January 29. The same has been called by the proscribed terror group, Sikhs For Justice (SFJ). The images have been shared by several social media handles that are pro-Khalistan. The posters while being shared blamed the Hindutva system of India for the Sikh Genocide of 1984.
03-Jul-2022
According to reports, Sikh for Justice (SFJ), which has been demanding Khalistan, held a vote for the Khalistan ‘referendum’ in Rome, the capital of Italy. According to reports, more than 17,000 Sikhs took part in it, and on the same occasion, SFJ also announced the Khalistan plebiscite in Indian Punjab on January 26, 2023, on the occasion of India's 74th Republic Day. SFJ chief Gurpatwant Singh Pannun said in a statement that the polling in Rome coincided with the 38th anniversary of Operation Blue Star. Raising questions on Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Pannun said that Narendra Modi has given a clear message to the government that the will of Sikhs cannot be broken by repression. Pannun said that the Indian Government has made every effort at every level to stop the Khalistan plebiscite, but it could not happen.
24-May-2022
The Special Task Force (STF) of Punjab Police has asked the Centre to issue a lookout circular against a Malaysia-based handler in connection with the Ludhiana court blast after it was revealed that he allegedly played a crucial role in establishing contact between the accused in India, Pakistan-based entities and Khalistani terrorist Harvinder Singh alias Rinda. Harpreet Singh alias Happy Malaysia is a cousin brother of Surmukh Singh alias Samu of Panju Kalal village in Amritsar, one of the key accused in the case.
28-Mar-2022
A video surfaced on YouTube in which a group of pro-Khalistani Sikhs accused the Craigieburn Gurudwara committee members of calling the Police on them. According to the reports, the committee members had called the Police as they felt threatened by the behavior of the pro-Khalistani group that was scheduled to hold a function inside Gurudwara premises. Australian Hindu Media (AHM), the media wing of the Australian Hindu Association, identified a few of the people in the video as Gurbax Singh Bains, Charanjit Singh, Kuldip Singh and Gurvinder Singh Randhawa. A man armed with a sword accused the committee members of committing sacrilege against the Gurus and weapons of Sikhism.
02-Mar-2022
Pro-Khalistani outfit, Sikhs For Justice (SFJ) announced its support for Ukraine and urged Khalistanis to raise an army of ‘foreign fighters to defend Ukraine. SFJ released a video message and a letter supporting Ukraine. In the letter, SFJ leader Gurpatwant Singh Pannun urged the Ukrainian President to raise a Sikh Regiment as part of the international legion of foreign fighters. Pannun said in the letter that, unlike India, is supporting Russia in the conflict by abstaining from voting at UNSC, Khalistani Sikhs were ready to “defend Ukraine’s sovereignty and territorial integrity”. He further claimed that this was the right time for Sikhs to “liberate Punjab” by siding with the “anti-India block at international level”.
28-Feb-2022
The Australian Hindu Association (AHA) revealed how four Victorian Gurudwaras had jointly planned a pro-Khalistani and anti-India event that took place on February 20, 2022, in Australia in the memory of Punjabi actor Deep Sidhu. It also revealed that these Gurudwaras regularly organize incendiary pro-Khalistani, anti-India, and anti-Hindu speeches and events to radicalize young Sikhs on the foreign land. On 20th February 2022, a Sikh Gurudwara in Australia showcased an Anti-India/Hindu poster blatantly in between two so-called Khalistan flags. The poster had hate-filled slogans like ‘End Hindu Fascism’ and ‘India kills Sikhs’ printed on it. It also bore the image of the deceased Punjabi actor Deep Sidhu, one of the accused in the 2021 Republic Day riots. The poster was found hanging at the entrance of the Craigieburn Sikh Gurudwara in Australia.
26-Jan-2022
According to sources, Sikhs For Justice (SFJ) recorded a symbolic protest in the Indian High Commission Room by hanging posters. A large number of protesters were also gathered in the European Union capital Brussels. However, none of these protests was televised because of a ban by the Indian government.