KHALISTAN EXTREMISM MONITOR
A project of the Institute for Conflict Management
A project of the Institute for Conflict Management
16-Apr-2025
The Anti-Narcotics Task Force (ANTF) of Punjab Police on April 16 arrested two individuals, identified as Ram and Lakhan, and seized 500 grams of heroin, a foreign-made pistol, and two live cartridges from their possession in Mohali in Sahibzada Ajit Singh (SAS) Nagar district. The duo, cousins by relation, were operating their narcotics business under the guise of being milk suppliers. Investigations revealed they procured the heroin from Firozpur and targeted urban areas for distribution.
16-Apr-2025
The three students arrested in Nakodar for writing pro-Khalistan slogans and putting up related posters—identified as Jaskaran Singh, Kartik, and Tejpal—were sent to three-day police remand in Jalandhar district on April 16. Preliminary investigations suggest they were influenced by Jaskaran’s illegal migration abroad via the "dunki route" and may have acted under the guidance of his foreign contacts. Police are examining their bank accounts and mobile phones for evidence of suspicious funding and overseas links.
16-Apr-2025
The Nakodar City police on April 16 arrested two more agents of Khalistani terrorist Gurpatwant Singh Pannun, identified as Himanshu Gill alias Himansho and Abdul Rajak Butt alias Yaak, in Jalandhar district. According to police, the duo had pasted pro-Khalistan posters near National College Nakodar and State Public School on February 13, and wrote pro-Khalistan and anti-Modi slogans on a highway bridge on February 28.
16-Apr-2025
The Shiromani Gurdwara Parbandhak Committee (SGPC), during its executive body meeting in Amritsar on April 16, urged Sikh intellectuals, organisations, and individuals to submit suggestions regarding service rules for Takht jathedars by April 20. The SGPC also criticised the Central government for delaying decisions on the cases of death row convict Balwant Singh Rajoana and other Bandi Sikhs, calling the approach discriminatory.
16-Apr-2025
The Punjab government on April 16 ordered the installation of over INR 15 crore worth of posters, flex boards, and wall paintings across 13,000 villages as part of its “Yudh Nasheyan Virudh” anti-drug campaign. Each village was instructed to display 1,000 posters, two flex boards, and four wall paintings within two days, with expenses drawn from panchayat funds. Critics, including retired professors from Guru Nanak Dev University (GNDU), slammed the initiative as theatrical, outdated, and wasteful in a digitally connected era. Officials defended the move, stating it utilized pre-approved election publicity rates to avoid tendering delays.
15-Apr-2025
Punjab Chief Minister (CM) Bhagwant Mann, while addressing the state assembly in Chandigarh on April 15, accused Congress leader Partap Singh Bajwa of spreading baseless rumours by claiming that “50 bombs have reached Punjab.” Mann alleged that Bajwa failed to provide any evidence and was using fear-mongering for political gain. Bajwa has been booked under relevant sections of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS) for making false and misleading statements.
15-Apr-2025
Punjab Police, on April 15, during day 46 of its "Yudh Nashian Virudh" campaign, arrested 97 drug smugglers and recovered 1.6 kg of heroin along with INR 29,790 in drug money from their possession across Punjab.
15-Apr-2025
Mumbai Police on April 15 identified Mayank Pandya as the man behind the April 13 death threat to Bollywood actor Salman Khan. Traced to a village in Waghodia of Vadodara district, Gujarat, Pandya was found to be mentally unstable. The threat, sent via WhatsApp to the Worli Transport Department, came nearly a year after shots were fired outside Khan’s Bandra residence, prompting a security upgrade.
14-Apr-2025
Amid threats from the banned Khalistani outfit Sikhs For Justice (SFJ), Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) and Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) workers on April 14 stood guard at Dr. B.R. Ambedkar’s statues across Punjab to safeguard his legacy. AAP leaders reaffirmed Ambedkar’s vision of equality and justice, while BJP leader Vijay Sampla led similar efforts in Phillaur, Ludhiana district. Both parties strongly condemned SFJ’s divisive rhetoric and insults against icons like Dr. Ambedkar and Guru Ravidass.
14-Apr-2025
Uttar Pradesh (UP) Police on April 14 launched a probe after the Shri Ram Janmabhoomi Trust received a threat email targeting the Ram temple in Ayodhya. The sender, traced to Tamil Nadu, triggered heightened security and intensified patrolling in the city. The temple has previously faced threats from the banned Khalistani outfit Sikhs For Justice (SFJ).
14-Apr-2025
Punjab Police on April 14 arrested three agents of Khalistani terrorist Gurpatwant Singh Pannun—Bir Sukhpal Singh, Karthik, and Tejpal Singh—in Jalandhar district in connection with Khalistani posters and slogans found in Nakodar. Three others, including Pannun, Balkaran Singh, and Jaskaranpreet Singh, have also been booked in the case.
14-Apr-2025
Border Security Force (BSF) on April 14 recovered one drone along with one Pistol, one Magazine and four live rounds, from farming fields near Dhanoe Kalan in Amritsar district.
14-Apr-2025
Punjab Police on April 14, on day 45 of its “Yudh Nashian Virudh” campaign arrested 48 drug smugglers and recovered 3.7 kg of heroin and INR 604200 drug money from their possession across Punjab. Since the launch of the campaign, the Police recovered 243 kg of heroin, 109 kg of opium, 75.5 quintals of poppy husk, 6 kg of charas, 63 kg of ganja, 2.2 kg of ICE, 1.2 kg of cocaine, 9.50 lakh intoxicant pills/tablets and INR 6.1 crores drug money from their possession.
14-Apr-2025
The Lawrence Bishnoi gang on April 14 issued a statement disavowing any links with Zeeshan Akhtar, Happy Passia, and Pakistani gangster Shahzad Bhatti—accused in the recent grenade attack on senior Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) leader Manoranjan Kalia’s residence. The gang labelled them "enemies of the country" and warned its members against maintaining any contact with them.
14-Apr-2025
Bollywood actor Salman Khan received a fresh death threat on April 14 via a message sent to the official WhatsApp number of the Worli Transport Department in Mumbai in Maharashtra. The message warned of an attack on his Galaxy Apartments residence or his car using explosives. Worli Police registered a case and heightened security at his house. This comes exactly a year after gunshots were fired at his Bandra residence by unidentified assailants.
14-Apr-2025
Gurpartap Singh Wadala, a member of the Akal Takht panel constituted to conduct a membership drive for the Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD), stated in Amritsar on April 14 that it was necessary to float a new Akali Dal to counter the Sukhbir Singh Badal-led party. However, he clarified that this was his personal viewpoint and that the final decision would be taken collectively by all panel members.
14-Apr-2025
The Nakodar Sadar police on April 14 booked a Non-Resident Indian (NRI), identified as Lovpreet Singh, on charges of firing, endangering life, and criminal conspiracy in Nakodar, Jalandhar district. Currently settled in Canada, Lovpreet allegedly hired gangsters to open fire at the residence of Amarjit Singh in Kullar village, Nakodar tehsil, causing bullet damage to the main gate and a parked vehicle.
14-Apr-2025
According to police sources, stringent security measures have been implemented across rural areas of Jalandhar district as several Dalit organisations and political parties plan protest marches and rallies on April 14 to commemorate the 134th birth anniversary of Dr. B. R. Ambedkar. The security has been intensified in response to threats issued by Khalistani terrorist Gurpatwant Singh Pannun.
13-Apr-2025
Punjab Police on April 13 averted a major terror attack in the border state by busting a terror module being operated by Germany-based Gurpreet Singh alias Goldy Dhillon, and arrested two key operatives identified as Jagga Singh and Manjinder Singh and seized 2.8 kg of improvised explosive device (IED), containing 1.6 kg RDX, along with a remote control and a Hyundai Venue car from their possession, in Sirhind in Fatehgarh Sahib district. Police stated that the module was part of a larger plan backed by Pakistan’s Inter-Services Intelligence (ISI) to destabilise Punjab.
13-Apr-2025
Uttar Pradesh (UP) Chief Minister (CM) Yogi Adityanath, on April 13, extended greetings on Khalsa Panth Foundation Day and Baisakhi while addressing a programme at Gurudwara Yahiyaganj in Lucknow. He paid homage to Guru Gobind Singh Ji, hailing his unmatched legacy and the founding of the Khalsa Panth in 1699 as a historic stand for dharma and national protection.
13-Apr-2025
The Shiromani Akali Dal (Amritsar) (SAD-A) former Member of Parliament (MP) Simranjit Singh Mann on April 13 led the “Miri Piri” conference and raised concerns over long-standing grievances of the Sikh community, including the unresolved cases of sacrilege, denial of Punjabi-speaking areas to Punjab, and the non-release of Sikh political prisoners, in Talwandi Sabo in Bathinda district.
13-Apr-2025
Akal Takht's officiating Jathedar Giani Kuldeep Singh Gargajj on April 13 in Amritsar urged Punjab Minister Harjot Singh Bains to refrain from interfering in Sikh internal affairs and instead support efforts to address the community’s longstanding issues. His statement came in response to Bains raising the issue of the removal of three jathedars by the Shiromani Gurdwara Parbandhak Committee (SGPC) in the Punjab Assembly.
13-Apr-2025
According to Punjab Police, the grenade attack outside BJP leader Manoranjan Kalia’s residence has uncovered a nexus between the Lawrence Bishnoi gang and the banned Khalistani terror outfit Babbar Khalsa International (BKI). The primary conspirators have been identified as gangster Zeeshan Akhtar and Pakistani national Shahzad Bhatti. Intelligence sources indicate that Pakistan’s Inter-Services Intelligence (ISI) is facilitating cooperation between terror outfits and organised crime networks. Punjab Police solved the case within 12 hours and have initiated a state-wide Night Domination Operation to bolster security ahead of Baisakhi.
13-Apr-2025
On April 13, Punjab Police, on day 44 of the “Yudh Nashian Virudh” campaign, arrested 61 drug smugglers and recovered 1.3 kg of heroin and drug money amounting to INR 91.3 lakh from their possession across Punjab.
13-Apr-2025
The Border Security Force (BSF), in a joint operation with Punjab Police on April 13, recovered a packet of heroin weighing 554 grams from fields near Wan village in Patti, Tarn Taran district.