KHALISTAN EXTREMISM MONITOR
A project of the Institute for Conflict Management
A project of the Institute for Conflict Management
31-May-2026
According to official sources, Punjab Director General of Police (DGP) Gaurav Yadav, during a video conference on May 31, directed senior officers to ensure that personnel adopt preventive and proactive measures to safeguard their lives. Police personnel were advised not to travel alone and to remain armed while on duty. The advisory followed an incident on May 30 in which unidentified assailants attacked Punjab Armed Police (PAP) constable Sukhwinder Singh, posted at Harike Pattan in Tarn Taran district, and snatched his Self-Loading Rifle (SLR). The injured constable was shifted to a hospital in Faridkot for treatment. The incident prompted heightened concerns over potential threats to the life and property of police personnel across the state.
31-May-2026
On May 31, the 131th day of Punjab Police’s statewide “war on gangsters” (Gangstran Te Vaar) campaign—Operation Prahar— the police conducted 433 raids, arrested 139 persons and recovered five weapons from their possession. Preventive action was taken against 86 individuals, while 12 persons were verified and released after questioning. Two proclaimed offenders (POs) were also arrested during the operation.
31-May-2026
Punjab Director General of Police (DGP) Gaurav Yadav on May 31 announced that the Punjab Police's anti-drug campaign, Yudh Nashian Virudh (War Against Drugs), has completed 15 months. According to official data, police have registered 46,937 cases under the NDPS Act and arrested 65,884 accused persons during the campaign. Recoveries include 2,950 kg of heroin, 792 kg of opium, 666 quintals of poppy husk, 71 kg of charas, 986 kg of ganja, 56 kg of ICE, and more than 5.5 million intoxicant pills and tablets. Police have also seized INR 200 million in drug-related cash and frozen assets worth approximately INR 3000 million belonging to around 750 alleged drug smugglers. The DGP stated that Punjab Police has moved beyond routine drug seizures to target the financial networks sustaining organized drug trafficking and cross-border smuggling. Since the launch of the campaign on March 1, 2025, coordinated anti-drug operations have been conducted daily across all 28 police districts of the state.
30-May-2026
Radical Sikh organization Dal Khalsa on May 30 announced a two-day event to mark the 42nd anniversary of the “Operation Blue Star”. The group's Political Affairs Secretary, Kanwar Pal Singh, said the organization had called for an Amritsar bandh (general strike) on June 6. He clarified that the shutdown would be limited to business, commercial, and educational establishments, and would not affect transportation services. He also announced that a "holocaust remembrance parade" would be held in the city on the evening of June 5, beginning from Burj Akali Phoola Singh.
30-May-2026
Delhi Police on May 30 announced the busting of an alleged Pakistan Inter-Services Intelligence (ISI) -underworld terror module and the arrest of eight persons, including a Nepali national, who were reportedly planning attacks on critical infrastructure, security establishments, and police personnel in Delhi, Mumbai, Chandigarh, and cities across Punjab. The arrests were made during a coordinated multi-state operation spanning Maharashtra, Punjab, and Delhi. According to police, the suspects were in contact with handlers based in Pakistan and Bangladesh. Investigators further alleged that some of the accused had links to fugitive gangster Dawood Ibrahim and that the conspiracy was orchestrated by Pakistan's ISI, underworld operatives, and the network of gangster Shahzad Bhatti operating from Pakistan and Dubai.
30-May-2026
Gurugram Police on May 30 arrested two alleged sharpshooters of the notorious Himanshu Bhau gang, identified as Karan alias Romie and Pravesh, and recovered a foreign-made pistol, a revolver, and live cartridges from their possession, following a brief encounter on the Delhi–Jaipur Highway in Gurugram, Haryana.
30-May-2026
On May 30, the 130th day of Punjab Police’s statewide “war on gangsters” (Gangstran Te Vaar) campaign—Operation Prahar— the police conducted 513 raids, arrested 235 persons and recovered one weapon from their possession. Preventive action was taken against 64 individuals, while 16 persons were verified and released after questioning. Two proclaimed offenders (POs) were also arrested during the operation.
30-May-2026
On May 30, Punjab Police, on day 455 of its “Yudh Nashian Virudh” campaign, arrested 38 drug smugglers, and seized 112 grams of heroin, 61 kg of poppy husk, 60 intoxicant pills and INR 3060 drug money from the possession of arrested persons, across the state.
29-May-2026
Amritsar Rural Police on May 29 arrested a youth, identified as Punjab Singh, on charges of allegedly spying for Pakistan and seized a spy camera, two mobile phones, and several documents from his possession during a raid in the Attari sector of Amritsar district. Officials said the accused was being interrogated to ascertain his links and motives, while the seized mobile phones had been sent for forensic examination.
29-May-2026
On May 29, the 129th day of Punjab Police’s statewide “war on gangsters” (Gangstran Te Vaar) campaign—Operation Prahar— the police conducted 438 raids, arrested 156 persons and recovered one weapon from their possession. Preventive action was taken against 96 individuals, while nine persons were verified and released after questioning. One proclaimed offender (PO) was also arrested during the operation.
29-May-2026
On May 29, Punjab Police, on day 454 of its “Yudh Nashian Virudh” campaign, arrested 58 drug smugglers, and seized 366 grams of heroin, 105 kg of poppy husk, 1855 intoxicant pills and INR 29,200 drug money from the possession of arrested persons, across the state.
29-May-2026
The Jalandhar Commissionerate Police on May 29 arrested three alleged arms smugglers, identified as Manjot Singh, Sandeep Singh, and Amandeep Singh alias Aman and seized five .32-bore pistols, nine magazines, and 22 live cartridges, in Punjab. Manjot was arrested near the Jalandhar bus stand in Jalandhar district, while Sandeep and Amandeep were apprehended from Bhaini Paswal village in Gurdaspur district. Preliminary investigations indicate that the module was involved in illegal arms smuggling across Punjab.
29-May-2026
The Jalandhar Commissionerate Police on May 29 arrested three alleged arms smugglers, identified as Manjot Singh, Sandeep Singh, and Amandeep Singh alias Aman and seized five .32-bore pistols, nine magazines, and 22 live cartridges, in Punjab. Manjot was arrested near the Jalandhar bus stand in Jalandhar district, while Sandeep and Amandeep were apprehended from Bhaini Paswal village in Gurdaspur district. Preliminary investigations indicate that the module was involved in illegal arms smuggling across Punjab.
29-May-2026
Mohali Police on May 29 arrested two youths, identified as Jashanpreet Singh and Sukhwinder Singh, and recovered 188 grams of heroin from their possession, near the Mohali railway station in Sahibzada Ajit Singh Nagar district.
29-May-2026
On May 29, the Narcotics Control Bureau (NCB), Amritsar Zonal Unit, announced a reward of INR 100,000 for information leading to the whereabouts of Harmanjit Singh Sandhu, a key accused in an 18 kg drug seizure case. Sandhu, a resident of Naushra Dhalla village in Tarn Taran district, was named among the main accused after the NCB recovered 18 kg of narcotics on February 15.
29-May-2026
The National Investigation Agency (NIA) on May 29 conducted coordinated searches at 12 locations across Uttar Pradesh, Maharashtra, Bihar, and Rajasthan in connection with a Pakistan-linked terror conspiracy involving drone-delivered arms and planned attacks in multiple Indian cities. The investigation centres on Pakistan-based operative Jasvir Chaudhary, who, along with his Indian associates, allegedly procured a large consignment of arms, ammunition, and Improvised Explosive Devices (IEDs) through drone drops across the India-Pakistan border. According to investigators, the weapons were intended for attacks in Punjab, Delhi, and other parts of the country. The case was initially registered by Punjab Police after the State Special Operations Cell (SSOC) received intelligence inputs on February 10 regarding the alleged terror plot.
29-May-2026
On May 29, the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) secured a decisive victory in Punjab’s urban local body elections, winning more than 48 per cent of the total wards across the 102 civic bodies that went to the polls on May 26.
28-May-2026
On May 28, the 128th day of Punjab Police’s statewide “war on gangsters” (Gangstran Te Vaar) campaign—Operation Prahar— the police conducted 364 raids, arrested 92 persons and recovered one weapon from their possession. Preventive action was taken against 62 individuals, while 16 persons were verified and released after questioning. One proclaimed offender (PO) was also arrested during the operation.
28-May-2026
On May 28, Punjab Police, on day 453 of its “Yudh Nashian Virudh” campaign, arrested 50 drug smugglers, and seized 935 grams of heroin, 500 grams of opium, and INR 6000 drug money from the possession of arrested persons, across the state.
28-May-2026
Slain Punjabi singer Sidhu Moosewala’s father, Balkaur Singh, on May 28 alleged in Mansa that he continued to face systemic harassment by the Punjab Police even as the masterminds behind his son’s murder remained beyond the reach of the law. He said that despite the passage of time since the singer’s daylight killing on May 29, 2022, justice remained elusive for the family. Balkaur Singh further alleged that while police had arrested local shooters and named known gangsters, the larger political and financial conspiracy behind the murder was deliberately being shielded.
27-May-2026
Four terrorists linked to a terror module allegedly backed by Pakistan-based gangsters Shahzad Bhatti and Abid Jatt, identified as Mehkab, Gagandeep Singh alias Guri, Shahrukh, and Musharraf were arrested by the Uttar Pradesh ATS and Special Task Force in Saharanpur in Uttar Pradesh on May 27. The accused had allegedly planned major attacks across Delhi, Uttar Pradesh, and Punjab. According to investigators, the module had conducted reconnaissance of crowded hospitals, a political party office, and a school operator as potential targets. Mehkab and Gagandeep Singh had allegedly surveyed the locations, while Shahrukh and Musharraf were reportedly searching social media platforms for methods to carry out hospital blasts. Investigators further revealed that videos, photographs, and latitude-longitude coordinates of targets in Delhi and Punjab were allegedly shared with Pakistan-based gangster Shahzad Bhatti. The UP ATS stated that the attacks were to be executed after weapons and explosives were procured through Bhatti’s network. The agency also alleged that Bhatti was attempting to orchestrate targeted killings across Uttar Pradesh, Delhi, and Punjab.
27-May-2026
On May 27, the 127th day of Punjab Police’s statewide “war on gangsters” (Gangstran Te Vaar) campaign—Operation Prahar— the police conducted 369 raids, arrested 118 persons and recovered nine weapons from their possession. Preventive action was taken against 88 individuals, while 12 persons were verified and released after questioning.
27-May-2026
On May 27, Punjab Police, on day 452 of its “Yudh Nashian Virudh” campaign, arrested 16 drug smugglers, and seized 3.5 kg of heroin and INR 64,500 drug money from the possession of arrested persons, across the state.
27-May-2026
The Amritsar Police on May 27 busted an illegal arms smuggling module with cross-border links, arresting five accused and recovering eight sophisticated pistols and live cartridges, in Chheharta, Amritsar district. Preliminary investigations revealed that the accused were in contact with a foreign-based smuggler through virtual numbers and encrypted communication platforms. Police suspect the module was receiving weapons and narcotics consignments dropped by drones from across the border for distribution among criminal networks in Punjab.
27-May-2026
On May 27, three days after the killing of Punjab Police Assistant Sub-Inspector (ASI) Joga Singh by unidentified armed assailants in Amritsar district on May 24, a video purportedly released by the little-known outfit Tehreek-e-Taliban Hindustan (TTH) surfaced on social media, showing motorcycle-borne assailants shooting the police officer. The footage closely matched images circulated earlier in a poster claiming responsibility for the attack. Issued hours after the killing, the poster, attributed to the TTH, also carried fresh threats against security personnel and government officials.