KHALISTAN EXTREMISM MONITOR
A project of the Institute for Conflict Management
A project of the Institute for Conflict Management
18-Sep-2024
The Ludhiana police on September 18 busted a gang of robbers, arresting seven of its members and seizing 68 mobile phones, one toy pistol, two motorcycles, two sharp weapons, and five baseball bats from their possession in Ludhiana district. The arrests followed a police complaint by Manpreet Singh, who reported being attacked and robbed by a group of around 15 youths armed with sharp weapons. The police are actively working to identify and apprehend the remaining gang members.
18-Sep-2024
Punjab Police on September 18 arrested one person, identified as Jagroop Singh, and seized 5 kg of heroin, two phones, and his motorcycle from his possession in Vaniye Ke village, Ajnala, in Amritsar district. Acting on a tip-off, police teams apprehended Jagroop, who was allegedly en route to deliver the drugs.
18-Sep-2024
Punjab Police on September 18 recovered 5 kg of heroin and a hexacopter from fields near Manjh village in Ajnala, Amritsar district.
18-Sep-2024
The Punjab and Haryana High Court (HC) on September 18 condemned the misuse of police protection as a status symbol, emphasizing that state security should be reserved for individuals facing genuine, verifiable threats. The court highlighted that resources should be allocated judiciously to address broader societal issues, particularly in Punjab, a border state facing significant challenges from illegal activities and smuggling.
18-Sep-2024
The Delhi High Court on September 18 rejected the bail plea of United Kingdom (UK) resident and Khalistani terrorist Jagtar Singh Johal, who is accused of funding the Khalistan Liberation Force (KLF) and involvement in targeted killings in Punjab. The court cited Johal's association with other conspirators and his role in funding arms procurement, categorizing the offences as serious with 'trans-national links' under the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act (UAPA).
18-Sep-2024
Union Minister Ravneet Singh Bittu, via a video message on September 18, 2024, questioned the Congress for not condemning Khalistani terrorist Gurpatwant Singh Pannun's support of Rahul Gandhi’s recent statement on Sikhs in India and accused the party of aligning with anti-national elements.
18-Sep-2024
The Punjab and Haryana High Court (HC) on September 18 questioned the Punjab and central governments, as well as Dibrugarh jail authorities, regarding the extension of the National Security Act (NSA) against Khalistani radical preacher and Khadoor Sahib Member of Parliament (MP) Amritpal Singh and his associate, actor Daljeet Kalsi. The court has requested all relevant records to be presented at the next hearing on October 3.
18-Sep-2024
Shiromani Gurdwara Parbandhak Committee (SGPC) President Advocate Harjinder Singh Dhami, while speaking at a centenary congregation at Gurdwara Sri Baoli Sahib in Sri Goindwal Sahib, Tarn Taran district, on September 18, criticized Punjab Chief Minister (CM) Bhagwant Mann for not declaring a holiday in Punjab on the occasion of Gurgaddi Diwas of Guru Ramdas and Joti Jot Diwas of Guru Amardas.
18-Sep-2024
Former Union Minister and Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) leader Som Parkash, via the social media site X on September 18, urged actress and Member of Parliament (MP) Kangana Ranaut to refrain from making unnecessary comments against the Sikh community, stating that such remarks hurt their sentiments.
17-Sep-2024
The Border Security Force (BSF) on September 17 recovered a packet containing 545 grams of heroin from near Dhanoe Kalan village in Amritsar district.
17-Sep-2024
Sikh activist Sukhraj Singh, whose father was killed in the 2015 Behbal Kalan police firing in Punjab, has been summoned by the National Investigation Agency (NIA) in New Delhi in connection with the attack on the Indian Embassy in London in March 2023. The NIA notice requires his presence on September 19, 2024, for questioning under charges related to the Indian Penal Code, the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act (UAPA), the Prevention of Damage to Public Property Act, and the Prevention of Insults to National Honours Act. Sukhraj, who recently announced his candidacy for the Gidderbaha by poll, expressed uncertainty about the summons, suggesting it might be linked to his past interactions with Khalistani terrorist Avtar Singh Khanda.
17-Sep-2024
A Chandigarh court has issued notices to Member of Parliament (MP) and actress Kangana Ranaut, along with others, in a criminal complaint filed by Ravinder Singh Bassi, president of Lawyers for Humanity, alleging that her movie Emergency maligns the image of Sikhs and misrepresents facts. The court has scheduled the hearing for December 5, 2024.
16-Sep-2024
The Border Security Force (BSF) on September 16 shot a Pakistani intruder along the International Border (IB) after he ignored warnings to stop in the Amritsar sector near Ratankhurd village in Amritsar district. PKR 270 in various denominations was recovered from his possession.
16-Sep-2024
In a joint operation with Punjab Police on September 16, the Border Security Force (BSF) arrested two individuals, Puran Singh and Sukhwinder Singh alias Sukha, who admitted to retrieving a narcotics consignment dropped by a Pakistani drone, and recovered two packets containing approximately 1 kg of heroin near Chak Amira village in Fazilka district.
16-Sep-2024
The Amritsar police on September 16 busted a trans-border narcotic smuggling network with the arrest of a drug smuggler, identified as Kanwaljit Kaur alias Massi, and seized 4.580 kg of heroin from her possession in Chheharta, Amritsar district. Police revealed that Kaur and her son-in-law, Jugraj Singh, were in contact with Pakistan-based smugglers and used drones to transport drugs.
16-Sep-2024
The Akal Takht recently summoned 17 Sikh ministers from the Akali Dal-BJP government for their failure to address sacrilege incidents during their tenure, which led to the excommunication of former Chief Minister (CM) Sukhbir Singh Badal. While some interpreted this as a response to political shortcomings, others feared it signalled a resurgence of Khalistani sentiments. Historical parallels with the terror-filled 1980s suggest that when religious authority overshadows state power, it often leads to militant uprisings. Despite earlier hopes that Punjab had moved beyond Khalistan, recent electoral successes of separatist candidates indicate that pro-Khalistan ideologies have been gaining momentum, driven by both local and diaspora influences.
16-Sep-2024
Prime Minister (PM) Narendra Modi, on September 16, while speaking in Ahmedabad, Gujarat, indirectly criticized Rahul Gandhi, accusing 'those filled with hate' of defaming India. This followed Gandhi's remarks in the United States (US) regarding the freedom of religious minorities, particularly the Sikh community.
16-Sep-2024
Punjab Police Inspector General of Police (IGP) Sukhchain Singh Gill revealed in Chandigarh on September 16 that, over the past two and a half years (2022-2024), they have arrested 39,840 drug smugglers, registered 29,152 First Information Reports (FIRs), and seized 2,546 kg of heroin, 2,457 kg of opium, and INR 30.83 crore in drug money. Additionally, the police forfeited properties worth INR 324.28 crore from major smugglers.
16-Sep-2024
Police on September 16 busted an international drug racket by arresting four individuals, identified as Harjinder Pal Singh, Veer Singh, Surmukh Singh, and Malook Singh, and seizing 10 kg of heroin from their possession in Khiche village, Ferozepur district. The arrests followed information provided by Shinda Singh, another smuggler arrested on September 9 with 1 kg of heroin and INR 4 lakh in drug money. The smugglers were linked to Pakistan-based handlers, who used drones to transport drugs, with Harjinder Pal Singh having prior connections to the Pakistan army and handler Riyast Dogger.
16-Sep-2024
Police on September 16 foiled a gang allegedly being operated from behind bars in Kapurthala district with the arrest of three accused, identified as Amritjeet Singh, Akashdeep Singh, and Kamaldeep Singh, and seized three .32 calibre pistols, 26 cartridges, and 20 grams of heroin from their possession in Rajpura in Patiala district. The gang was reportedly working on behalf of the Prince Golu gang, led by brothers Prince and Onkar Singh Golu, who were orchestrating criminal activities from Kapurthala Jail. Authorities are now investigating how the brothers were able to run operations from prison.
15-Sep-2024
Police on September 15 arrested one person, identified as Vishal Kumar alias Vishal and seized 3 grams of narcotic powder (heroin) and sedative injections from his possession, in Mahilpur in Hoshiarpur district in Punjab.
15-Sep-2024
Police on September 15 arrested one person, identified as Kamaldeep alias Deepa and seized 35 grams of heroin and a large quantity of intoxicating pills from his possession, in Hoshiarpur in Hoshiarpur district.
15-Sep-2024
The Tanda police on September 15 arrested one person, identified as Mahesh Kumar and seized a large quantity of intoxicating pills from his possession, in Tanda village in Hoshiarpur district in Punjab.
15-Sep-2024
The Tanda police on September 15 arrested one person, identified as Hari Om and seized 10 grams of heroin from his possession, in Rada village in Hoshiarpur district.
15-Sep-2024
The Dasuya police on September 15 arrested one person, identified as Lovepreet alias Love and seized 68 grams of heroin from his possession, in Himantpur village in Dasuya in Hoshiarpur district.