KHALISTAN EXTREMISM MONITOR
A project of the Institute for Conflict Management
A project of the Institute for Conflict Management
16-Jul-2024
The police on July 16 arrested two individuals, identified as Naseeb Singh and Kuldeep Singh, and seized 45 banned tablets from their possession near the civil hospital in Raikot, Ludhiana district.
16-Jul-2024
The police on July 16 arrested one individual, identified as Harpreet Singh, and seized four grams of heroin from his possession in Basian village, Raikot, Ludhiana district.
16-Jul-2024
The police on July 16 arrested two individuals, identified as Jaspreet Singh and Harjinder Singh, and seized two grams of heroin from their possession near Ratipur village in Samrala, Ludhiana district.
16-Jul-2024
The police on July 16 arrested one individual identified as Saif Ali and seized 1.4 kg of opium from his possession in Khanna, Ludhiana district.
16-Jul-2024
The Border Security Force (BSF) on July 16 recovered two packets of heroin weighing 1.06 kg, along with three pairs of slippers, one dah (sharp-edged machete), a water bottle, and a gamcha (thin cotton towel), from the outskirts of Mahawa village in Amritsar district.
16-Jul-2024
A local court in Chandigarh on July 16 dismissed the bail applications of two Lawrence Bishnoi gang members identified as Parwinder and Anmolpreet Singh. They were arrested for planning to kill gangster Bhuppi Rana.
16-Jul-2024
Farmer union leaders Jagjit Singh Dallewal, Abhimanyu Kohar, and Surjit Singh Phool announced on July 16 in Chandigarh that the unions protesting at the Punjab and Haryana borders will march towards Delhi once the Haryana Government removes the barricades. The Samyukt Kisan Morcha (SKM) and the Kisan Mazdoor Morcha (KMM) disclosed their plans to commence their "Dilli Chalo" march to press for demands, including a legal guarantee for Minimum Support Price (MSP) on all crops. They urged traders and businessmen to join their cause and mentioned a convention in Delhi on July 22 to seek support from Opposition leaders in Parliament.
16-Jul-2024
Punjab Police on July 16 busted an interstate weapon smuggling network with the arrest of three persons identified as Sukhdev Singh alias Mattu, Sahil Kumar alias Mast, and Prabhjot Singh alias Prabh, and recovered three .32 bore pistols along with three magazines and six live cartridges from their possession in Vallah, Amritsar district. The arrests followed information indicating their involvement in procuring weapons from illegal dealers in Madhya Pradesh (MP) for delivery to criminal elements in Vallah. Preliminary investigations suggest that two of the arrested individuals have prior criminal records, including involvement in a murder case. Further investigations are ongoing to trace the weapon dealer in Madhya Pradesh and the intended recipients of the weapon consignment.
15-Jul-2024
According to sources, radical Khalistani preacher and jailed Member of Parliament (MP) Amritpal Singh, currently held under the National Security Act (NSA) in Dibrugarh jail in Assam, has requested permission from Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla to participate in the upcoming monsoon session starting July 22, 2024.
15-Jul-2024
Akal Takht Jathedar Giani Raghbir Singh, via a written statement on July 15, summoned Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD) President Sukhbir Badal to provide a written explanation within 15 days regarding allegations from rebel Akali members that he failed to represent the panth's sentiments. The Akal Takht also sought clarification from the Shiromani Gurdwara Parbandhak Committee (SGPC) over INR 90 lakh spent on advertisements. Rebel leaders accused the former SAD regime of various mistakes, including the failure to punish those responsible for the 2015 sacrilege incidents.
15-Jul-2024
On July 15, a district-level meeting was held at Gurudwara Shri Patshahi Dasin Sahib in Sirsa, Haryana, where prominent members and representatives of Sikh organizations discussed efforts to unite the Sikh community and advocate for their rights. The attendees proposed fielding Sikh candidates in Assembly constituencies with significant Sikh populations and allocating reserved seats to Sikhs from specific categories. They also called for Punjabi teachers in schools, the formation of Special Investigation Teams (SITs) to address derogatory social media content, and the establishment of a minority commission and community centres.
15-Jul-2024
The Akal Takht on July 15 passed a resolution mandating that the Nishan Sahib flags at gurdwaras be either surmai (navy blue) or basanti (yellow), in accordance with Sikh Rehat Maryada. This decision follows concerns over the widespread use of kesri (saffron) colored flags, which some in the Sikh community view as a deviation from traditional colors. The Shiromani Gurdwara Parbandhak Committee (SGPC) is set to oversee the transition to the prescribed colors to restore consistency with the Sikh code of conduct.
15-Jul-2024
Jammu and Kashmir (J&K) Director General of Police (DGP) RR Swain, while addressing media persons at the Indian Institute of Management (IIM) in Jagti, Jammu, on July 15, stated that an inter-state security meeting was held to discuss new infiltration methods by terrorists entering from the Punjab border. Swain revealed that despite the low number of terrorists, there has been a rise in terror attacks in J&K. He emphasized the operational challenges posed by the use of tunnels for infiltration, underscoring the threat posed by even a few unaccounted entities.
15-Jul-2024
On July 15, amidst Akal Takht Jathedar Giani Raghbir Singh summoning Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD) President Sukhbir Badal to provide a written explanation within 15 days regarding allegations from rebel Akalis that he failed to represent the panth's sentiments, the rebel leaders launched a "SAD reform movement" under the leadership of Gurpartap Singh Wadala. This movement aims to revitalize the party and commemorate forgotten leaders like Gurcharan Singh Tohra and Master Tara Singh.
15-Jul-2024
The Counter Intelligence (CI) wing of Bathinda Police on July 15 arrested drug smuggler Sandeep Singh alias Kaka and seized 4,100 kg of poppy husk in 210 bags from a container truck originating from Madhya Pradesh (MP), in Bathinda in Bathinda district. The Police revealed that the seized consignment was destined for Jalandhar, Moga, and Ferozepur districts in Punjab.
14-Jul-2024
A special National Investigation Agency (NIA) court in Mohali, Sahibzada Ajit Singh (SAS) Nagar district, dismissed the bail plea of Dharminder Singh alias Dhanna, arrested in a drug-terror case linked to the Khalistan Liberation Force (KLF) and a Pakistan-based drug syndicate. The court rejected the plea citing serious allegations under the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act (UAPA) and connections to a narcotic-terror network involved in heroin trafficking to Dubai and Pakistan.
14-Jul-2024
Police on July 14 arrested a drug peddler identified as Manpreet Kumar alias Manna on charges of selling intoxicant tablets and seized 45 such tablets from his possession near Joshian Mohalla near Phagwara in Kapurthala district.
14-Jul-2024
Police on July 14 arrested three drug peddlers identified as Balwinder Singh alias Bohra, Baljit Singh alias Kala, and Ashok Singh alias Goshi and seized one kg of heroin, a bike, and three mobile phones from their possession near the T-point on Bahmniwala road in Jalalabad, Fazilka district.
14-Jul-2024
Punjab Police on July 14 arrested two gangsters identified as Deepak and Ramandeep Singh, and seized one revolver and one pistol from their possession in Banur, Sahibzada Ajit Singh (SAS) Nagar district. The gangsters were involved in two firing incidents near Rajpura in Patiala district on July 13, following a brief encounter with the police.
14-Jul-2024
The police on July 14 arrested five associates of Canada-based terrorist Lakhbir Singh, alias Landa, identified as Simranjit Singh, alias Simma, Paramjit Singh, alias Pamma, Dilbagh Singh, alias Baga, Dilpreet Singh, and Sajandeep Singh, and seized three .30 bore pistols from their possession in Jalandhar district. The police revealed that Simranjit Singh and Dilpreet Singh were in direct contact with Landa and had threatened traders and shopkeepers in Tarn Taran and Amritsar for money.
14-Jul-2024
A meeting of the five Sikh high priests, led by the Akal Takht Jathedar, is scheduled to take place on July 15 at the Akal Takht Secretariat in Amritsar, Punjab, to address the actions of Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD) rebel leaders. The rebel leaders had apologized for past mistakes during their leadership from 2007-2017. The meeting will also discuss broader issues affecting the Panth, such as the controversial depiction of an 'Anand Karaj' scene in a TV serial.
13-Jul-2024
Border Security Force (BSF) troops on July 13 recovered a packet containing 2.3 kg of heroin from a field near Rattar Chattar village in Gurdaspur district.
13-Jul-2024
Akal Takht Jathedar Giani Raghbir Singh on July 13 asked the Shiromani Gurdwara Parbandhak Committee (SGPC) to display portraits of Khalistani extremists Hardeep Singh Nijjar, Paramjit Singh Panjwar, and Gajinder Singh at the Central Sikh Museum in the Golden Temple complex in Amritsar, Punjab. This request was made during a function organized by the SGPC and Dal Khalsa to pay tribute to terrorist Gajinder Singh, who led the 1981 hijacking of an Indian Airlines aircraft. The Jathedar cited the trio's 'sacrifices' as the reason for this honour.
13-Jul-2024
According to sources, the elder brother of radical Khalistani preacher and jailed Member of Parliament (MP) Amritpal Singh, Harpreet Singh alias Happy, who was arrested on July 11 near Phillaur, admitted to a three-year drug habit. The drugs were delivered via GT Road in Ludhiana, and at the time of their arrest, Harpreet and his associate Lovepreet Singh had consumed one gram each. Harpreet described using INR 20 notes to consume the drug, and records indicate his longstanding acquaintance with Arora. This arrest comes as a surprise to many, as Amritpal's campaign emphasized his efforts against drug abuse, including opening a de-addiction centre in his village, Jallupur Kheda, in Amritsar district, Punjab.
13-Jul-2024
Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) candidate Mohinder Bhagat won the Jalandhar West assembly seat, defeating Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) nominee Sheetal Angural by over 37,000 votes in Jalandhar district, Punjab. Bhagat received 55,246 votes, while Angural garnered 17,921. Indian National Congress (INC) nominee Surinder Kaur came third with 16,757 votes, followed by Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD) candidate Surjit Kaur with 1,242 votes and Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP) candidate Binder Kumar with 734. The bypoll was held after Angural resigned as an AAP legislator and joined the BJP in March.