KHALISTAN EXTREMISM MONITOR
A project of the Institute for Conflict Management
A project of the Institute for Conflict Management
India 02-Aug-2021
Sikhs For Justice (SFJ) chief Gurpatwant Singh Pannun through recorded phone calls, threatened Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) national president Jagat Prakash Nadda. The pre-recorded audio calls were received on the phones of journalists based in Una, Hamirpur, Kullu and Solan districts of Himachal Pradesh. The caller, introduced himself as Pannun, said that JP Nadda is personally responsible for the death of thousands of farmers in the country and JP Nadda is associated with the BJP and because of the BJP, no hearing is being given to the agitating farmers.
India 06-Aug-2021
The pro-Khalistan outfit, Sikhs for Justice (SFJ), in an audio message, threatened Uttar Pradesh (UP) Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath that he will not be allowed to hoist the national flag on Independence Day. According to reports, an audio message in the name of SFJ's Gurpatwant Singh Pannun from an international phone number (+6478079192) has been received by UP Police which not only warned CM Adityanath against hosting the national flag on August 15 but also said that thermal plants will be shut down on the same say. It also warned that western areas in Uttar Pradesh i.e., from Saharanpur to Rampur will be taken over by Khalistan.
India 07-Aug-2021
Gurpatwant Singh Pannun, leader of the pro-Khalistan outfit Sikh for Justice (SFJ), in an audio message, threatened Punjab Chief Minister (CM) Captain Amarinder Singh and Governor VP Singh Badnore of their political death if they hoist the Indian tricolour on the occasion of Independence Day on August 15. In this audio message, Pannun was discussing about the farmers' movement and it has been said that 'Our farmers are dying, in such a situation the hoisting of the tricolour on August 15 will not be tolerated.'
India 09-Aug-2021
The Punjab Police on August 9 recovered arms and ammunition including, an Improvised Explosive Device (IED), hand grenades and other ammunition packed in a bag from near the Indo-Pak border in Daleke village in Amritsar District. Police said, the package was delivered using a drone and contains five hand grenades, a hundred 9mm cartridges along with a tiffin bomb and three detonators. The IED was made using two kilograms of Royal Demolition Explosive (RDX) with a switch on it. Director General of Police (DGP), Punjab, Dinkar Gupta, said that terrorist groups were planning a bomb blast during the upcoming Independence Day celebrations on August 15.
India 10-Aug-2021
The Border Security Force (BSF) troops spotted a drone in the Mullankot border outpost area of Amritsar District in Punjab on August 10. The border outpost is a few kilometres from Bachwind village, where the explosives were dropped by a drone on the intervening night of August 7-8.
India 15-Aug-2021
Police on August 15 arrested two suspected Khalistani terrorists, identified as Amritpal and Sammy with two hand grenades and a pistol and later their interrogation led to seizure of four hand grenades and three pistols in Amritsar District. A tiffin bomb was also recovered from Gurnam Singh Brar alias GB, a resident of Hardyal Nagar (Kapurthala), and Gagandeep Singh. The explosives and weapons were allegedly part of larger consignment dropped by drones from across Pakistan-based notorious elements. The Police have been trying to find a link between all the recent seizures.
India 20-Aug-2021
Punjab Police busted a terror module by arresting two persons, including former Akal Takht Jathedar Jasbir Singh Rode’s son Gurmukh Singh from his house in New Hardial Nagar in Jalandhar District on August 20. The other person arrested was identified as Gagandeep Singh of Phagwara in Kapurthala District. According to a Punjab Police spokesperson, the Kapurthala Police recovered two hand-grenades, a box of detonators, two tubes suspected to containing RDX, a roll of wire used in explosives, INR 375,000 Indian currency, a licensed pistol, 14 Indian passports, a .30-calibre pistol and two magazines from Gurmukh’s house. Also, Police seized a tiffin bomb, three hand-grenades, four Glock pistol magazines and packaging material from the Gurmukh’s office near Jalandhar bus stand.
India 22-Aug-2021
Amritpal Singh, an alleged operative of the banned militant outfit Babbar Khalsa International (BKI), met the UK-based Gurpreet Singh Khalsa, when he went to New Zealand in 2015, this revelation came to light during the interrogation of Amritpal and Sammy on August 22, who are currently in the Police custody. The duo was arrested by the Amritsar (rural) Police on August 15 with two hand grenades and a pistol.
India 27-Aug-2021
The National Investigation Agency (NIA) special court in Mohali District in Punjab on August 27 framed charges against nine members of the Khalistan Liberation Force (KLF) in a September 2019 arms drop case from across the Pakistan border using drone. Special NIA judge Karunesh Kumar framed charges against KLF activists. According to the NIA, KLF ‘chief’ Ranjit Singh and Gurmeet Singh alias Baga, are the main accused in the case. The arms and ammunition dropped by drone was received on the Indian side by the nine accused against whom the charges have been framed. Before the NIA took over the case, the case was being handled by Punjab Police special operations cell.
India 31-Aug-2021
The Punjab police on August 31 registered a First Information Report (FIR) against the Inter-Services Intelligence (ISI)-backed Khalistan ideologue Sikh for Justice (SFJ) ‘chief’ Gurpatwant Singh Pannun and other members for their continued attempts to promote violence in the State and the recent assassination threat against Punjab Chief Minister (CM) Captain Amarinder Singh. The Director general of Police (DGP), Dinkar Gupta, said that Gurpatwant Singh Pannun and his associates had been found promoting violent extremist action and threatening assassination of the Chief Minister, an elected constitutional Head of government of the State of Punjab.
India 31-Aug-2021
A special court of the National Investigation Agency (NIA) in Mohali District in Punjab on August 31, framed charges against eight militants of Khalistan Liberation Force (KLF) in the killing of Balwinder Singh Sandhu, a Shaurya Chakra awardee, by two unidentified persons at his residence-cum-school on October 16, 2020, in Bhikhiwind in Tarn Taran District of Punjab. "(The) Investigation has revealed that the charge-sheeted accused were part of the conspiracy hatched by Pakistan based leadership of proscribed terrorist organization Khalistan Liberation Force for assassinating comrade Balwinder Singh who was awarded Shaurya Chakra for his brave fight against terrorists at the peak of militancy in Punjab," a statement by the NIA read. The court framed charges against Sukhraj Singh, Ravinder Singh, Akashdeep Arora, Jagroop Singh, Sukhdeep Singh, Gurjit Singh, Inderjit Singh and Sukhmeet Pal Singh for various offences under different sections of Indian Penal Code (IPC), including Unlawful Activities Prevention Act (UAPA) and Arms Act, 1959.