KHALISTAN EXTREMISM MONITOR
A project of the Institute for Conflict Management
A project of the Institute for Conflict Management
India 06-Aug-2025
On the intervening night of August 6 and 7, pro-Khalistan slogans were spray-painted on the boundary walls of Khalsa College, the district courts, and a temple in Amritsar in Amritsar district. Khalistani terrorist Gurpatwant Singh Pannun, chief of the banned terror outfit Sikhs For Justice (SFJ), claimed responsibility via a video message.
India 06-Aug-2025
On August 6 in Amritsar, the five Sikh high priests pronounced tankhaah (religious punishment) on Punjab Education Minister Harjot Singh Bains for participating in a dance performance during a July 24 event in Srinagar marking the 350th martyrdom anniversary of Guru Tegh Bahadur. The high priests directed Bains to undertake a series of religious tasks, including barefoot pilgrimages, sewa at gurdwaras, and offering karah parshad, as spiritual atonement for violating Sikh maryada. Bains accepted the punishment and stated that he would comply with the directives.
India 06-Aug-2025
Jalandhar Police on August 6 arrested two Punjab police constables, identified as Navpreet Singh and Navdeep Singh and seized 15 grams of heroin from their possession, near Rama Mandi area in Jalandhar in Jalandhar district. Both were posted at the Punjab Armed Police (PAP) headquarters and were arrested following leads from the arrest of two drug peddlers.
India 06-Aug-2025
On August 6, five outsiders, including Lawrence Bishnoi gang associate Braham Dutt, along with Vishal, Vikash, Anand Yadav, and Kshitij, were found on the Panjab University (PU) campus in Chandigarh ahead of student body elections. The group was detained by police after being spotted near the law auditorium in a car with Punjab registration plates. Braham Dutt, who has seven First Information Reports (FIRs) against him, was previously arrested in a shooting case linked to gangster Lawrence Bishnoi.
India 07-Aug-2025
Between August 7 and 11, Punjab Police arrested 15 unidentified smugglers and seized 305.80 grams of heroin and 15 intoxicating capsules in Jalandhar in Jalandhar district.
India 07-Aug-2025
Khalistani terrorist Gurpatwant Singh Pannun, chief of the banned terror outfit Sikhs For Justice (SFJ), on August 7 issued a video message threatening to assassinate Punjab Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann on Independence Day in Faridkot in Faridkot district.
India 07-Aug-2025
The Amritsar Commissionerate Police on August 7 arrested four individuals, identified as Akashdeep Singh alias Akash, Ramanpreet Singh, Pratap Singh, and Sarbjit Singh alias Babbal and seized two 9 mm PX5 pistols, two 9 mm Glocks, and three .30-bore pistols from their possession in Chheharta Sahib, Amritsar district. Police stated that the accused were in direct contact with Pakistan-based smugglers and had been receiving arms consignments along the Indo-Pak border. The weapons were intended for supply to local gangsters, with operations coordinated from villages near the international border.
India 07-Aug-2025
The Anti-Gangster Task Force (AGTF), in collaboration with Tarn Taran police on August 7 successfully foiled a major terror plot orchestrated by Pakistan-based Babbar Khalsa International (BKI) terrorists Harwinder Singh alias Rinda and Lakhbir Singh alias Landa, and neutralised an improvised explosive device (IED), pushed from Pakistan near Naushera Pannuan village in Tarn Taran district.
Canada 07-Aug-2025
On August 7, Kap’s Café, owned by Indian comedian Kapil Sharma, was targeted in a second shooting incident within a month in Surrey, British Columbia, Canada. Surrey Police confirmed that the attack occurred around 4:40 a.m., with at least six bullet holes found at the café. Gurpreet Singh alias Goldy Dhillon, along with the Lawrence Bishnoi gang, claimed responsibility via a social media post. A purported video of the attack, which surfaced on social media, captured at least 25 gunshots.
India 07-Aug-2025
Jalandhar Police on August 7 conducted targeted operations at multiple locations across Jalandhar city, and arrested 16 individuals, seized 46 grams of heroin, 61 intoxicant tablets and 36,000 ml of illegal liquor along with one car and one motorcycle in Jalandhar in Jalandhar district.
United Kingdom 07-Aug-2025
The United Kingdom (UK) Charity Commission on August 7 ruled that Gurdwara Sri Guru Singh Sabha in Slough may retain plaques bearing the word “Khalistan,” concluding that their display does not breach its guidance on political activity by charities. The decision comes more than five years after a complaint was filed in 2019, prompting the commission to open a regulatory compliance case. Although an ultimatum was issued in December 2024 to remove the plaques by March 10, 2025, the gurdwara did not comply. The commission has now determined that the word “Khalistan” carries religious significance for many Sikhs and, in the absence of overt political campaigning, does not contravene charity rules.
India 08-Aug-2025
Amritsar Police on August 8 announced the arrest of two individuals, including a minor, for putting up pro-Khalistan graffiti at three city locations on the night of August 6–7, in Amritsar district. Police said the suspects acted under the instructions of foreign-based Shamsher Singh, linked to Khalistani terrorist Gurpatwant Singh Pannun, chief of the banned terror outfit Sikhs For Justice (SFJ), who had claimed responsibility for the graffiti via a video message. The accused allegedly received the designs via Snapchat and were promised about INR 5,000, but were never paid.
United Kingdom 08-Aug-2025
In the United Kingdom (UK), the Charity Commission has allowed Gurdwara Sri Guru Singh Sabha in Slough to retain boards featuring the word “Khalistan,” ruling that they do not breach political guidelines for charities. The commission concluded that the term “Khalistan” holds religious significance for many Sikhs and does not constitute political advocacy.
India 08-Aug-2025
On August 8, the Haryana Sikh Gurdwara Management Committee (HSGMC) rejected proposed amendments to the Haryana Sikh Gurdwara Management Act, 2014, citing lack of consultation by the state government. The changes would transfer the power to remove members to the Haryana Sikh Gurdwara Judicial Commission and route appeals directly to the Punjab and Haryana High Court. HSGMC president Jagdish Singh Jhinda said the committee would boycott the amendments and hold a Sikh Sammelan before August 22 to seek community feedback.
India 08-Aug-2025
The National Investigation Agency (NIA) on August 8 raided 13 locations linked to gangsters Lawrence Bishnoi and Vishal Pachar, seizing illegal weapons, narcotics, electronics, documents, and cash across Sriganganagar, Hanumangarh, and Dausa districts in Rajasthan. Some suspects were reportedly detained for questioning.
India 08-Aug-2025
The Anti-Narcotics Task Force (ANTF) of the Punjab Police on August 8 carried out a high-risk raid on drug trafficker Sunny Singh’s hideout, and arrested one of his accomplices Devinder Singh alias Babbu, in Gorsian Khan Mohammad village in Ludhiana district. Sunny Singh and others managed to escape, and a police manhunt is underway.
India 08-Aug-2025
Punjab Police on August 8 conducted a massive state-wide security and anti-drug crackdown, carrying out coordinated checks at 151 railway stations and detaining 72 suspicious persons across Punjab.
India 08-Aug-2025
On August 8, Punjab Police, on day 160 of its “Yudh Nashian Virudh” campaign registered 59 first information reports (FIRs), arrested 96 drug smugglers and seized 1.2 kilograms of heroin, 1.1 kilograms of opium, 12,627 intoxicant pills, and INR 2.3 lakh in drug-related cash from the possession of the smugglers across Punjab.
United States 08-Aug-2025
Khalistani terrorist and chief of the banned terror outfit Sikhs For Justice (SFJ), Gurpatwant Singh Pannun, announced during an August 8 press conference in Washington DC, United States (US), that the group would honour US President Donald Trump with a Sikh prayer during the August 17 Khalistan Referendum in Washington DC. SFJ leaders praised Trump for his stance against India and criticised Prime Minister (PM) Narendra Modi’s government for its global efforts to counter the Khalistan movement. They also described the referendum as a “Ballot Bomb” representing 1.5 million Sikhs worldwide.
India 08-Aug-2025
According to sources, the Mumbai Crime Branch plans to question comedian Kapil Sharma again following the second firing incident at his Kap’s Café in Surrey, Canada, and an “open threat” allegedly issued by the Lawrence Bishnoi gang. The questioning may take place in person or over the phone for security reasons, and officials are also considering extending protection to Sharma.