KHALISTAN EXTREMISM MONITOR
A project of the Institute for Conflict Management
A project of the Institute for Conflict Management
22-Mar-2025
The Border Security Force (BSF), in a joint raid with Punjab Police on March 22 seized 1.076 kg of heroin and 2.192 kg of opium, from a house in Gatti Rajoke village in Ferozepur district. The suspected smuggler managed to escape before the raid, and efforts are underway to arrest him. The recovered packets had improvised metal rings, indicating they were airdropped using drones from across the border.
22-Mar-2025
Police on March 22 arrested nine associates of ‘Sonu gang’, an inter-state drug-trafficking syndicate, identified as Adital Rathore, Gagan, Naveen Chauhan, Rajan Mehta, Mohit Agarwal, Ujjwal Pandit, Sanjeev Kumar, Kushal Chauhan and Rajkumar, in Shimla in Shimla district Himachal Pradesh (HP). The accused were involved in the sale and purchase of heroin in the Rampur region in HP. A case under the Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances (NDPS) Act has been registered, and further investigation is underway.
22-Mar-2025
The Punjab and Haryana High Court cautioned that evaluating police performance based on arrest targets in the ongoing anti-drug drive could lead to the false implication of innocent individuals. The observation came after the court reviewed a news report quoting Punjab Director General of Police (DGP) Gaurav Yadav’s directive to assess police officials based on arrests and seizures. While emphasizing the need to combat drug-related crimes, the court warned against target-driven policing.
21-Mar-2025
The Directorate of School Education in Punjab recently directed all District Education Officers (DEOs) and school heads to prohibit students from portraying the Sahibzadas, the sons of Guru Gobind Singh, and their family members in stage plays or drama performances. This directive follows a communication from Iqbal Singh Lalpura, Chairman of the National Commission for Minorities, to the Chief Secretary of Punjab. The Commission has formulated a Standard Operating Procedure (SOP) stating that Sikh Gurus and their family members can only be represented through narration or animation, ensuring adherence to Sikh religious guidelines.
21-Mar-2025
Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal on March 21 stated in New Delhi that India expects the United States (US) to take 'appropriate action' on its request to designate the Khalistani terror outfit Sikhs For Justice (SFJ) as a 'terrorist organization' in the US. The request was conveyed by Defence Minister Rajnath Singh during his meeting with Tulsi Gabbard, Director of National Intelligence in the US administration.
21-Mar-2025
Police on March 21 conducted a raid as part of Punjab's ongoing 'War Against Drugs' campaign, and arrested a wanted gangster identified as Lavish Grover and seized three weapons from his possession, in Singhpura village in Sahibzada Ajit Singh (SAS) Nagar district. During the raid, Lavish Grover opened fire on officers and in retaliation, police shot him in the leg before capturing him.
21-Mar-2025
Punjab Police on March 21 as part of Punjab's ongoing 'War Against Drugs', conducted raids at 493 locations, arrested 63 drug smugglers after registration of 47 first information reports (FIRs), and seized 573 grams of heroin, 10 kg of opium, 1,470 intoxicant tablets/pills/injections and INR 4,750 drug money from the possession of arrested drug smugglers across Punjab.
20-Mar-2025
On March 20, a criminal identified as Amandeep opened fire on the police during a weapon recovery operation near Buhara village in Shaheed Bhagat Singh (SBS) Nagar district. He was injured in retaliatory fire. Amandeep had been taken to a canal where he had allegedly hidden a pistol used in a previous crime. During the operation, he retrieved the weapon and fired at the police before being subdued.
20-Mar-2025
At the Raisina Dialogue held recently in New Delhi, United States (US) Director of National Intelligence Tulsi Gabbard acknowledged India’s serious security concerns. Indian Defence Minister Rajnath Singh urged Gabbard to designate the Khalistani terror outfit Sikhs for Justice (SFJ) as a terrorist organization, citing its alleged links with Pakistan’s Inter-Services Intelligence (ISI) and Babbar Khalsa International (BKI). SFJ, founded in 2007 by Canadian-American lawyer Gurpatwant Singh Pannun, advocates for Khalistan and was banned by India in 2019 under the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act (UAPA). India has pursued legal and diplomatic measures against SFJ, with 104 cases registered against its members, including eight by the National Investigation Agency (NIA). New Delhi hopes that President Donald Trump will take stricter action against SFJ, as the previous Joe Biden administration largely ignored its repeated requests to curb the outfit’s anti-India activities.
20-Mar-2025
Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) Punjab leader and Cabinet Minister Tarunpreet Singh while addressing a press conference in Chandigarh on March 20 highlighted the success of the Punjab Government’s anti-drug campaign ‘Yudh Nashian Virudh’, and stated that so far Punjab Police had filed 1,895 First Information Report(FIR), arrested 3,217 drug smugglers, and seized 114 kg of heroin, over 62 kg of opium, 7.5 lakh intoxicating tablets, 1,213 kg of poppy husk, 28 kg of cannabis, 4.5 kg of charas, 1.25 kg of ICE, nearly 500 bottles of illicit liquor, 7 kg of intoxicating powder, and 301 injection, along with INR 68 lakh in cash, from the possession of the smugglers across Punjab. He revealed that additionally, 22 motorcycles, 8 mobile phones, 4 cars, and 12 pistols linked to drug trafficking have been confiscated. During the action, over 4 kg of gold, including one necklace and two chains, as well as 1.25 kg of silver, were also recovered.
20-Mar-2025
Police on March 20 arrested two associates of the Lawrence Bishnoi and Jaggu Bhagwanpuri gangs, identified as Surinder Singh alias Gagan and Lakhwinder Singh alias Lakhu ans seized a .32 bore pistol, two live rounds and a car near Jaito in Faridkot district.
20-Mar-2025
On March 20, seven associates of radical Khalistan preacher and jailed Khadoor Sahib Member of Parliament (MP) Amritpal Singh were produced in an Ajnala court in Amritsar district amid tight security and were remanded in four-day police custody. They were released from Dibrugarh Central Jail in Assam after the Punjab Government decided not to re-invoke the stringent National Security Act (NSA) against them. Following their release, they were brought to Amritsar on transit remand and formally arrested by the Punjab Police in connection with the February 2023 Ajnala police station attack.
19-Mar-2025
Punjab Police on March 19 dismantled a drug and hawala racket, arresting five individuals, including Iqbal Singh and four unidentified associates and seized 7 kg of opium, three pistols with six magazines, and INR 23.1 lakh in drug money from their possession in Tarn Taran district. During the operation, the accused fired at the police, injuring two officers, who were provided with medical care. Singh confessed to facilitating hawala transactions worth INR 50 crore for Dubai-based drug cartels over the past three months.
19-Mar-2025
The Punjab Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) and Sikh seminary Damdami Taksal on March 19 criticized the Congress-led Himachal Pradesh (HP) government, accusing it of disrespecting Sikh religious symbols and failing to understand Sikh sentiments over the Khalistani militant Jarnail Singh Bhindranwale flag controversy. They condemned the alleged removal of flags bearing Bhindranwale’s image from motorcycles of Sikh youths by local residents and police officials in HP. The Shiromani Gurdwara Parbandhak Committee (SGPC) and Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD) also denounced the incidents, demanding action against those responsible. The tensions led to the suspension of Himachal Pradesh bus services on certain Punjab routes. Political leaders urged the Himachal government to take measures to prevent further communal discord.
19-Mar-2025
Dal Khalsa acting president Paramjit Singh Mand, in Chandigarh on March 19, took responsibility for placing pictures of Khalistani militant Jarnail Singh Bhindranwale on Himachal Pradesh (HP) buses and warned of more intense actions if cases against Sikh youth were not withdrawn.
19-Mar-2025
Himachal Road Transport Corporation (HRTC), on March 19, suspended bus services on 10 routes to Punjab after its employees refused to operate due to fears of attacks and vandalism in Himachal Pradesh (HP). This followed incidents where HRTC buses were targeted in retaliation for Sikh pilgrims being stopped in HP for carrying flags with Jarnail Singh Bhindranwale’s image.
19-Mar-2025
The Punjab Government on March 19 conducted a trial of advanced anti-drone technology near the India-Pakistan border near in Naushera Dhalla village in Tarn Taran district. The demonstration aimed to counter cross-border drug smuggling and narco-terrorism, with ministers Aman Arora and Laljit Singh Bhullar in attendance.
19-Mar-2025
As part of Punjab’s ‘Yudh Nashian Virudh’ campaign, Punjab Police on March 19 conducted raids at 567 locations, registered 74 First Information Reports (FIRs), arrested 111 drug smugglers, and seized 3.5 kg of heroin, 1.6 kg of opium, 2,050 intoxicant tablets/pills/injections, and INR 52,310 in drug money from the possession of the arrested smugglers across Punjab.
19-Mar-2025
Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) Rajya Sabha Member of Parliament (MP) Harbhajan Singh, via social media site X on March 19, retracted his earlier criticism of the Punjab government's demolition drive against drug traffickers and expressed full support for the initiative. Singh had initially, on March 18, opposed the bulldozing of alleged drug peddlers' houses, arguing for arrests instead, but later lauded the government’s commitment to making Punjab drug-free.
19-Mar-2025
The Punjab government on March 19 launched a major crackdown on protesting farmers, detaining several union leaders and using mild force to disperse protesters at the Shambhu and Khanauri sites on the Punjab-Haryana border in Patiala and Sangrur districts. The police action followed a meeting between farm union leaders and central ministers in Chandigarh.
18-Mar-2025
The Police on March 18 arrested a smuggler, identified as Dharminder Singh alias Sonu, and seized 8.08 kg of heroin along with a .30 bore pistol and five bullets from his possession, near Verka bypass in Amritsar in Amritsar district. During a follow-up operation to recover concealed weapons and contraband, he attempted to snatch a constable’s weapon, prompting the police to fire in self-defence, injuring him. Dharminder was in contact with cross-border smugglers and received drug consignments via drones from Pakistan in the Ajnala sector in Amritsar district in Punjab. The investigation to identify his accomplices is ongoing.
18-Mar-2025
Dal Khalsa and Sikh Youth of Punjab operatives, on March 18, plastered state-owned Himachal Pradesh Road Transport Corporation (HPRTC) buses and private vehicles with posters of slain Khalistani militant Jarnail Singh Bhindranwale in Manali, Himachal Pradesh. This act followed the removal of flags bearing his image from the bikes of Punjab youths in Manali.
18-Mar-2025
Union Minister of State for Home Nityanand Rai, on March 18, informed the Lok Sabha that the Border Security Force (BSF) seized 294 drones along the Punjab border in 2024. He stated that anti-drone systems had been deployed to counter the threat of drone-based smuggling. Measures include real-time information sharing with security agencies, alerting border outposts, and using surveillance equipment to track unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) movements. Rai also highlighted strengthened intelligence networks and increased monitoring of smuggling routes to curb illegal activities.
18-Mar-2025
According to sources, the grenade attack on a temple in Amritsar district, Punjab, on March 15 has Pakistani links, with authorities suspecting it was an attempt to create unrest in the state. The explosion damaged the temple’s wall and nearby windowpanes but caused no casualties.
18-Mar-2025
Punjab Police, on March 18, as part of the ongoing “Yudh Nashian Virudh” campaign, conducted raids at 539 locations, registering 61 First Information Reports (FIRs), arresting 95 drug smugglers, and seizing 11 kg of heroin, 7.5 kg of opium, and INR 31,000 in drug money across Punjab.