KHALISTAN EXTREMISM MONITOR
A project of the Institute for Conflict Management
A project of the Institute for Conflict Management
Over a month after the BSF recovered arms and ammunition dropped by a Pakistani drone in Jammu, another Pakistani drone was noticed in Dera Baba Nanak of Punjab’s Gurdaspur district on Friday, said BSF sources.
According to sources, the drone was noticed by BSF troops at around 4:30 am today. BSF fired upon the drone near BOP Aabad after which the Pakistani drone went back, they said. They further stated that a search operation has been launched in the area.
“Today around 4:30 am, a Pakistani drone was noticed in Dera Baba Nanak area by BSF troops. BSF fired upon the drone near BOP Aabad After which the Pakistani drone went back. BSF has started search operation in the area,” BSF sources said.
This comes after the Border Security Force (BSF) on May 14, recovered an AK-47 rifle, a 9-mm pistol with a magazine and 15 rounds dropped by a Pakistani drone in the Samba sector of Jammu.
“On specific information of BSF regarding the crossing of arms/ammunition through drone from Samba border area. As per input, BSF troops carried out a search operation in the general area of the Samba sector on May 14. At about 11.30 am, BSF troops recovered a wrapped item with a yellow colour polythene bag in a field. After taking all precautionary measures, troops opened the wrapped packet and found an AK-47, a pistol, a magazine, 15 rounds of 9 mm, a wooden frame (used to attach the payload with a drone) and the wrapping material. The site was around 250 metre from the international border inside the Indian Territory,” read a BSF statement.
Earlier on April 24, BSF troops in Arnia sector of Jammu district in Jammu and Kashmir had foiled a drone intrusion bid by Pakistan on the International Border by firing upon two drones/UAVs that they observed entering from Pakistan side and compelled them to retreat.
An official statement issued by the BSF had said, “Today alert BSF troops in Arnia Sector foiled drone intrusion bid by Pakistan on International Border. During the early morning hours today, two drones/UAV were observed entering from Pakistan side and immediately fired upon by vigilant BSF troops which compelled it to retreat to Pakistan territory.”
The BSF had stated that the drone intrusion bid foiled by BSF Jammu troops was indicative of alertness and swift retaliatory action by BSF on a drone intrusion from the Pakistan side.
Source: https://www.tribuneindia.com/news/punjab/pakistani-drone-noticed-by-bsf-in-punjabs-dera-baba-nanak-270351
A sessions court on Thursday rejected the temporary bail application of Sunderlal Parashar, 64, retired police officer of Delhi Police, an accused in the Khalistani conspiracy case.
Parashar, accused by the NIA of providing arms to an alleged member Mohinuddin Siddiqui of a pro-Khalistani group, was arrested on 24 April 2019.
In his plea filed from jail, Parashar had claimed temporary bail on the grounds of the High Power Committee’s (HPC) recommendations last year for release of prisoners for decongestion of prisons during the pandemic.
He had cited his age and several health ailments which made him susceptible to the virus in the jail’s crowded conditions. His advocate had also pointed out to the court that the third wave of the pandemic is expected soon.
The NIA had opposed his plea stating that he is not eligible for the relief as he is charged under serious offences under the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act (UAPA).
The court in its order said that the applicant wants to take benefit of the HPC guidelines, but in the notification offences under special Acts such as MCOCA, TADA, UAPA are excluded from the relief.
It said further that allegations are levelled against the applicant for hatching conspiracy of providing arms to an accused, who then supplied the same to the accused No.1, a member of banned organization. It noted that the main offences are under the UAPA. The court further said that last year, he had filed two interim bail pleas that were rejected in June and July respectively on the ground that the recommendations of the HPC are not applicable to him and that again on the same grounds, he has filed the plea. The court said finally that even though he is over 60 years he is not entitled for the relief.
Punjab Police on Thursday night seized a huge cache of foreign-made pistols, and arrested a weapons smuggler with alleged links to Pakistan-based terrorist outfit and anti-India pro-Khalistani elements based in USA, Canada and UK. He is reportedly to have been operating on the directions of a US-based handler.
Giving details of the seizure, DGP Dinkar Gupta disclosed that the weapons were meant for carrying out terrorist activities in various parts of India.
Jagjit Singh, 25 was arrested from near Kathunangal, Amritsar on Thursday night by a team of Punjab Internal Security Wing, SSOC Amritsar, Gupta said. The SSOC Amritsar intercepted a car at a specially laid police naka on Amritsar-Batala road, Kathunangal village.
The team recovered two nylon bags containing 48 foreign-made pistols of different foreign make along with magazines and ammunition. The cache included 19 pistols 9 mm (Zigana-Made in Turkey), 37 Magazines and 45 rounds; 9 Pistols of .30 bore (Made in China) and 22 Magazines; 19 Pistols of .30 bore (Star mark), 38 Magazines and 148 rounds; and 1 Pistol of 9mm (Baretta-Italian) and 2 Magazines.
The DGP said preliminary investigations had revealed that Jagjit had been directed by Darmanjit Singh, a former gangster and criminal, to collect this weapon consignment.
Jagjit Singh has been in touch with Darman, who is currently in USA. During his stay in Dubai from 2017 to December 2020, Jagjit was in touch with Darman Kahlon who motivated him to work for him.
The mastermind of this smuggling racket, Darman had reportedly tasked Jagjit to collect and conceal the weapon consignment and wait for further instructions for the delivery of the pistols, said the DGP. Open-ended warrants for Darmanjot Singh have been obtained.
Darmanjot Singh of village Talwandi Khumman, PS Kathunanagal, Amritsar was involved in various criminal activities in Punjab before escaped to USA in 2017 to evade arrest.
He facilitated the escape of notorious gangster Harwinder Singh from police custody in 2017. Along with his associates, he mounted an attack on the police escort party and managed to get Harwinder Singh to flee.
An FIR was registered on May 12, 2017 in PS Civil Lines Batala and Darman was declared Proclaimed Offender (PO) in January, 2020 by the court of JMIC Batala in 2017.
In 2020, during his stay in America, Darmanjot Singh funded a criminal group with Rs 2 Lakh in Punjab to purchase illegal weapons for carrying out anti-India activities. Ten members of his criminal group were arrested by SSOC Amritsar and seven pistols 32 bore were recovered from their possession. An FIR was registered in this case by PS SSOC Amritsar on Novermber 10, 2020.
The DGP said an FIR under Sections 13, 17, 18, 18-B, 20 Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act, 120, 120-B IPC and 25 Arms Act, PS SSOC, Amritsar has been registered on dated June 10, 2021 with regard to last night’s seizure.
Further investigation is on to unearth the whole nexus, he said.
The Punjab Police, which has launched a relentless drive against the nefarious designs of Pakistan-sponsored terrorist elements who are trying to disturb the peace, communal harmony and destabilize the state, has busted 44 terror modules over the last 4 years.
Besides, 283 terrorists/criminals have been arrested, and 21 Rifles, 163 Revolvers/Pistols, 38 hand grenades, 10 drones, 5 Satellite phone, 2 Walkie-Talkie sets and RDX have been seized in this period.
Source: https://zeenews.india.com/india/major-terror-plan-foiled-punjab-police-seize-huge-cache-of-foreign-made-weapons-2368415.html
Twitter blocked access to four more accounts in India, including that of Indo-Canadian pop singer Jaswinder Singh Bains or JazzyB based on a request made by the government of India on June 6, under the Information Technology (IT) Act, the micro-blogging disclosed on Lumen Database.
Though Twitter did not disclose as to why the access to these accounts were blocked in India, sources indicated that the action has been taken due to the singer’s tweets supporting the farmer protests in India.
On January 31 this year, the government had for the first time sent Twitter a list of 257 accounts, which it wanted to be blocked in India. These accounts, the government had then alleged, been “spreading misinformation” about the farmer protests, which had the potential to “lead to imminent violence affecting public order situation in the country”.
The January 31 notice had said these handles had been “spreading misinformation” about the ongoing farmer protests, which had the potential to “lead to imminent violence affecting public order situation in the country”.
Twitter had then responded by blocking some of the accounts but had also subsequently unblocked these accounts, which had irked the IT Ministry. Later in its reply, Twitter refused to block these accounts further citing freedom of speech on its platform. The reply, however, had not gone down well with the government, which had said that the platform could not possibly “assume the role of a court and justify non-compliance”.
On February 8, the IT Ministry sent a fresh list of 1,200 accounts which it wanted Twitter to block access to in India. These accounts, the notice sent on February 4, says “were flagged by security agencies as accounts of Khalistan sympathizers or backed by Pakistan”. All these notices are under under Section 69A of the Information Technology Act, which says the central government or any of its officers authorised by it can “in the interest of sovereignty and integrity of India, defence of India, security of the State, friendly relations with foreign States or public order or for preventing incitement to the commission of any cognizable offence” direct any agency or intermediary to block access to its services and accounts to residents within the geographical limits of India.
India’s veteran off-spinner Harbhajan Singh caused an outrage on social media on Sunday, June 6 as he posted a story on his official Instagram handle supporting the Khalistani terrorist Jarnail Singh Bhindranwale.
Jarnail was a threat to humankind and was thus killed in Operation Blue Star inside the Golden Temple on June 6, 1984. Sunday marked the 37th anniversary of Operation Bluestar. On the occasion, Harbhajan shared a post on Instagram labeling Jarnail Singh as a martyr and paying his tribute to the Khalistani terrorist.
The glorification of a terrorist didn’t go down well with many Indian citizens especially the Sikh community as they accused the cricketer of creating a wrong image of the Sikhs.
The 40-year-old faced a lot of flak on social media and was trending for quite some time. However, the Indian veteran finally broke his silence as he posted a long note on his official Twitter handle to apologize for his mistake and clarifying his stance on the whole matter.
The Jalandhar-born asserted that he had no idea about the poster he shared on Instagram as he received it as a Whatsapp forward and posted it without any verification. The spinner added that it was a mistake and he takes full responsibility for the same. Harbhajan also clarified that he has given his blood and sweat for the country and will never do anything that can harm the nation.
“I just wish to clarify and apologize for an Instagram post yesterday. It was a WhatsApp forward that I posted in haste without even realizing the content used and what it signified or stood for. That was my mistake I accept, and at no stage do I subscribe to the views on that post or support the people whose pictures were carried.
“I am a Sikh who will fight for India and not against India. This is my unconditional apology for hurting the sentiments of my nation in fact any anti-national group against my people I do not support and never will. I have given my blood and sweat for this country for 20 years and will never ever support anything that is anti-India,” Harbhajan wrote.
Two Indian flags were set on fire and stamped on during a remembrance march and "freedom rally" by some British Sikhs in London, United Kingdom, held to mark the anniversary of Operation Blue Star, The Times of India reported.
The news report quoted the Indian High Commission in London as saying that it was "extremely concerned and distressed" by what happened and vowed it would take action against those who desecrated the national flag.
The incident reportedly took place at Trafalgar Square and some bystanders shouted "Khalistan Zindabad".
The newspaper quoted a Metropolitan Police spokesperson as saying that he wasn't “specifically aware of any flag being burnt” and that nobody had been arrested in relation to the incident. The police officer also said that setting flags alight was, in any case, not a criminal offence in Britain.
Protestors told the newspaper that they were not only marking Operation Blue Star, but also the detention of Scottish Sikh Jagtar Singh Johal in India and the extradition request for three other British Sikh men in connection with conspiracy-to-murder charges.ee other British Sikh men in connection with conspiracy-to-murder charges.
Operation Blue Star was the code name of a military action taken by India between June 1 and 10, 1984. The military operation was aimed at capturing the Sikh Damdami Taksal leader Jarnail Singh Bhindranwale and his followers from the buildings of the Golden Temple in Amritsar, Punjab.
Source: https://www.moneycontrol.com/news/india/tricolour-set-on-fire-stamped-on-at-khalistan-rally-in-london-6995461.html
Akal Takht officiating jathedar Giani Harpreet Singh emphasised maintaining unity among the Sikh community and tagged Operation Bluestar as “Chaurasi (84) Da Ghallughara” (holocaust). He was speaking during the 37th Operation Bluestar anniversary observed in the Golden Temple complex today.
Despite the Covid threat and weekend lockdown, a large number of devotees throng the complex that was under tight security. Amid chanting of pro-Khalistan slogans and carrying placards of Jarnail Singh Bhindranwale by separatist Sikh organisation activists, the event passed off peacefully.
The ‘parallel’ acting jathedar of Akal Takht Dhyan Singh Mand, 2015 Sarbat Khalsa main organiser Jarnail Singh Sakhira, SAD (Amritsar) chief Simranjit Singh Mann and actor Deep Sidhu, who was charged for provoking the Red Fort violence, were also present.
Justifying the pro-Khalistan slogans, Giani Harpreet Singh said the event could never be forgetton by the Sikhs. “It is like an irretrievable wound and such slogans help them relieving their pain and anger against the atrocities of governments”, he said.
Referring to blood-stained pages of the Sikh history, he said like the earlier massacres of the Sikhs in 1746 and 1762 by the Mughal empire that were termed ‘chhota ghallughara’ and ‘vadda ghallughara’ in which 7,000 and 35,000 Sikhs were killed, the 1984 Army attack was nothing short of “ghallughara”.
Delivering his customary message from the podium of Akal Takht, Giani Harpreet Singh said words like ‘Operation Blue Star’ or ‘Saka Neelataara’ must be avoided to refer the event as these terms hurt the sentiments. “Ghallughara was the appropriate terminology for it”, he said.
He said many e-mails were received demanding to term it “Amritsar Sikh genocide”. “It was never restricted to Amritsar only, but 37 other Sikh shrines across the country were targeted. The genocide had started on the streets of Delhi, Kanpur, Tata Nagar and other areas between November 1-4 in 1984”, he said. He said the Sikh organisations should unite keeping aside their differences of opinion.
Later on, in the presence of Takht Kesgarh Sahib Jathedar Giani Raghbir Singh, head priest of Akal Takht Giani Gurmukh Singh and SGPC president Bibi Jagir Kaur, the jathedar honoured Ishar Singh, son of Jarnail Singh Bhindranwale, along with Bhai Manjit Singh and Satwant Kaur, brother and daughter of Shaheed Bhai Amrik Singh, former federation head, with siropa at Akal Takht.
Source: https://www.tribuneindia.com/news/punjab/operation-bluestar-tagged-as-ghallughara-264712
In yet another alarming incident, flags, posters and placards of pro-Khalistani terrorist Jarnail Singh Bhindranwale were seen during an event inside Sri Harmandir Sahib (Golden Temple) in Punjab's Amritsar on Sunday as the nation marked the 37th anniversary of the ill-fated Operation Blue star.
News agency ANI shared several pictures where hundred of people, who had gathered inside the Golden Temple, were seen with Khalistani flags and Bhindranwale's posters. The agency claimed that the crowd were also seen raising pro-Khalistani slogans. However, Jagran English does not independently verify the veracity of the pictures.
This is not the first time when Bhindranwale's posters have been seen in Punjab. Last year too Bhindranwale's posters and pictures were spotted in Ludhiana during a farmers' rally. Several tractors were seen with pro-Khalistani flag mounted on their top.
Intelligence agencies have warned that pro-Khalistani groups are trying to re-establish themselves in India through the farmers' protest. Jagran sources had also warned that Sikh For Justice (SFJ), along with other Khalistani groups, is planning to revive its moment and carry out attacks in India.
Reports have claimed that Pakistan's Inter-Services Intelligence (ISI) is backing these groups. Notably, the Delhi Police had also suspended 300 Pakistani twitter handles earlier in January, claiming they were created to disrupt the farmers' protest in India.
"Using a combination of technology and human review, Twitter worked at scale and took action on hundreds of Tweets that have been in violation of the Twitter Rules and suspended more than 300 accounts engaged in spam and platform manipulation," news agency IANS quoted a Delhi Police official as saying.
"Through intelligence and various other agencies, we have continuously been getting inputs regarding a threat to create disturbance in the tractor rally. Nearly 308 Twitter handles have been generated from Pakistan to create confusion," the official added.
Source: https://english.jagran.com/india/on-operation-blue-stars-37th-anniversary-khalistani-flags-portraits-of-jarnail-bhindranwale-seen-in-amritsar-10027615
Amritsar has been turned into a virtual fortress, with around 7,000 police personnel, commandos and intelligence officials deployed ahead of the 37th anniversary of Operation Bluestar.
Security has been beefed up in the city, especially around the Golden Temple. The police have been deployed inside the premises too. Barricades have been erected on roads leading to the Sikh shrine to keep a watch on suspects. Antecedents of people residing on rent around the Golden Temple are being checked.
Keeping in view the history of clashes between the SGPC and the pro-Khalistan groups on June 6, the former has deployed a task force to avoid any untoward incident inside the Golden temple complex.
The ‘bhog’ of the ‘akhand path’ for those who departed during the infamous operation would be held tomorrow at 7 am. At the martyrs’ memorial of the operation, built inside the Golden Temple, the ‘bhog’ of another ‘akhand path’ would be held tomorrow morning.
Meanwhile, Jarnail Singh Sakhira, SAD (A) leader, said parallel jathedar Dhian Singh Mand would read a message to the community from Akal Takht tomorrow.
Source: https://www.tribuneindia.com/news/punjab/bluestar-anniversary-amritsar-turned-into-fortress-264137
As Operation Bluestar completed 37 years, Shiromani Gurdwara Parbandhak Committee (SGPC) displayed the bullet- ridden saroop of Sri Guru Granth Sahib (SGGS) at Gurdwara Shaheed Ganj Baba Gurbaksh Singh, near Akal Takht. The bullet, which had hit the holy book, was displayed by the Sikh body.
The saroop of SGGS was hit by a bullet during the Army operation, code named Operation Bluestar, in June 1984, to flush out armed militants holed up inside the Golden Temple and Akal Takht. The decision to display the holy saroop was taken by the SGPC’s executive body during a meeting held here on Wednesday.
SGPC president Bibi Jagir Kaur said future generations of Sikhs needed to know about the attack on the shrine by the country’s own Army. She said the executive committee had also decided to display other relics, including gold plates hit by bullets. The bullet-ridden saroop of SGGS would be displayed till June 5, following which further decision would be taken, she informed.
Head granthi, Akal Takht, Giani Gurmukh Singh elaborated on the preservation of the “injured” saroop of SGGS for the congregation.
Source: https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/city/chandigarh/sgpc-displays-bullet-ridden-saroop-of-holy-scripture/articleshow/83218074.cms