KHALISTAN EXTREMISM MONITOR
A project of the Institute for Conflict Management
A project of the Institute for Conflict Management
India 01-Jan-2026
On January 1, Punjab Police, on day 306 of its “Yudh Nashian Virudh” campaign, registered 38 first information reports (FIRs), arrested 49 drug smugglers and seized 468 grams of heroin, 202 intoxicant pills and INR 2,500 drug money from the possession of arrested persons, across the state.
India 01-Jan-2026
Patiala Police on January 1 arrested eight gangsters, identified as Gurpreet Duggal, Dimple Kosal, Dhruv, Pratham, Sachin Gupta, Deepanshu alias Deepu, Husanpreet Singh, and Shaukat Ali, and recovered nine .32 bore pistols and one .30 bore Px5 pistol from their possession in Patiala district. According to police, the organised gang was planning major criminal activities, including targeted killings and gang wars. Investigations revealed that the gang was operating at the behest of notorious criminal Bobby, a resident of Tarn Taran, who is currently based abroad.
India 01-Jan-2026
The Anti-Narcotics Task Force (ANTF), Ferozepur Range, on January 1 arrested a drug smuggler and recovered 5,500 intoxicating tablets from his possession in Ferozepur district.
India 01-Jan-2026
The Anti-Narcotics Task Force (ANTF), Punjab, Assistant Inspector-General (AIG) Gurinderbir Singh, on January 1 released ANTF’s performance report for 2025, highlighting a significant crackdown on the drug trade. During the year, the ANTF registered 69 cases and recovered 119.472 kg of heroin and 6.510 kg of opium. The force also seized 33,780 loose pills and 300 injections of synthetic drugs. Action under the Drugs and Cosmetics Act led to the recovery of 3,87,417 banned capsules and 1,32,100 banned tablets. Drug money amounting to INR 21.15 lakh was also recovered during the period.
India 01-Jan-2026
Rajasthan’s Sri Ganganagar police on January 1 said they had busted a major extortion racket linked to the Lawrence Bishnoi gang, exposing an interstate network operating from Jodhpur to Punjab. Police arrested four persons on December 29, 2025, and seized INR 91 lakh from their possession. Officials said two more accused were expected to be arrested on January 1 as investigations continued to unravel the wider extortion network.
India 01-Jan-2026
The banned Khalistani terrorist outfit Babbar Khalsa International (BKI), along with a little-known group, the Punjab Sovereignty Alliance (PSA), claimed responsibility via social media for the blast near the Nalagarh police station in Solan district of Himachal Pradesh on January 1. Although no injuries were reported, the explosion cracked windows of nearby buildings, including an Army canteen about 40 meters away. The groups alleged the attack was in response to synthetic drug manufacturing in Himachal Pradesh and named United Kingdom (UK)-based Gopi Nawanshahria and Kabal Singh as key conspirators. However, senior Punjab Police sources dismissed the drug-related claim, stating the blast was orchestrated at the behest of Pakistan’s ISI to fuel regional tensions and bore similarities to recent blasts in Punjab.
India 01-Jan-2026
The Special Investigation Team (SIT) of Nuh, Haryana, on January 1 arrested the eighth accused in the Pakistani espionage and terror-funding case in the Mewat region, identified as Sandeep alias Sunny from Sangrur district of Punjab. Sunny allegedly received INR 50,000 via hawala from Rizwan, a young lawyer and the prime accused, linked to a foreign drug network. Police said Sunny was in direct contact with overseas drug traffickers and maintained close links with Rizwan, who was also involved in anti-national activities. The case began with Rizwan’s arrest on November 26, 2025 and eight accused have been arrested so far.
India 01-Jan-2026
Senior Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) leader Sukhminderpal Singh Grewal on January 1 alleged that self-styled Sikhs For Justice (SFJ) general counsel Gurpatwant Singh Pannun and his alleged handler J.S. Dhaliwal were acting as ISI-backed propaganda agents, terming their activities foreign-sponsored sabotage against India. In a social media post, Grewal said such actions should not be misrepresented as activism or dissent, calling them “paid treachery” and an attack on India’s unity and integrity. He also condemned alleged threats to disrupt the National Anthem in Punjab’s schools, describing them as a deliberate attempt to poison young minds and asserting that Punjab’s sacred legacy cannot be misused to spread hatred at the behest of foreign agencies.
United Kingdom 02-Jan-2026
United Kingdom (UK)-based Sikh activist Harman Singh Kapoor, a vocal critic of Khalistani extremism, on January 2 alleged that his London home was attacked multiple times within an hour while police failed to respond. Kapoor, who was abroad at the time, posted urgent messages on X seeking public help, claiming his property was repeatedly vandalised and accusing the Metropolitan Police of not attending despite his calls. He said his family had to be safeguarded as attackers smashed the windows of his cars parked outside. Kapoor has earlier stated that his opposition to radical Khalistani elements has made him a target of threats and attacks.
Italy 02-Jan-2026
According to reports, a poster circulating in Milan, Italy, calling for a lockdown by pro-Khalistan elements signals a new shift in their tactics. Intelligence Bureau officials said intercepts indicate attempts to expand into more countries, widening the reach of Khalistani messaging and projecting a transnational narrative around the movement.
India 02-Jan-2026
Police on January 2 arrested two persons, identified as Arshdeep Singh alias Dara and Gurbir Singh alias Gora and seized 1 kg of heroin from their possession in Nihal Singh Wala, Moga district.
India 02-Jan-2026
On January 2, Punjab Police, on day 307 of its “Yudh Nashian Virudh” campaign, registered 74 first information reports (FIRs), arrested 93 drug smugglers and seized 1.5 kg of heroin, 14 kg of poppy husk, 993 intoxicant tablets/capsules and INR 4450 drug money from the possession of arrested persons, across the state.
India 03-Jan-2026
On January 3, Punjab Police, on day 308 of its “Yudh Nashian Virudh” campaign, registered 103 first information reports (FIRs), arrested 119 drug smugglers and seized 2.2 kg of heroin, 595 intoxicant tablets/capsules and INR 17,620 drug money from the possession of arrested persons, across the state.
India 03-Jan-2026
Police and the Border Security Force (BSF), during a joint search operation on January 3, seized 557 grams of heroin from fields in Van Tara Singh village, Tarn Taran district. Sources said the contraband was dropped by a drone, with smugglers increasingly using smaller drones to evade detection by anti-drone systems.
India 03-Jan-2026
Police on January 3 arrested a 25-year-old postgraduate student, identified as Mohammad Tanveer and recovered 15.2 kg of charas from his possession near the Railway Colony in Jalandhar district. A Bihar resident, Tanveer allegedly has links to a Nepal-based drug trafficking racket and was previously involved in smuggling liquor from Punjab to Bihar.
India 03-Jan-2026
The Border Security Force (BSF) on January 3 seized 1.107 kg of heroin along with a drone used to transport the contraband from across the border in Habib Wala village, Ferozepur district.
India 03-Jan-2026
Punjab’s Rural Development and Panchayat Minister Tarunpreet Singh Sond on January 3 announced that the second phase of the anti-narcotics drive ‘Yudh Nashian Virudh’ will be launched on January 5 to intensify efforts against drug abuse. He said rehabilitated youths would play an active role in motivating others to quit addiction. Following the success of phase one, Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann has directed the rollout of phase two with the aim of making Punjab drug-free.
Canada 03-Jan-2026
A report by Canada-based outlet Western Standard said extremist Khalistani elements are increasingly using Canada as a base to push their separatist agenda and strain ties with India, warning that Ottawa must urgently address the issue. It argued that no country should tolerate diaspora extremist movements that undermine national security and foreign policy, citing the so-called Khalistan “referendum” organised by the banned Sikhs For Justice (SFJ) in Ottawa in November 2025 as occurring at a sensitive diplomatic moment. While urging firm action to prevent future referendums, the report cautioned against targeting the Sikh community as a whole and called on Canadian agencies to act strictly against extremists without stigmatizing law-abiding Sikhs.
India 03-Jan-2026
Himachal Pradesh Police on January 3 registered an FIR under provisions of the Explosive Substances Act and the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS) in connection with the January 1 blast near the Nalagarh police station in Solan district. While two Khalistani terrorist groups have claimed responsibility, the claims remain unverified. The probe has been expanded, with assistance sought from the Punjab Police and the National Investigation Agency (NIA).
India 03-Jan-2026
Police on January 3 arrested two suspected drug traffickers, Mohammad Shaban and Mohammad Zeeshan Ansari, and seized 200 grams of heroin from their possession near the high-security residence of the Punjab Chief Minister in Sector-1, Chandigarh.