KHALISTAN EXTREMISM MONITOR
A project of the Institute for Conflict Management
A project of the Institute for Conflict Management
02-Apr-2025
Jalandhar Rural Police on April 2 invoked provisions of the Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes (Prevention of Atrocities) Act in the case registered against Gurpatwant Singh Pannun, chief of the banned Khalistani terror outfit Sikhs For Justice (SFJ), in connection with the vandalism of the protective glass around the statue of B. R. Ambedkar, at Phillaur police station in Jalandhar district. The incident, which took place on March 31, involved pro-Khalistan and anti-Constitution slogans spray-painted on the glass, along with the display of derogatory banners—part of a deliberate attempt to incite communal discord.
02-Apr-2025
Punjab Chief Minister (CM) Bhagwant Mann on April 2 issued a stern warning to drug peddlers, vowing to deliver "bulldozer justice" to those responsible for destroying families by pushing addiction, addressing students before launching the Walk Against Drugs campaign in Ludhiana in Ludhiana district. Mann highlighted the role of opioid-opiate treatment (OOAT) centres and rehabilitation facilities, assuring support for victims to recover, complete their education, and secure employment.
02-Apr-2025
Punjab Police on April 2 ongoing anti-drug campaign arrested 59 drug smugglers and recovered 1.6 kg of heroin along with INR 5.53 lakh drug money from their possession, across Punjab.
02-Apr-2025
Deputy Inspector General (DIG) of the Border Range, Satinder Singh, while addressing the media in Amritsar on April 2, stated that the Amritsar border continues to be a hotspot for drug and arms smuggling from Pakistan. He revealed that Amritsar Rural Police had seized 103 kg of heroin out of the total 114 kg recovered across four border districts since January 1, 2025. A total of 706 drug peddlers, including major traffickers, have been arrested. Police also confiscated 1.13 kg of charas, 10 kg of poppy husk, 5.8 kg of opium, and drug money amounting to INR 62 lakh, including USD 4,000 (INR 52.9 lakh from Amritsar alone). Additionally, the police recovered 68 pistols, two revolvers, two AK-47 rifles, and three hand grenades smuggled via drones. Legal action has also been initiated to demolish properties linked to drug smugglers.
02-Apr-2025
On April 2, authorities launched an investigation into the movement of a car or bike near villages adjoining the Badshahpur police post following a loud explosion that caused widespread panic in Badshahpur village, Samana, Patiala district. The blast, heard around 2 a.m., shattered windowpanes of a nearby building, though police confirmed it did not occur within the police post. While officials ruled out a grenade attack, they are examining possible targeted motives behind the incident.
01-Apr-2025
Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) Punjab in-charge Manish Sisodia, on April 1 in Ludhiana, praised the Bhagwant Mann-led government’s anti-drugs campaign and asserted that, under the guidance of AAP national convener Arvind Kejriwal, the drug menace would be eradicated from Punjab. During a press conference, Sisodia, along with AAP Punjab president Aman Arora, outlined the state government's strategy to combat drug abuse.
01-Apr-2025
Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) national general secretary Tarun Chugh, on April 1, strongly condemned the defacing of the protective glass around the statue of B. R. Ambedkar in Phillaur, Jalandhar district, while addressing the media in Patiala, Punjab. He accused the Bhagwant Mann-led Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) government of failing to curb anti-national elements attempting to disrupt social harmony in the state. Chugh urged the state government to take strict action against such forces and ensure the maintenance of communal peace.
01-Apr-2025
Members of Valmiki organisations on April 1 burned an effigy of Gurpatwant Singh Pannun, chief of the banned Sikhs For Justice (SFJ), after he claimed responsibility for defacing the statue of Dr. B.R. Ambedkar in Nangal village, Phillaur, Jalandhar district. The incident sparked widespread protests across Punjab, with various political and social leaders demanding the immediate arrest of those involved. Former Union Ministers Vijay Sampla and Som Parkash strongly condemned the act, describing it as an attempt to create instability in the state. Sampla further urged the authorities to seek Pannun's extradition and prosecute him under the SC/ST (Prevention of Atrocities) Act for his derogatory remarks against Ambedkar and Guru Ravidas.
01-Apr-2025
Punjab Police on April 1 averted a potential terror attack with the arrest of an operative linked to Pakistan’s Inter-Services Intelligence (ISI), identified as Jaiveer Tyagi alias Jawed, and seized a hand grenade from his possession in Amritsar district. According to police, Tyagi was conspiring with his cousin, Sehlam, to target government infrastructure. He was arrested near Tara Wala Pul in Amritsar before he could carry out the attack.
01-Apr-2025
The Counter Intelligence (CI) team in Ferozepur on April 1 busted a cross-border drug smuggling racket with the arrest of a smuggler, identified as Sukhdev Singh alias Sukhi, and seized 3.5 kilograms of heroin from his possession in Mohan Ke Uttar village, Jalalabad, Ferozepur district. Preliminary investigations revealed that Sukhdev was in direct contact with a Pakistan-based smuggler who used drones to drop drug consignments across the border. Further investigations are underway to uncover the entire network of suppliers, dealers, and buyers.
01-Apr-2025
The administration in Amritsar on April 1 demolished the property of a drug peddler, identified as Gurmeet Singh, in the Maqboolpura area of Amritsar district. The action was carried out as part of the Chief Minister’s 'Drug-Free Punjab' initiative. According to police, Gurmeet Singh is a notorious smuggler with three cases registered against him under the Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances (NDPS) Act and is currently lodged in jail.
01-Apr-2025
The Border Security Force (BSF), in a joint operation with Punjab Police, on April 1 recovered a packet of heroin weighing 492 grams from fields near Dhariwal village in Ajnala, Amritsar district.
01-Apr-2025
The Punjab and Haryana High Court on April 1 issued a strong warning against the growing gangster culture and its glorification in popular media, asserting that the judiciary must ensure those involved in criminal activities face the full force of the law. Justice Harpreet Singh Brar emphasized that such criminality would not be tolerated and that decisive legal action was essential to restore public confidence in the justice system.
31-Mar-2025
The banned Khalistani terror outfit Sikhs For Justice (SFJ) on March 31 claimed responsibility for defacing the protective glass around the statue of B. R. Ambedkar in Phillaur. In a video message, SFJ leader Gurpatwant Singh Pannun referred to Ambedkar as a 'devil' and accused him of erasing Sikh identity through the Indian Constitution. Experts noted that SFJ appears to be targeting a new front: exploiting caste fault lines in Punjab. They also warn that such actions are part of a broader attempt to polarise the state along caste and religious lines.
31-Mar-2025
The banned Khalistani terror outfit Sikhs For Justice (SFJ) on March 31 defaced the protective glass around a statue of BR Ambedkar, spray-painting pro-Khalistan slogans, in Nangal village in Phillaur, Jalandhar district. Khalistani terrorist and SFJ chief Gurpatwant Singh Pannun claimed responsibility, threatening to remove all Ambedkar statues in Punjab before April 14. Heavy security was deployed as Dalit organisations demanded swift police action, warning of further protests. Tensions gripped the region following the incident.
31-Mar-2025
State spokesperson of the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), Prof. Sarchand Singh Khiala, has demanded the release of Sikh prisoner Prof. Devinder Pal Singh Bhullar before Khalsa Sajna Diwas in a letter addressed to Delhi Chief Minister (CM) Smt. Rekha Gupta. Bhullar, who has spent 29 years in jail, is currently undergoing treatment in Amritsar Central Jail. Khiala urged the Delhi government to implement the 2019 Central Government notification for his release, citing humanitarian and legal grounds. He emphasized that the issue of Sikh prisoners is both legally complex and emotionally significant for the Sikh community.
31-Mar-2025
According to senior National Investigation Agency (NIA) officials, the Khalistani terrorist group Babbar Khalsa International (BKI) has been recruiting local youths to target security personnel in Punjab, Chandigarh, Haryana, and Jammu & Kashmir (J&K). The investigation revealed that Pakistan’s Inter-Services Intelligence (ISI) is working to forge an alliance between Khalistani terrorists, Jammu and Kashmir-based terror groups, and fundamentalist organisations. The NIA chargesheet, filed in a special court, highlighted BKI’s role in a September 2024 grenade attack in Chandigarh. Security forces in the affected states have been alerted to counter BKI’s growing subversive activities.
31-Mar-2025
Punjab Minister Aman Arora on March 31 revealed that under Punjab’s ‘Yudh Nashian Virudh’ campaign, Punjab Police have so far arrested 4,592 individuals, registered 2,721 First Information Reports (FIRs) and seized nearly 2,400 kg of drugs, over 850,000 drug pills and INR 5.87 crore in cash from the possession of the smugglers, across Punjab.
31-Mar-2025
The Police on March 31 arrested one drug smuggler linked to Pakistan and United States (US) based drug syndicates, identified as Harshpreet Singh and seized 15 kg of heroin along with a white Activa scooter (PB 02 CJ 4165) in Sarai Amanat Khan in Tarn Taran district. The Police stated that the consignment was dropped using drones from Pakistan and was part of a larger network operated by US-based smuggler Gurnam Kallowal in coordination with Pakistan-based trafficker Pahalwan. Police are investigating further to trace the network’s backward and forward linkages.
31-Mar-2025
Punjab Governor Gulab Chand Kataria in Chandigarh on March 31 announced a six-day ‘padyatra’ (foot march) in the Majha region starting April 3 to raise awareness against drug abuse. He stated that the march will commence from Dera Baba Nanak and conclude at Jallianwala Bagh on April 8, covering Gurdaspur and Amritsar. Kataria urged Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann, cabinet ministers, MPs, MLAs, and political leaders to join the initiative, emphasizing the need for collective efforts to combat Punjab’s drug crisis.
31-Mar-2025
As part of the ongoing "Yudh Nashian Virudh" campaign, Punjab Police on March 31 arrested 48 drug smugglers, registered 35 First Information Reports (FIRs), recovered 16.7 kg of heroin along with INR 34,300 in drug money from the possession of the arrested smugglers, across Punjab.
31-Mar-2025
Punjab Governor Gulab Chand Kataria, while interacting with the media in Chandigarh on March 31, announced that the Centre has sanctioned 22 new anti-drone systems for installation along the India-Pakistan International Border (IB) in Punjab to curb the smuggling of weapons and drugs. These systems will complement the nine already in place, strengthening border security measures.
30-Mar-2025
The Border Security Force (BSF), in a joint operation with the Anti-Narcotics Task Force (ANTF) of Punjab Police on March 30 arrested an unidentified smuggler, and seized a packet of heroin weighing 545 grams, near Kathu Nangal Toll Plaza near Kathu Nangal village in Amritsar district.
30-Mar-2025
Police on March 30 arrested a smuggler, identified as Aakash alias Chotu and seized 8 kg of heroin from his possession, near Mallanwala village in Ferozepur district.
30-Mar-2025
The Punjab Police on March 30 arrested two drug peddlers, identified as Hardeep Singh alias Deep and Harjeet Singh and seized 6 kg of heroin from their possession, in Thathi Sohal village in Tarn Taran district. The Police stated that the duo was in contact with Pakistan-based smugglers Billa and Shah, who had been sending drug consignments via drones across the border.