KHALISTAN EXTREMISM MONITOR
A project of the Institute for Conflict Management
A project of the Institute for Conflict Management
United States 15-Sep-2024
The BAPS Swaminarayan Sanstha (BAPS) Shri Swaminarayan Mandir in Melville, New York, United States (US), was desecrated with hate messages on September 15.
India 15-Sep-2024
Police on September 15 arrested one person, identified as Vishal Kumar alias Vishal and seized 3 grams of narcotic powder (heroin) and sedative injections from his possession, in Mahilpur in Hoshiarpur district in Punjab.
India 15-Sep-2024
Police on September 15 arrested one person, identified as Kamaldeep alias Deepa and seized 35 grams of heroin and a large quantity of intoxicating pills from his possession, in Hoshiarpur in Hoshiarpur district.
India 15-Sep-2024
The Tanda police on September 15 arrested one person, identified as Mahesh Kumar and seized a large quantity of intoxicating pills from his possession, in Tanda village in Hoshiarpur district in Punjab.
India 15-Sep-2024
The Tanda police on September 15 arrested one person, identified as Hari Om and seized 10 grams of heroin from his possession, in Rada village in Hoshiarpur district.
India 15-Sep-2024
The Dasuya police on September 15 arrested one person, identified as Lovepreet alias Love and seized 68 grams of heroin from his possession, in Himantpur village in Dasuya in Hoshiarpur district.
India 15-Sep-2024
Gangster Satendra Pal Singh alias Lucky, was killed in a crossfire with police in Haridwar, Uttarakhand, on September 15. Singh, involved in an INR 5 crore jewellery heist earlier in September 2024, had a INR 1 lakh bounty on his head and was part of the notorious 'Karate Gang.' The police arrested his accomplices, identified as Gurdeep Singh and Jaydeep Singh, and seized a country-made pistol along with jewellery worth INR 50 lakh from their possession.
India 15-Sep-2024
The Border Security Force (BSF) troops on September 15 recovered two packets containing 1.14 kg of heroin near Naushehra Dhalla village in Tarn Taran district.
India 16-Sep-2024
Police on September 16 foiled a gang allegedly being operated from behind bars in Kapurthala district with the arrest of three accused, identified as Amritjeet Singh, Akashdeep Singh, and Kamaldeep Singh, and seized three .32 calibre pistols, 26 cartridges, and 20 grams of heroin from their possession in Rajpura in Patiala district. The gang was reportedly working on behalf of the Prince Golu gang, led by brothers Prince and Onkar Singh Golu, who were orchestrating criminal activities from Kapurthala Jail. Authorities are now investigating how the brothers were able to run operations from prison.
United States 16-Sep-2024
On September 16, the Consulate General of India in New York, via the social media platform X, strongly condemned the vandalism of the BAPS Swaminarayan Temple in Melville, calling it 'unacceptable' and urging United States (US) law enforcement to take swift action against the perpetrators. The BAPS Swaminarayan Sanstha and the Hindu American Foundation (HAF) also condemned the desecration, noting that similar hate crimes had occurred at Hindu temples across North America. They called for peace and religious harmony, and appealed to the US Justice Department to investigate, linking the attack to a recent threat by Khalistani terrorist Gurpatwant Singh Pannun.
India 16-Sep-2024
Punjab Police Inspector General of Police (IGP) Sukhchain Singh Gill revealed in Chandigarh on September 16 that, over the past two and a half years (2022-2024), they have arrested 39,840 drug smugglers, registered 29,152 First Information Reports (FIRs), and seized 2,546 kg of heroin, 2,457 kg of opium, and INR 30.83 crore in drug money. Additionally, the police forfeited properties worth INR 324.28 crore from major smugglers.
India 16-Sep-2024
Police on September 16 busted an international drug racket by arresting four individuals, identified as Harjinder Pal Singh, Veer Singh, Surmukh Singh, and Malook Singh, and seizing 10 kg of heroin from their possession in Khiche village, Ferozepur district. The arrests followed information provided by Shinda Singh, another smuggler arrested on September 9 with 1 kg of heroin and INR 4 lakh in drug money. The smugglers were linked to Pakistan-based handlers, who used drones to transport drugs, with Harjinder Pal Singh having prior connections to the Pakistan army and handler Riyast Dogger.
India 16-Sep-2024
The Border Security Force (BSF) on September 16 shot a Pakistani intruder along the International Border (IB) after he ignored warnings to stop in the Amritsar sector near Ratankhurd village in Amritsar district. PKR 270 in various denominations was recovered from his possession.
India 16-Sep-2024
In a joint operation with Punjab Police on September 16, the Border Security Force (BSF) arrested two individuals, Puran Singh and Sukhwinder Singh alias Sukha, who admitted to retrieving a narcotics consignment dropped by a Pakistani drone, and recovered two packets containing approximately 1 kg of heroin near Chak Amira village in Fazilka district.
India 16-Sep-2024
The Amritsar police on September 16 busted a trans-border narcotic smuggling network with the arrest of a drug smuggler, identified as Kanwaljit Kaur alias Massi, and seized 4.580 kg of heroin from her possession in Chheharta, Amritsar district. Police revealed that Kaur and her son-in-law, Jugraj Singh, were in contact with Pakistan-based smugglers and used drones to transport drugs.
India 16-Sep-2024
The Akal Takht recently summoned 17 Sikh ministers from the Akali Dal-BJP government for their failure to address sacrilege incidents during their tenure, which led to the excommunication of former Chief Minister (CM) Sukhbir Singh Badal. While some interpreted this as a response to political shortcomings, others feared it signalled a resurgence of Khalistani sentiments. Historical parallels with the terror-filled 1980s suggest that when religious authority overshadows state power, it often leads to militant uprisings. Despite earlier hopes that Punjab had moved beyond Khalistan, recent electoral successes of separatist candidates indicate that pro-Khalistan ideologies have been gaining momentum, driven by both local and diaspora influences.
India 16-Sep-2024
Prime Minister (PM) Narendra Modi, on September 16, while speaking in Ahmedabad, Gujarat, indirectly criticized Rahul Gandhi, accusing 'those filled with hate' of defaming India. This followed Gandhi's remarks in the United States (US) regarding the freedom of religious minorities, particularly the Sikh community.
India 17-Sep-2024
The Border Security Force (BSF) on September 17 recovered a packet containing 545 grams of heroin from near Dhanoe Kalan village in Amritsar district.
United States 17-Sep-2024
Khalistani terrorist and chief of the banned Khalistani outfit Sikhs For Justice (SFJ), Gurpatwant Singh Pannun, has reportedly filed a lawsuit in New York, United States (US), against the Indian government and senior intelligence officials, accusing them of orchestrating assassination plots. The lawsuit names Nikhil Gupta, currently in a Brooklyn prison, senior intelligence officer Vikram Yadav, former Research and Analysis Wing (RAW) chief Samant Goel, and India’s National Security Adviser (NSA) Ajit Doval. This comes after the murder of Khalistani terrorist Hardeep Singh Nijjar in Canada, an incident that India denies involvement in.
India 17-Sep-2024
Sikh activist Sukhraj Singh, whose father was killed in the 2015 Behbal Kalan police firing in Punjab, has been summoned by the National Investigation Agency (NIA) in New Delhi in connection with the attack on the Indian Embassy in London in March 2023. The NIA notice requires his presence on September 19, 2024, for questioning under charges related to the Indian Penal Code, the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act (UAPA), the Prevention of Damage to Public Property Act, and the Prevention of Insults to National Honours Act. Sukhraj, who recently announced his candidacy for the Gidderbaha by poll, expressed uncertainty about the summons, suggesting it might be linked to his past interactions with Khalistani terrorist Avtar Singh Khanda.