KHALISTAN EXTREMISM MONITOR
A project of the Institute for Conflict Management
A project of the Institute for Conflict Management
India 01-Apr-2025
Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) national general secretary Tarun Chugh, on April 1, strongly condemned the defacing of the protective glass around the statue of B. R. Ambedkar in Phillaur, Jalandhar district, while addressing the media in Patiala, Punjab. He accused the Bhagwant Mann-led Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) government of failing to curb anti-national elements attempting to disrupt social harmony in the state. Chugh urged the state government to take strict action against such forces and ensure the maintenance of communal peace.
United States 01-Apr-2025
On April 1, the banned Khalistani terror outfit Sikhs For Justice (SFJ) released a U.S. court document claiming that the U.S. Department of Justice (DoJ) had identified another 'Indian agent,' referred to as 'GS,' in the alleged plot to assassinate SFJ chief Gurpatwant Singh Pannun. SFJ alleged that this agent paid USD 15,000 for the attempted hit, which was reportedly facilitated by former intelligence officer Vikash Yadav. The document also detailed the seizure of the amount in New York on June 9, 2023.
India 01-Apr-2025
Members of Valmiki organisations on April 1 burned an effigy of Gurpatwant Singh Pannun, chief of the banned Sikhs For Justice (SFJ), after he claimed responsibility for defacing the statue of Dr. B.R. Ambedkar in Nangal village, Phillaur, Jalandhar district. The incident sparked widespread protests across Punjab, with various political and social leaders demanding the immediate arrest of those involved. Former Union Ministers Vijay Sampla and Som Parkash strongly condemned the act, describing it as an attempt to create instability in the state. Sampla further urged the authorities to seek Pannun's extradition and prosecute him under the SC/ST (Prevention of Atrocities) Act for his derogatory remarks against Ambedkar and Guru Ravidas.
India 01-Apr-2025
Punjab Police on April 1 averted a potential terror attack with the arrest of an operative linked to Pakistan’s Inter-Services Intelligence (ISI), identified as Jaiveer Tyagi alias Jawed, and seized a hand grenade from his possession in Amritsar district. According to police, Tyagi was conspiring with his cousin, Sehlam, to target government infrastructure. He was arrested near Tara Wala Pul in Amritsar before he could carry out the attack.
India 01-Apr-2025
The Counter Intelligence (CI) team in Ferozepur on April 1 busted a cross-border drug smuggling racket with the arrest of a smuggler, identified as Sukhdev Singh alias Sukhi, and seized 3.5 kilograms of heroin from his possession in Mohan Ke Uttar village, Jalalabad, Ferozepur district. Preliminary investigations revealed that Sukhdev was in direct contact with a Pakistan-based smuggler who used drones to drop drug consignments across the border. Further investigations are underway to uncover the entire network of suppliers, dealers, and buyers.
India 01-Apr-2025
The administration in Amritsar on April 1 demolished the property of a drug peddler, identified as Gurmeet Singh, in the Maqboolpura area of Amritsar district. The action was carried out as part of the Chief Minister’s 'Drug-Free Punjab' initiative. According to police, Gurmeet Singh is a notorious smuggler with three cases registered against him under the Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances (NDPS) Act and is currently lodged in jail.
India 01-Apr-2025
The Border Security Force (BSF), in a joint operation with Punjab Police, on April 1 recovered a packet of heroin weighing 492 grams from fields near Dhariwal village in Ajnala, Amritsar district.
India 01-Apr-2025
The Punjab and Haryana High Court on April 1 issued a strong warning against the growing gangster culture and its glorification in popular media, asserting that the judiciary must ensure those involved in criminal activities face the full force of the law. Justice Harpreet Singh Brar emphasized that such criminality would not be tolerated and that decisive legal action was essential to restore public confidence in the justice system.
India 01-Apr-2025
Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) Punjab in-charge Manish Sisodia, on April 1 in Ludhiana, praised the Bhagwant Mann-led government’s anti-drugs campaign and asserted that, under the guidance of AAP national convener Arvind Kejriwal, the drug menace would be eradicated from Punjab. During a press conference, Sisodia, along with AAP Punjab president Aman Arora, outlined the state government's strategy to combat drug abuse.
United States 01-Apr-2025
A United States (US) federal judge, via an order on April 1, scheduled the trial of Indian national Nikhil Gupta for November 3 in connection with an alleged murder-for-hire plot targeting Khalistani terrorist and US citizen Gurpatwant Singh Pannun. Authorities were also directed to retain USD 15,000 in cash allegedly handed over to a fake hitman. Gupta, accused of acting on behalf of former intelligence officer Vikas Yadav, was extradited from the Czech Republic in 2024.
India 02-Apr-2025
Punjab Police on April 2 ongoing anti-drug campaign arrested 59 drug smugglers and recovered 1.6 kg of heroin along with INR 5.53 lakh drug money from their possession, across Punjab.
India 02-Apr-2025
Deputy Inspector General (DIG) of the Border Range, Satinder Singh, while addressing the media in Amritsar on April 2, stated that the Amritsar border continues to be a hotspot for drug and arms smuggling from Pakistan. He revealed that Amritsar Rural Police had seized 103 kg of heroin out of the total 114 kg recovered across four border districts since January 1, 2025. A total of 706 drug peddlers, including major traffickers, have been arrested. Police also confiscated 1.13 kg of charas, 10 kg of poppy husk, 5.8 kg of opium, and drug money amounting to INR 62 lakh, including USD 4,000 (INR 52.9 lakh from Amritsar alone). Additionally, the police recovered 68 pistols, two revolvers, two AK-47 rifles, and three hand grenades smuggled via drones. Legal action has also been initiated to demolish properties linked to drug smugglers.
India 02-Apr-2025
On April 2, authorities launched an investigation into the movement of a car or bike near villages adjoining the Badshahpur police post following a loud explosion that caused widespread panic in Badshahpur village, Samana, Patiala district. The blast, heard around 2 a.m., shattered windowpanes of a nearby building, though police confirmed it did not occur within the police post. While officials ruled out a grenade attack, they are examining possible targeted motives behind the incident.
Canada 02-Apr-2025
Canada’s opposition Conservative Party on April 2 dropped two Indo-Canadian candidates, Lourence Singh and Don Patel, over controversial past remarks and social media activity. Lourence Singh was removed for defending China’s Xinjiang policies during a 2021 podcast, while Don Patel was disqualified for endorsing inflammatory posts advocating the deportation of pro-Khalistan elements. These developments follow the earlier disqualification of Chandra Arya by the Liberal Party.
India 02-Apr-2025
Police on April 2 arrested a woman constable, identified as Amandeep Kaur, and seized 17.7 grams of heroin along with a Mahindra Thar vehicle (PB 05 AQ 7720) from her possession in Bathinda district.
India 02-Apr-2025
Jalandhar Rural Police on April 2 invoked provisions of the Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes (Prevention of Atrocities) Act in the case registered against Gurpatwant Singh Pannun, chief of the banned Khalistani terror outfit Sikhs For Justice (SFJ), in connection with the vandalism of the protective glass around the statue of B. R. Ambedkar, at Phillaur police station in Jalandhar district. The incident, which took place on March 31, involved pro-Khalistan and anti-Constitution slogans spray-painted on the glass, along with the display of derogatory banners—part of a deliberate attempt to incite communal discord.
India 02-Apr-2025
Punjab Chief Minister (CM) Bhagwant Mann on April 2 issued a stern warning to drug peddlers, vowing to deliver "bulldozer justice" to those responsible for destroying families by pushing addiction, addressing students before launching the Walk Against Drugs campaign in Ludhiana in Ludhiana district. Mann highlighted the role of opioid-opiate treatment (OOAT) centres and rehabilitation facilities, assuring support for victims to recover, complete their education, and secure employment.
United Kingdom 02-Apr-2025
On April 2, Gurpreet Singh Johal, brother of British Sikh Jagtar Singh Johal—who faces multiple terror-related cases in India—told the United Kingdom’s All-Party Parliamentary Group on Arbitrary Detention in London that his brother had been moved to solitary confinement, further worsening his prison conditions. Jagtar has been detained in India since 2017 and was acquitted in the first of nine cases in March 2025.
India 02-Apr-2025
Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) state president and Punjab Cabinet Minister Aman Arora, while addressing the media in Chandigarh on April 2, announced that AAP volunteers will guard statues of Dr. B. R. Ambedkar across Punjab on April 14, in response to threats issued by banned Khalistani terror outfit Sikhs For Justice (SFJ) chief Gurpatwant Singh Pannun. Arora condemned Pannun’s remarks as 'derogatory' and challenged him to come to Punjab. He also highlighted Ambedkar’s contributions to the nation and accused Pannun of misusing Sikhism to spread hatred and division.
India 03-Apr-2025
Punjab Governor Gulab Chand Kataria on April 3 launched a six-day padyatra from the Kartarpur Corridor in Dera Baba Nanak, Gurdaspur district, to raise awareness against drug abuse and unite organisations working on the issue. Emphasising the need for collective action, he urged all sections of society to support the government and police in combating the menace. Kataria also drew attention to challenges such as drone-based smuggling from Pakistan, describing it as a narco-terror war. The padyatra is scheduled to conclude at Jallianwala Bagh on April 8.