KHALISTAN EXTREMISM MONITOR
A project of the Institute for Conflict Management
A project of the Institute for Conflict Management
United Kingdom 26-Jan-2025
During the Indian Republic Day celebrations on January 26, pro-Khalistan supporters staged a protest outside the Indian High Commission in London, UK, criticizing India’s policies and calling for a separate Sikh state. This prompted a strong counter-protest by the Indian diaspora, who waved the Indian tricolour and chanted patriotic slogans like "Bharat Mata ki Jai" and "Vande Mataram." A significant police presence ensured both groups were kept apart to prevent violence.
India 26-Jan-2025
On January 26, the Akal Takht Secretariat announced the postponement of the meeting of the Five Sikh High Priests (Panj Singh Sahibs) scheduled for January 28, 2025, citing personal engagements of Singh Sahib at Sri Akal Takht Sahib, in Amritsar.
India 26-Jan-2025
On January 26, farmers in Punjab organized tractor marches across multiple districts, including Malerkotla, Ludhiana, Amritsar, and Sahibzada Ajit Singh (SAS) Nagar, demanding a guaranteed Minimum Support Price (MSP) for crops and the withdrawal of the National Policy Framework on Agriculture Marketing (NPFAM). Led by farmer unions like Kisan Mazdoor Morcha (KMM) and Samyukt Kisan Morcha (SKM), the protests remained peaceful, with demonstrations outside retail outlets and malls in Amritsar.
India 26-Jan-2025
Punjab Chief Minister (CM) Bhagwant Singh Mann on January 26 vowed to crush forces inimical to the state and foil conspiracies aimed at disturbing peace and communal harmony while addressing the 76th Republic Day gathering at Polo Ground in Patiala. He emphasized the importance of preserving Punjab’s hard-earned peace and announced the launch of the "Punjab Help Centre" at Indira Gandhi International (IGI) Airport in New Delhi to assist the Punjabi diaspora. Additionally, he recognized individuals for their notable contributions to society and the state.
India 26-Jan-2025
The counter-intelligence unit of the Punjab Police on January 26 arrested six members of the Kaushal Chaudhry gang, identified as Puneet Lakhanpal alias Sharma, Narinder Kumar alias Lalli, Gurbhinder Singh, Maninderjit Singh, Harpreet Singh, and Sandeep Singh and seized six sophisticated pistols along with 40 live cartridges in Jandiala Guru, Amritsar district. Sharma and Lalli, both sharpshooters, were involved in the high-profile murder of international kabaddi player Sandeep Nangal Ambian in 2022. Authorities suspect the gang was planning a targeted killing in Punjab under the direction of foreign-based handlers.
India 27-Jan-2025
The police on January 27 arrested Gurpreet Singh Gopi and seized a country-made pistol along with 21 empty cartridges near Fazalpur village in Tarn Taran district. Authorities confirmed Gopi’s involvement in a recent shooting at a farmhouse in Fazalpur village.
India 27-Jan-2025
All India Congress Committee Treasurer and Member of Parliament (MP) Ajay Maken, along with former Deputy Chief Minister and former Home Minister of AAP-ruled Punjab, on January 27, stated that Khalistani sentiments and radicalism are on the rise. They criticized the AAP government for its inaction on 11 grenade attacks in the state and accused it of fostering a dangerous governance model. The Congress also linked AAP to radical elements, including alleged connections with Khalistani terror outfit Sikhs For Justice (SFJ) chief Gurpatwant Singh Pannun. They warned voters in Delhi and Punjab against supporting AAP, calling the party a threat to national security.
India 27-Jan-2025
On January 27, Jathedar of Takht Damdama Sahib, Giani Harpreet Singh, accused Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD) leader Sukhbir Singh Badal and the Shiromani Gurdwara Parbandhak Committee (SGPC) of orchestrating efforts to remove him from his position, in Chandigarh. He alleged that a three-member SGPC-appointed committee was attempting to gather accusations of violating Sikh maryada against him but had found no evidence. Giani Harpreet Singh hinted at plans to expose those behind the campaign and criticised the SGPC for being influenced by political figures, escalating tensions between religious and political leadership in Punjab.
India 27-Jan-2025
The Ludhiana police on January 27 arrested a smuggler, identified as Raju Kalia, and seized 265 grams of heroin from his possession in Guru Har Rai Nagar, Ludhiana. Police revealed that Kalia, already facing three drug smuggling cases, resumed the illegal trade after being released on bail in October 2023.
United States 28-Jan-2025
According to sources, the United States (US) Department of Homeland Security (DHS) has recently intensified its crackdown on illegal immigrants, including visits to gurdwaras in New York and New Jersey. This move has drawn sharp criticism from Sikh organizations and Non-Resident Indians (NRIs). The DHS action follows the removal of protections for “sensitive” areas like places of worship, causing anxiety among immigrant communities, particularly Punjabis who entered the US illegally. Sikh groups have condemned these actions as a threat to religious sanctity, urging authorities to reconsider and ensure accountability in enforcement practices.
United Kingdom 28-Jan-2025
A leaked United Kingdom (UK) Home Office document has identified Hindu nationalism and pro-Khalistan extremism as emerging threats in Britain. Commissioned by Home Secretary Yvette Cooper, the report outlines nine forms of extremism that UK counter-extremism policy should address, including Islamist, extreme right-wing, extreme misogyny, pro-Khalistan extremism, Hindu nationalist extremism, environmental extremism, left-wing, anarchist and single-issue extremism, violence fascination, and conspiracy theories. It raises concerns over Hindu nationalist extremism following the Leicester riots and warns of a growing network of pro-Khalistan actors promoting violence. However, the findings have not been formally adopted as government policy.
United Kingdom 28-Jan-2025
United Kingdom (UK) Home Office minister Dan Jarvis, on January 28, clarified that there are no plans to expand the definition of extremism, despite reports of nine forms of extremism identified in a leaked Home Office document. Published by the think tank Policy Exchange, the report listed Islamist, extreme right-wing, extreme misogyny, pro-Khalistan extremism, Hindu nationalist extremism, environmental extremism, left-wing, anarchist and single-issue extremism, violence fascination, and conspiracy theories as key threats. However, Jarvis emphasized that the findings do not represent current or future government policy.
India 28-Jan-2025
A special Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) court on January 28 recorded the evidence of a senior scientific assistant who had taken a voice sample of former minister Jagdish Tytler at the Central Forensic Science Laboratory in April 2023, in New Delhi. Tytler is facing trial for the killing of three Sikhs near Gurdwara Pul Bangash on November 1, 1984. The court played an audio clip containing his voice sample and scheduled the cross-examination of the scientific officer for February 7.
United States 28-Jan-2025
Davinder Singh Bhoprai of the Sikh Cultural Centre Gurdwara in Richmond Hill, New York, on January 28, refuted media reports about raids by the United States (US) Department of Homeland Security at gurdwaras in New York and New Jersey, calling them false. He stressed that no such incidents had occurred and that gurdwaras remain places of worship and peace. Giani Dharamvir Singh, head priest of Gurdwara Sikh Cultural Society, also denied the claims, stating that misinformation was causing unnecessary panic. Sikh activist Japneet Singh confirmed that while a gurdwara in New York was visited by US Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), no raids took place.
India 28-Jan-2025
The Punjab Police on January 28 arrested two operatives of United States (US) based terrorist Harpreet Singh alias Happy Passian and US-based drug smuggler Sarwan Bhola, identified as Bagga Singh and Puskaran Singh alias Sagar, and seized a hand grenade and two sophisticated pistols along with ammunition from their possession, from Amritsar in Amritsar district. Bagga Singh was arrested from Sirsa in Haryana and Pushkaran Singh from Amritsar. The two were involved in the hand grenade attack outside the Gumtala police post in Amritsar in December 2024.
India 28-Jan-2025
The Border Security Force (BSF) troops on January 28 recovered a packet of heroin weighing 500 grams from fields near Lakha Singh Wala village in Ferozepur district.
India 28-Jan-2025
Police on January 28 arrested a peddler, identified as Gaurav Makkar alias Sunny and seized 14 grams of heroin and 20 pouches from his possession, from Kundanpuri area in Ludhiana in Ludhiana district.
India 28-Jan-2025
Police on January 28, based on information from arrested drug peddler Gaurav Makkar alias Sunny, uncovered a 13-year-long drug smuggling racket run by Sonia alias Naachi and her two daughters, from Mohalla Peeru Banda area in Ludhiana in Ludhiana district in Punjab. Police arrested Sonia, and seized 4 grams of heroin and INR 2.9 lakh in alleged drug money from her possession.
Canada 28-Jan-2025
On January 28, a Canadian report titled ‘Public Inquiry into Foreign Interference in Federal Electoral Processes and Democratic Institutions’ stated that “no definitive link” with a “foreign state” was proven in the killing of Khalistani terrorist Hardeep Singh Nijjar, contradicting Canadian Prime Minister (PM) Justin Trudeau’s allegations against India. The same report also accused India of interfering in Canadian elections, a claim strongly refuted by India.
Canada 28-Jan-2025
A Canadian court on January 28 sentenced contract killer Tanner Fox to life imprisonment for the 2022 murder of Sikh businessman Ripudaman Singh Malik, who was acquitted in the 1985 Air India bombing case, in New Westminster, British Columbia. Fox was found guilty of second-degree murder, while his co-accused, Jose Lopez, will be sentenced later this week. Malik was shot dead outside his Surrey business on July 14, 2022, but Fox refused to disclose who hired him. The Air India bombing, Canada's worst terror attack, killed 329 people and was linked to Khalistani extremists. Malik and his co-accused, Ajaib Singh Bagri, were acquitted in 2005 after the court ruled the testimony against them was not credible.