KHALISTAN EXTREMISM MONITOR
A project of the Institute for Conflict Management
A project of the Institute for Conflict Management
India 17-Sep-2025
According to Intelligence Bureau (IB) officials, the recent threat by banned Khalistani outfit Sikhs For Justice (SFJ) to lay siege to the Indian Consulate in Vancouver, Canada, is part of a broader psychological warfare campaign driven by Pakistan’s Inter-Services Intelligence (ISI), especially after its diplomatic setback during India’s Operation Sindoor. While SFJ is known for inflammatory rhetoric, Indian agencies are not dismissing the threat. Inputs indicate growing frustration among Khalistani groups in Canada and the United Kingdom (UK), as their repeated attempts to gain traction in Punjab have failed, prompting them to intensify activities abroad.
India 17-Sep-2025
Two members of the Canada-based gangster Goldy Brar’s transnational gang, accused of opening fire at Bollywood actor Disha Patani’s ancestral home in Bareilly, identified as Ravindra and Arun were killed in a police encounter in Ghaziabad, Uttar Pradesh, on September 17. One Delhi Police person was also injured during the operation.
India 17-Sep-2025
Former Inspector Suba Singh, serving a life term in the Tarn Taran fake encounter case, died at Rajindra Hospital, Patiala, on September 17, six days after being attacked in Patiala Central Jail by inmate Sandeep Singh alias Sunny, accused in the murder of Shiv Sena leader Sudhir Suri. Sunny had allegedly fashioned spoons into sharp weapons and attacked three inmates on the head and face on September 10.
India 17-Sep-2025
In a joint operation on September 17, the Border Security Force (BSF) and Punjab Police arrested an unidentified drug peddler and seized 25.9 kg of heroin, a pistol, and two magazines from his possession in Amritsar district.
India 17-Sep-2025
The Amritsar Commissionerate Police on September 17 arrested a drug smuggler, identified as Yasin Mohammad, and seized 7.122 kg of heroin from his possession in Ajnala, Amritsar district. The investigation revealed that Jagpreet, Yasin’s former jail mate, was also involved in the cartel, which operated through border handovers near Tarn Taran, with Jagpreet handling distribution of the drugs in the Malwa region.
India 17-Sep-2025
According to the Narcotics Control Bureau (NCB) annual report for 2024, released by Union Home Minister Amit Shah on September 16, Punjab topped the country in heroin seizures by drug law enforcement agencies (DLEAs) during 2024. The state accounted for 1,150 kg of heroin out of the 2,596 kg seized nationwide—44.5% of the total—despite having just 2.3% of India’s population. New Delhi ranked second with nearly 234 kg seized, followed by Assam with 186 kg. Punjab also topped in the seizure of habit-forming tablets/pills of all types, with DLEAs confiscating 2.94 crore pills in 2024.
India 17-Sep-2025
According to intelligence officials, the September 10 blast in Jeeda village, Bathinda district, was a rare case of ‘self-radicalisation’ involving 19-year-old law student Gurpreet Singh, who had been preparing for a suicide attack at an Army establishment in Kathua district of Jammu and Kashmir (J&K). Gurpreet and his father were injured while allegedly assembling a bomb and are currently admitted to AIIMS Bathinda. Investigations revealed that he had ordered chemicals online through cash-on-delivery, used a fake identity as 'Iqbal' on social media, and had been consuming radical content linked to Jaish-e-Mohammed chief Maulana Masood Azhar. Police suspect he planned to travel to Kathua on September 11.
India 17-Sep-2025
The banned Khalistani outfit, Sikhs For Justice (SFJ), on September 17, issued threats to Punjab Congress chief Amarinder Singh Raja Warring and Amritsar Member of Parliament (MP) Gurjit Singh Aujla for facilitating a siropa (robe of honour) to Rahul Gandhi at Gurdwara Baba Budha Sahib on September 15. In its press release, SFJ chief Gurpatwant Singh Pannun labelled them “dalal (agent) politicians,” accused the Congress of complicity in the 1984 anti-Sikh riots, and warned they would be targets of pro-Khalistan Sikhs for honouring a Gandhi family member. Pannun further claimed that SFJ activists defaced the Amritsar–Haridwar train with pro-Khalistan slogans and with the message “From Ayodhya to Haridwar, Diwali 2025 will be blacked out”.
Canada 17-Sep-2025
The banned Khalistani group Sikhs For Justice (SFJ), on September 17, issued a public notice threatening a 12-hour “siege” of the Indian consulate in Vancouver, Canada starting 8 am on September 18. The notice warned Indo-Canadians against visiting the consulate, accused Indian missions of running “spy networks” against Khalistan referendum activists, and cited former Canadian PM Justin Trudeau’s allegations of Indian agents’ involvement in Khalistani terrorist Hardeep Singh Nijjar’s killing. SFJ also released a poster targeting India’s High Commissioner-designate Dinesh Patnaik, branding him the “new face of India’s Hindutva terror in Canada.”
United States 17-Sep-2025
A United States (US) federal judge in Manhattan on September 17 allowed prosecutors to withhold certain classified records from the defense team of Nikhil Gupta, the Indian national facing trial over an alleged murder-for-hire plot targeting Khalistani terrorist Gurpatwant Singh Pannun. Gupta, extradited to the US in June 2023, is currently detained in Brooklyn. Judge Victor Marrero ruled under the Classified Information Procedures Act (CIPA) that some classified material was either repetitive of evidence already shared or irrelevant to the case.
Canada 18-Sep-2025
India urged Canadian authorities to enhance security for its diplomats and consular premises after the Khalistani terrorist outfit Sikhs For Justice (SFJ) threatened to “siege” the Vancouver consulate, Canada, on September 18. Senior Indian officials said the issue was strongly raised with Global Affairs Canada, which directs local agencies on diplomatic security under the Vienna Conventions.
Canada 18-Sep-2025
The Khalistani separatist outfit Sikhs For Justice (SFJ) on September 18 staged a day-long protest outside the Indian Consulate in Vancouver, Canada to mark two years since former Prime Minister Justin Trudeau’s claim of Indian involvement in the 2023 killing of Khalistani terrorist Hardeep Singh Nijjar. SFJ chief Gurpatwant Singh Pannun described the demonstration as both “remembrance” and “resistance.”
India 18-Sep-2025
Dal Khalsa, on September 18, announced it will host the “Punjab Summit 2025” in Jalandhar on September 21, bringing together community representatives, activists, and intellectuals to discuss key challenges and draft an action-oriented roadmap. At a press conference, leaders Paramjit Singh Mand, Kanwar Pal Singh, and Paramjeet Singh Tanda said Punjab is “at the crossroads,” facing three acute and escalating threats: alleged extrajudicial killings and custodial torture eroding public trust; “weaponisation of water” through floods and dam mismanagement; and an unchecked influx of migrant labour affecting social cohesion, economic security, and political autonomy.
India 18-Sep-2025
Punjab Police's Anti-Narcotics Task Force (ANTF), in a joint operation with the Border Security Force (BSF), on September 18, busted a drug smuggling module operated by foreign-based gangster Harpreet Singh alias Happy Jatt, by arresting a key operative, Sajan Singh alias Billa, and seizing 25 packets of heroin weighing 25.9 kg along with a sophisticated 9mm Glock pistol near Beharwal village in Amritsar district. Punjab Director General of Police (DGP) Gaurav Yadav said Happy Jatt, a proclaimed offender in at least 21 criminal cases, is facing extradition, adding that investigations are underway to expose the module’s wider nexus and linkages.
India 18-Sep-2025
The Amritsar Commissionerate Police on September 18 busted a narcotic cartel and arrested four drug traffickers, identified as Honey, Parmdeep Singh, Harwinder Singh, Gurpreet Singh recovering a total of 8.062 kg of heroin in Amritsar district. Preliminary investigations revealed that foreign-based gangster Harpreet Singh alias Happy Jatt of Jandiala Guru, Amritsar, had direct links with Pakistan-based smugglers and operated his network through social media platforms.
India 18-Sep-2025
The Amritsar Commissionerate Police on September 18 arrested two women drug smugglers, identified as Jasbir Kaur and Kulwinder Kaur and seized 1.004 kg of heroin from their possession in Amritsar District.
India 18-Sep-2025
According to reports, Pakistani smugglers exploited the recent floods in Punjab, using boats and tyre tubes on the swollen Ravi and Sutlej rivers to push drugs and weapons into India. Several consignments were recently intercepted by the state police and Border Security Force (BSF), including a boat-borne cache in Fazilka that led to the seizure of 27 pistols and 470 cartridges near Mohar Jamsher village—the first reported instance of weapons being delivered this way. In another case, 16 pistols and about 1,850 cartridges were seized, while police also recovered 20 kg of contraband smuggled via tyre tubes.
India 18-Sep-2025
On September 18, Punjab Police, on day 201 of its “Yudh Nashian Virudh” campaign, registered 62 first information reports (FIRs), arrested 85 drug smugglers and seized 30.5 kg of heroin, 150 grams of opium, 766 intoxicant tablets/capsules and INR 2290 drug money, across the state. With this, the number of total drug smugglers arrested has reached to 30,060 in 201 days.
India 18-Sep-2025
According to police sources, the Turkey-made Zigana pistol is highly popular among gangsters in Delhi, Haryana, Punjab, and Rajasthan due to its capacity to fire over 15 rounds, low chance of jamming, and high accuracy. The weapon has been used in the killings of Punjabi singer Sidhu Moosewala, Uttar Pradesh (UP) gangster-turned-politician Atiq Ahmed, Maharashtra NCP leader Baba Siddique, and in the recent shooting outside Bollywood actress Disha Patani’s residence in Bareilly, UP.
India 18-Sep-2025
National Security Advisor (NSA) Ajit Doval, on September 18 in New Delhi, held talks with his Canadian counterpart, Nathalie Drouin, signalling efforts to normalise ties and resume high-level exchanges after recent tensions. During the meeting, Doval is learnt to have flagged India’s concerns over the activities of pro-Khalistani groups operating from Canada and sought assurances on the security of Indian diplomats and missions, as both countries work to restore full staffing at their respective embassies.