KHALISTAN EXTREMISM MONITOR
A project of the Institute for Conflict Management
A project of the Institute for Conflict Management
United States 05-Sep-2025
Kiran Kaur Gill, Executive Director of the Sikh American Legal Defense and Education Fund (SALDEF), recently raised strong objections to the Los Angeles Police Department (LAPD) Chief describing the violent assault on elderly Sikh professor Harpal Singh in North Hollywood as a ‘property dispute.’ Gill called the characterization premature and inconsistent with Singh’s life of humility and seva, stressing the community’s demand for truth, accountability, and justice. SALDEF has urged a full investigation, noting that Singh’s family and the wider sangat deserve dignity and transparency in the legal process.
India 05-Sep-2025
The National Investigation Agency (NIA) on September 5 arrested a wanted terror accused in the March 2025 Amritsar temple grenade attack case, identified as Sharanjit Kumar alias Sunny, in Gaya, Bihar. Sunny was allegedly involved in both the conspiracy and execution of the attack, which was carried out by two bike-borne assailants under the direction of foreign-based handlers.
United States 05-Sep-2025
Sikh truckers on the United States (US) West Coast, who make up a significant portion of the industry, have recently reported sharp increases in harassment and discrimination following the August 12 fatal crash in Florida involving Sikh driver Harjinder Singh.
Canada 06-Sep-2025
According to a new Canadian government report titled ‘2025 Assessment of Money Laundering and Terrorist Financing Risks in Canada,’ Khalistani extremist groups such as Babbar Khalsa International (BKI) and the International Sikh Youth Federation (ISYF) have been receiving financial support originating from Canada. The report stated that these groups, along with Hamas and Hezbollah, use networks including non-profit organisations to solicit donations from diaspora communities for raising and transferring funds. It further highlighted the growing use of cryptocurrencies, hawala networks, and informal value transfer systems as persistent financing risks.
India 06-Sep-2025
Kotwali Police on September 6 registered a case against United States (US)-based gangster, Vishal Pachar alias Bablu and two others on charges of extortion and issuing death threats, after a businessman in Abohar, Fazilka district, reported receiving a call on August 12 from a foreign number demanding INR 50 lakh. The caller allegedly threatened to burn down the victim’s shops and home with petrol bombs, and two armed men later entered his shop to intimidate him. Police stated that Vishal, a native of Sriganganagar, Rajasthan now believed to be in the US on a fake passport, has been linked to multiple criminal cases, including arms and drug smuggling.
India 07-Sep-2025
Punjab Police’s Anti-Gangster Task Force (AGTF) on September 7 arrested Baljinder Singh alias Rainch, an associate of foreign-based gangster Goldy Brar, and seized five pistols along with 10 live cartridges from his possession, in Malout, Sri Muktsar Sahib district. Police revealed that Baljinder had been supplying illegal firearms to the Brar gang on the directions of jailed associate Malkit Singh alias Kitta Bhani, and that further investigation is underway to expose the entire nexus.
India 07-Sep-2025
On the night of September 7–8, Chandigarh Police’s Anti-Narcotics Task Force (ANTF) busted an inter-state narco-syndicate operating between Himachal Pradesh and the tricity, arresting five accused, including three Punjab Secretariat contractual employees, and seizing 742 grams of charas, in Chandigarh.
Canada 08-Sep-2025
On September 8, the Royal Canadian Mounted Police (RCMP) announced a news conference to provide an update on fugitive Rabih alias Robby Alkhalil, who escaped from the North Fraser Pretrial Centre in Port Coquitlam, British Columbia, on July 21, 2022, while facing murder charges. Alkhalil, who already has murder convictions in Toronto and Vancouver, is listed on Interpol’s Red Notice and Canada’s “most wanted” list under the Be On the Lookout (BOLO) Program, which has offered a reward of up to CAD 50,000 for information leading to his arrest.
United States 08-Sep-2025
According to a report by The Indian Express, the Indian government informed United States (US) law enforcement during extradition proceedings against gangster-terrorist Harpreet Singh alias Happy Passia—who was arrested by the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) in April 2025—that it possesses strong evidence linking him to the 2024 grenade attack on the house of a retired Punjab Police officer in Chandigarh. Investigators allege that Passia, associated with the Khalistani terror outfit Babbar Khalsa International (BKI) and working with Pakistan-based terrorist Harvinder Singh, alias Rinda, trained the attackers via Instagram video calls, provided logistics and funds, and offered them INR 10 lakh to carry out the strike.
India 08-Sep-2025
Since 2023, Chandigarh Police have dismantled more than five major interstate and cross-border drug syndicates, exposing a shift from the traditional Delhi–Nigeria supply route to Pakistan-based handlers who use drones and pipes along the Punjab border. Investigations uncovered direct links to Lahore and Kasur in Pakistan, with local operatives retrieving consignments for hefty commissions. Recent crackdowns on networks tied to handlers such as Zubair Rana and Inter-Services Intelligence (ISI)-backed cartels have also highlighted the use of social media for coordination. Police are now focusing on financiers and cross-border masterminds, significantly disrupting these trafficking chains.
India 08-Sep-2025
The Amritsar Commissionerate Police on September 8 busted a major heroin trafficking cartel by arresting five smugglers—identified as Soni Singh, Gursewak Singh, Vishaldeep Singh alias Gola, Gurpreet Singh, and Arshdeep Singh—and seizing 8.187 kg of heroin from their possession in Amritsar district. Police stated that the syndicate, operated from Pakistan, used hotels as contraband storage sites, while backward and forward linkages are now being investigated.
India 09-Sep-2025
According to sources, during a recent interrogation, notorious arms trafficker Saleem Ahmed alias Pistol revealed plans to establish a weapons manufacturing unit near the Pakistan border with the support of Inter-Services Intelligence (ISI)-backed operatives. The facility was intended to produce counterfeit pistols, including Turkish Ziganas and Chinese Stars, for supply to gangs across Delhi, Haryana, and Punjab. Pistol, one of north India’s leading illegal arms suppliers with links to organised crime syndicates, was detained in Nepal on August 8 and faces charges under the Maharashtra Control of Organised Crime Act (MCOCA).
Canada 09-Sep-2025
According to a recent Khalsa Vox report, a surge in pro-Khalistan imagery and rhetoric in Ontario has raised concerns over public safety and Canada’s diplomatic obligations. Videos circulated online showed a trucker glorifying Dilawar Singh, the suicide bomber who assassinated Punjab Chief Minister (CM) Beant Singh, while posters displayed at a Khalsa Nagar Kirtan parade organised by the Khalistani outfit Sikhs for Justice (SFJ) carried violent imagery targeting India’s High Commissioner Dinesh Patnaik. The report cautioned that such actions risk normalising political violence, breaching the Vienna Convention on Diplomatic Relations, and tarnishing Canada’s international reputation.
India 09-Sep-2025
Tarsem Singh, father of jailed Khalistani radical and Khadoor Sahib Member of Parliament (MP) Amritpal Singh, on September 9 in Amritsar, stated that Akali Dal (Waris Punjab De) boycotted the vice-presidential polls to protest the “injustice” done to Punjab. He alleged that floods in the state were aggravated by government negligence and criticised the Centre for failing to announce timely relief. He further said that Amritpal Singh and MP Sarabjit Singh Khalsa abstained from voting as a principled stand for Punjab’s rights, while also highlighting the continued detention of Sikh political prisoners.
India 09-Sep-2025
Giani Kuldip Singh Gargaj, officiating Jathedar, Akal Takht, on September 9, called for a special collective meeting of all Sikh organisations, institutions, groups, personalities, and Punjabi artists engaged in flood-relief work at the Shiromani Gurdwara Parbandhak Committee (SGPC) office on September 13. Akal Takht Secretariat in-charge Bagicha Singh further urged each organisation to send only one representative to ensure that relief efforts proceed smoothly, emphasising the importance of planned distribution and long-term service.
India 09-Sep-2025
On September 9, court sent Gursewak Singh, along with Soni Singh alias Soni, Vishaldeep Singh alias Gola, Gurpreet Singh, and Arshdeep Singh—who were recently arrested with 8 kg of heroin—to three-day police remand in Amritsar. During interrogation, it was revealed that Gursewak supplied heroin in crowded areas to avoid detection, and that the racket had links with Pakistan-based smugglers using drones to push consignments across the border.
India 09-Sep-2025
India, on September 9, repatriated 67 Pakistani prisoners through the Attari-Wagah joint check-post near Attari village in Amritsar district. The group comprised 53 fishermen and 14 civilians who had completed their sentences in various Indian jails. The Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) stated that India has urged Pakistan to expedite the release and repatriation of all Indian prisoners, including fishermen, still in Pakistan’s custody.
India 09-Sep-2025
Faridkot Police on September 9 dismantled an international drug trafficking network linked to Pakistan-based smugglers, arresting two key operatives, Sukhpreet Singh and Kadar Singh, and seizing 12.1 kg of heroin from their possession in Jhariwala village, Faridkot district. Police revealed that the drugs were smuggled via drones from Pakistan and stored at a house in Jhariwala village for further distribution. Investigations are underway to uncover the full extent of the network.
India 09-Sep-2025
The jailed Khadoor Sahib Member of Parliament (MP) and radical Khalistani preacher Amritpal Singh, on September 9, cast his vote in the vice-presidential election through a postal ballot from Dibrugarh jail, Assam. The Election Commission directed jail authorities to facilitate his voting under Rule 26 of the Presidential and Vice-Presidential Elections Rules, 1974, and officials ensured the sealed ballot reached the returning officer in Delhi before the 6pm deadline.
India 09-Sep-2025
The jailed Khadoor Sahib Member of Parliament (MP) and radical Khalistani preacher Amritpal Singh, on September 9, cast his vote in the vice-presidential election through a postal ballot from Dibrugarh jail, Assam. The Election Commission directed jail authorities to facilitate his voting under Rule 26 of the Presidential and Vice-Presidential Elections Rules, 1974, and officials ensured the sealed ballot reached the returning officer in Delhi before the 6pm deadline.