KHALISTAN EXTREMISM MONITOR
A project of the Institute for Conflict Management
A project of the Institute for Conflict Management
21-Apr-2025
The Border Security Force (BSF), in a joint operation with the Narcotics Control Bureau (NCB), on April 21 raided a drug smuggler’s house and seized two packets of heroin weighing 804 grams along with a keypad mobile phone in Ajnala, Amritsar district.
21-Apr-2025
Akal Takht's incumbent acting Jathedar, Giani Kuldeep Singh Gargaj, in Amritsar on April 21, invited preacher Ranjit Singh Dhadrianwale to rejoin the Sikh fold by presenting a clarification before the Takht, nearly five years after his boycott over controversial remarks. He also announced a special gathering on May 2 to address concerns regarding films and animations depicting Sikh Gurus and Sikh history.
21-Apr-2025
Punjab Finance Minister Harpal Singh Cheema, while addressing a gathering in Hoshiarpur on April 21, reaffirmed the state’s commitment to becoming India’s first drug-free state under the ongoing ‘Yudh Nashian Virudh’ campaign. He highlighted Hoshiarpur’s impressive 91% conviction rate in drug-related cases and praised the role of public participation and grassroots initiatives such as SAMPARK meetings and defence committees. Cheema also emphasized the need for cross-border cooperation with Himachal Pradesh Police to tackle the interstate drug trade and issued a stern warning to smugglers to quit the illegal trade or face stringent action.
21-Apr-2025
Punjab Police, on April 21, on day 52 of its “Yudh Nashian Virudh” campaign, arrested 72 drug smugglers and recovered 1.9 kg of heroin, 112 kg of poppy husk, and INR 7,000 in drug money from their possession across Punjab.
21-Apr-2025
On April 21, former president of the Delhi Sikh Gurdwara Management Committee (DSGMC), Manjit Singh GK, is scheduled to appear before the Rouse Avenue Court in New Delhi as a witness against Congress leader Jagdish Tytler in connection with the 1984 anti-Sikh riots case. In 2018, GK had released a sting video in which Tytler allegedly admitted to his involvement in the killings at Pul Bangash Gurdwara. The Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) subsequently designated GK as a prosecution witness, and forensic analysis confirmed the authenticity of the video.
21-Apr-2025
Manjit Singh GK, former Chairman of the Delhi Sikh Gurdwara Management Committee (DSGMC), on April 21 testified before the Rouse Avenue Court in New Delhi, revealing that a key witness in the 1984 anti-Sikh riots case, Surender Singh, had allegedly altered his statement after receiving repeated threats. GK stated that Singh had confided in him about the intimidation and was later encouraged to speak the truth regarding Congress leader Jagdish Tytler’s alleged involvement in the Pul Bangash killings.
20-Apr-2025
According to sources, the Uttar Pradesh (UP) Special Task Force (STF) is preparing to approach the central government to coordinate with international agencies for access to Harpreet Singh alias Happy Passia, a wanted terrorist affiliated with the banned Khalistani outfit Babbar Khalsa International (BKI), who was recently arrested by the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) in the United States (US). Passia’s name emerged during the interrogation of Lazar Masih, another BKI operative arrested in Kaushambi, UP, who disclosed his involvement in cross-border terror conspiracies.
20-Apr-2025
Punjab Police, on April 20, on Day 51 of its 'Yudh Nashian Virudh' campaign, arrested 79 drug smugglers and recovered 11.5 lakh intoxicant tablets/capsules, 690 grams of heroin, and INR 4.40 lakh in drug money from various locations across the state.
20-Apr-2025
Moga Police on April 20 arrested a narcotics smuggler, identified as Vicky Arora alias Vijay Arora, and seized 2,80,800 Tramadol tablets, 8,75,900 Pregabalin capsules, 4,500 bottles of codeine syrup, INR 52,500 in drug money, and a car from his possession in Moga district.
20-Apr-2025
The Border Security Force (BSF) on April 20 recovered a broken DJI Mavic-3 Classic drone from fields near Rajatal village in Amritsar district.
20-Apr-2025
In a joint operation with Punjab Police, the Border Security Force (BSF) on April 20 recovered a packet of heroin weighing 545 grams from fields near Dal village in Patti, Tarn Taran district.
20-Apr-2025
The Border Security Force (BSF) on April 20 recovered a DJI Mavic-3 Classic drone from fields near Gatti Rajoke village in Ferozepur district.
20-Apr-2025
Television actor Abhinav Shukla revealed via a post on social media platform X on April 20 that he had received a death threat from a user claiming affiliation with gangster Lawrence Bishnoi’s gang. The threat, reportedly sent through Instagram, surfaced following a verbal spat involving his wife, actress Rubina Dilaik, and rapper Asim Riaz on the show Battleground.
20-Apr-2025
The Border Security Force (BSF), in a joint operation with Punjab Police on April 20, arrested a local smuggler whose identity was not disclosed and recovered a packet of heroin weighing 1.029 kg from his possession in Habibwala Village in Ferozepur district.
20-Apr-2025
Union Minister Ravneet Singh Bittu on April 20 alleged that pro-Khalistan elements associated with the 'Waris Punjab De' outfit, led by radical Khalistani preacher and jailed Khadoor Sahib Member of Parliament (MP) Amritpal Singh, were plotting to assassinate him and other political leaders in Punjab. The conspiracy came to light through leaked screenshots of a social media chat, which revealed plans to target Bittu and Union Home Minister Amit Shah.
20-Apr-2025
Police on April 20 arrested two drug smugglers, identified as Rohit and Lovepreet, and seized 100 grams of heroin, a .30 bore pistol, three live rounds, and a motorcycle from their possession in Kutbewal village, Phillaur, in Jalandhar district. A third smuggler, Gurpreet alias Gopi, was injured during an encounter in the operation and later succumbed to his injuries at a civil hospital. Police confirmed that the trio were involved in multiple criminal cases, including drug smuggling and snatching.
19-Apr-2025
Uttar Pradesh (UP) Police’s Additional Director General (ADG) of Law and Order, Amitabh Yash, on April 19 confirmed in Lucknow that Harpreet Singh alias Happy Passia, an alleged operative of Babbar Khalsa International (BKI), is wanted in connection with a foiled terror plot targeting the Mahakumbh Mela in Prayagraj earlier this year.
19-Apr-2025
The Border Security Force (BSF) has seized 11 pistols and over 100 rounds of ammunition along the International Border (IB) in Punjab over the past five days (April 13–18). This follows a series of seizures in March 2025, during which eight pistols and nearly 100 rounds of ammunition were recovered. Additionally, the BSF discovered improvised explosive devices (IEDs) last week in the Gurdaspur sector, one of which caused serious injury to a BSF trooper during defusal. The rise in smuggling attempts has raised law and order concerns, with the BSF also neutralising 10 drones and seizing over 5 kg of narcotics so far in April 2025.
19-Apr-2025
Union Minister of State for Railways and Food Processing Ravneet Singh Bittu, in Chandigarh on April 19, hailed the National Investigation Agency (NIA) for securing the arrest of Babbar Khalsa International (BKI) operative Harpreet Singh alias Happy Passia in the United States (US) with assistance from the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI). Bittu also expressed hope for Passia’s swift extradition to India.
19-Apr-2025
The National Investigation Agency (NIA) on April 19 filed a second supplementary charge sheet in the high-profile Neemrana hotel firing case linked to Canada-based Khalistani terrorist Arshdeep Singh Gill alias Arsh Dalla, naming three additional accused—Dharmendra Singh, Gaurav, and Deepak—in Jaipur, Rajasthan. With this filing, the total number of individuals charge-sheeted in the case has increased to six.
19-Apr-2025
The police on April 19 arrested an individual, identified as Lovejeet Singh, for attempting to extort INR 1 crore from an automobile showroom owner by posing as the brother of foreign-based gangster Goldy Brar, in Mohali in Sahibzada Ajit Singh (SAS) Nagar district. The police revealed that he had also issued death threats to the complainant and his family if the demanded amount was not paid.
19-Apr-2025
The police on April 19 arrested two individuals, identified as Sukhwinder Singh and Mangaljit Singh, in connection with a cross-border weapons smuggling case that took place on the intervening night of December 1 and 2, 2024, near the India-Pakistan border in Chak 9-FA village in Sriganganagar district, Rajasthan. During interrogation, it was revealed that the duo had procured foreign-made pistols and ammunition from Pakistani smugglers for "self-protection" while engaged in drug trafficking in Punjab. Both were previously linked to a 6 kg heroin smuggling case busted on June 15, 2024.
19-Apr-2025
Punjab Police, on April 19, on day 50 of its “Yudh Nashian Virudh” campaign, arrested 131 drug smugglers and recovered 1.7 kg of heroin and 3.5 kg of opium from their possession across Punjab.
19-Apr-2025
Commissionerate Police Jalandhar, in coordination with Municipal Corporation Jalandhar, on April 19 demolished an illegally built house belonging to three notorious drug smugglers, identified as Lakhwir Kaur alias, Sandeep Kumar, and Suraj, in Jalandhar district.
19-Apr-2025
Tarsem Singh, the father of radical Khalistani preacher and jailed Khadoor Sahib Member of Parliament (MP) Amritpal Singh, on April 19 denounced the extension of his son's detention under the National Security Act (NSA), calling it a "murder of democracy." The Punjab Government had extended Amritpal’s detention, citing security concerns, while his counsel announced plans to challenge the order in court.