KHALISTAN EXTREMISM MONITOR
A project of the Institute for Conflict Management
A project of the Institute for Conflict Management
18-May-2025
On May 18, Punjab Police, on day 78 of its “Yudh Nashian Virudh” campaign, conducted cordon-and-search operations (CASO) at 490 locations, registered 109 first information reports (FIRs), arrested 136 drug smugglers, and seized 11.3 kg of heroin and INR 3.48 lakh in drug money across Punjab. The police also launched Operation Seal-XI, targeting 92 entry and exit points across 10 border districts adjoining Haryana, Himachal Pradesh (HP), Rajasthan, Jammu and Kashmir (J&K), and the Union Territory of Chandigarh.
18-May-2025
Border Security Force (BSF) on May 18 recovered a drone in broken condition from fields near Rattankhurd village in Amritsar district. The recovered drone was a DJI Mavic 3 Classic model.
18-May-2025
The Ferozepur police on May 18 arrested an individual, identified as Pathi, and seized a country-made .315 bore pistol and a live cartridge from his possession in Makhu town in Ferozepur district.
18-May-2025
Ludhiana Rural Police on May 18 arrested three Army personnel for drug smuggling, identified as Bikramjit Singh, Baljinder Singh Balli, and Jaswinder Singh, and seized 255 grams of heroin from their possession in Pamal village, Ludhiana district. Bikramjit Singh was arrested first, and based on his confession, the police later arrested Baljinder Singh Balli and Jaswinder Singh from Srinagar, Jammu and Kashmir (J&K). The accused had allegedly diverted a 450-gram heroin consignment that was recovered during an anti-smuggling raid in the Uri sector of J&K by exploiting their military positions.
18-May-2025
The Shiromani Gurdwara Parbandhak Committee (SGPC) on May 18 put on hold its decision to install a portrait of former Prime Minister (PM) Dr Manmohan Singh in the Central Sikh Museum at the Golden Temple in Amritsar. The move came after objections were raised by death row convict Balwant Singh Rajoana and several radical Sikh groups, who argued that Dr Singh, as a Congress leader, represented a party held responsible for the 1984 anti-Sikh riots. SGPC officials stated that the matter would be reconsidered after seeking broader consensus within the Sikh community.
18-May-2025
Amritsar police Commissionerate on May 18 busted an international narco-trafficking cartel and arrested three individuals, identified as Sandeep Singh, Akasdeep Singh and Akash alias Mota, and seized 10.248 kg of heroin and two motorcycles from their possession near Kot Khalsa in Amritsar in Amritsar district. The Police revealed that Sandeep had been in contact with Pakistani smugglers for six years and played a key role in a trans-border network, and had trafficked nearly 200 kg of narcotics since 2018 without any prior criminal record.
18-May-2025
Police on May 18 arrested 11 drug peddlers and seized 64 grams of heroin and intoxicating tablets and capsules from their possession, across Banga, Rahon, Balachaur and Kathgarh villages in Shaheed Bhagat Singh Nagar district in Punjab.
18-May-2025
Crime Investigation Agency (CIA) staff of Commissionerate Jalandhar on May 18 arrested one individual, identified as Harjinder Singh alias Mani Valiya and seized 100 grams of heroin, one .32 bore pistol, and two live rounds, from his possession, near Phatak Suranusi in Jalandhar in Jalandhar district.
18-May-2025
Crime Investigation Agency (CIA) staff of Commissionerate Jalandhar on May 18 arrested one individual identified as Mohit alias Lovely and seized 50 grams of heroin, one .32 bore pistol, and two live rounds from his possession in Jalandhar in Jalandhar district.
18-May-2025
Crime Investigation Agency (CIA) staff of Commissionerate Jalandhar on May 18 arrested one individual, identified as Aakashdeep alias Kalu and seized two .32 bore pistols along with four live rounds, from his possession, near Chugitti in Jalandhar in Jalandhar district.
18-May-2025
Muktsar Police on May 18 arrested a member of the Lawrence Bishnoi gang, identified as Abhishek, and seized two pistols and two live cartridges from his possession, after a brief exchange of fire in Malout town of Muktsar district. Police revealed that Abhishek is involved in weapons supply and has two robbery cases registered against him in Haryana.
18-May-2025
The Moga police on May 18 arrested three unidentified Nihangs on the charge of attempted extortion and seized one firearm from their possession in Moga in Moga district in Punjab. They were arrested after a hotel owner alleged they accused him of immoral trafficking and demanded money, also snatching his licensed revolver.
17-May-2025
On May 17, an unsuccessful grenade attack at Rimple Wine Shop in the crowded Focal Point area of Batala in Gurdaspur district caused panic among residents, though police later stated that the device was a dummy. However, gangsters Manu Agwan and Gopi Nawashahria challenged the police version and warned that those endangering Punjab’s youth by selling drugs would face severe action. The grenade’s pin had been removed, but it failed to explode.
17-May-2025
Manjit Singh Bhoma, Chairman of the Punjab Dharam Prachar Committee of Delhi Sikh Gurdwara Management Committee (DSGMC) on May 17 alleged that Khalistani radical and jailed Khadoor Sahib Member of Parliament (MP) Amritpal Singh’s aide Papalpreet Singh was being mistreated in Ropar jail, in Amritsar in Amritsar district. He claimed Papalpreet was kept under 24-hour detention, denied access to the Gurdwara and medical treatment, and urged Jail Minister Laljit Singh Bhullar to lift the restrictions.
17-May-2025
Police on May 17 arrested a student of Khalsa College in Patiala, identified as Devinder Singh Dhillon, for spying for Pakistan’s Inter-Services Intelligence (ISI), in Kaithal in Kaithal district in Haryana. He had recently visited Pakistan via the Kartarpur Corridor and had been missing from college for nearly a month, and reportedly shared sensitive information, including images of the Patiala military cantonment, with Pakistani handlers.
17-May-2025
Punjab Leader of Opposition (LoP) Partap Singh Bajwa, on May 17, criticised Chief Minister (CM) Bhagwant Mann’s claim of making 99% of Punjab’s villages drug-free, calling it a gross misrepresentation and an insult to the people’s intelligence. Bajwa condemned the Aam Aadmi Party’s (AAP) “misrule” and demanded Mann retract his statement and apologise.
17-May-2025
On May 17, Punjab Police, on day 77 of its “Yudh Nashian Virudh” campaign, registered 117 FIRs, arrested 250 drug smugglers and recovered 2.5 kg of heroin, 19 quintals of poppy husk and INR 46 lakhs drug money from their possession, across Punjab.
17-May-2025
On May 17, journalist-turned-author Jagtar Singh released his latest book, Sikh Struggle Documents 1920 to 2022, at the Chandigarh Press Club in Chandigarh. The book traces the origins of the Khalistan idea, which Singh asserts first emerged in 1940 in reaction to the Muslim League’s Pakistan Resolution. It includes 180 rare documents, some previously unseen, such as correspondence related to the 1985 Rajiv-Longowal Accord. Drawing on his deep coverage of Punjab politics, Singh argues that the modern Khalistan narrative—particularly within the diaspora—continues to strain India’s relations with countries like Canada and the United States (US).
17-May-2025
On May 17, a delegation from the All-India Sikh-Punjabi Welfare Council met the Pilibhit District Magistrate to raise concerns over the alleged mass conversion of approximately 3,000 Sikhs to Christianity in villages near the India-Nepal border in Uttar Pradesh’s Pilibhit district. Authorities have since launched a probe into allegations of coercion, inducements, and false promises made by Nepali pastors reportedly active in the area. Local Sikh leaders, citing poverty and illiteracy as contributing factors, submitted a list of 160 families said to have converted. No arrests have been made so far.
16-May-2025
Gharinda police on May 16 arrested two drug peddlers, including a woman identified as Balbir Kaur and Amritpal Singh alias Kaka, and seized 1.5 kg of heroin from their possession, at a naka (checkpoint) near Dhanoe Khurd village in Amritsar district. Their accomplice, Sahibdeep Singh alias Sabu, managed to escape and is currently absconding.
16-May-2025
On May 16, Punjab Police, on day 76 of its “Yudh Nashian Virudh” campaign, registered 118 FIRs, arrested 146 drug smugglers and recovered 87 kg of heroin, 1 kg of opium, 407 kg of poppy husk and INR 42,005 drug money from their possession across Punjab.
16-May-2025
The Amritsar Commissionerate Police on May 16 arrested one individual, identified as Rahul Singh alias Kalu, and seized 510 grams of heroin and INR 30.18 lakhs drug money along with a counting machine from his possession, in Amritsar in Amritsar district. Police revealed that Rahul was in contact with foreign-based drug smuggler Tony German and was supplying heroin in local areas after receiving the consignments from Pakistan.
16-May-2025
The National Investigation Agency (NIA) on May 16 raided fifteen locations across Gurdaspur, Batala, Amritsar, and Kapurthala districts in Punjab in a crackdown on the banned Khalistani terror group Babbar Khalsa International (BKI). The operation targeted gangster Harpreet Singh alias Happy Passia, a close aide of Pakistan-based terrorist Harwinder Singh alias Rinda, and seized mobile and digital devices, documents, and other incriminating materials. The raids are linked to the December 2023 grenade attack on a police station in Gurdaspur.
16-May-2025
A Delhi court on May 16 concluded recording the statement of former Delhi Sikh Gurdwara Management Committee (DSGMC) president Manjit Singh GK as a prosecution witness in the 1984 anti-Sikh riots case against Congress leader Jagdish Tytler. Singh said he received a pen drive in 2018 allegedly containing Tytler’s recorded confession, which he handed to the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI). The case concerns the killing of three Sikhs at Gurdwara Pul Bangash. The next hearing is scheduled for June 4.
16-May-2025
Punjab Chief Minister (CM) Bhagwant Mann and former Delhi CM Arvind on May 16 claimed that 99 per cent of drugs had been eradicated from villages, as they launched the “Nasha Mukti Yatra” at Lakhanpal village in Phillaur in Jalandhar district. The leaders blamed previous governments for fostering the drug crisis and vowed to uproot it completely, with Kejriwal asserting that no other state has seen such a widespread anti-drug initiative.