KHALISTAN EXTREMISM MONITOR
A project of the Institute for Conflict Management
A project of the Institute for Conflict Management
19-Feb-2026
The Lakhbir Landa gang, in an unverified social media post on February 19, claimed responsibility for the killing of Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) sarpanch (village head) Harbarinder Singh in Tarn Taran district. Harbarinder was shot dead at close range during a wedding ceremony on February 18. In the post circulating online, the gang alleged it was behind the murder. However, police had earlier stated that the case was being investigated from all possible angles using scientific and technical methods. Based on the probe so far, officials indicated there was no evidence of a threat or extortion angle, and that personal enmity or revenge appeared to be a strong possibility.
19-Feb-2026
A bomb threat email was received on February 19 at the offices of two senior IAS officers at the Punjab Main Secretariat and the Civil Secretariat in Chandigarh. The email claimed that polonium bombs had been planted in both buildings and would be detonated at 2:11 pm. Security agencies conducted thorough searches of the premises, but no suspicious material was found, and the threat was later declared a hoax. According to information, the email alleged that gangsters being eliminated by police in Punjab were actually Khalistani activists and warned that Punjab Chief Minister (CM) Bhagwant Mann would “pay a price” for it.
19-Feb-2026
In a major boost to the anti-drug campaign ‘Yudh Nashian Virudh’, the Director General of Police (DGP) Gaurav Yadav on February 19 inaugurated the newly constructed, ultra-modern Anti-Narcotics Task Force (ANTF) Jalandhar Range building at Police Lines in Jalandhar district.
19-Feb-2026
On February 19, the 30th day of Punjab Police’s statewide “war on gangsters” (Gangsters Te Vaar) campaign—Operation Prahaar—the police conducted 645 raids, arrested 236 persons and recovered four weapons from their possession. 12 proclaimed offenders (POs) were also arrested during the operation.
19-Feb-2026
On February 19, Punjab Police, on day 355 of its “Yudh Nashian Virudh” campaign, arrested 100 drug smugglers, and seized 7.7 kg of heroin, 100 grams of opium, 6,631 intoxicant tablets/capsules and INR 8,760 suspected drug money from the possession of arrested persons, across the state.
18-Feb-2026
On February 18, the 29th day of Punjab Police’s statewide “war on gangsters” (Gangsters Te Vaar) campaign—Operation Prahaar—the police conducted 689 raids, arrested 196 persons and recovered one weapon from their possession. Preventive action was taken against 78 individuals, while 232 persons were verified and released. Nine proclaimed offenders (POs) were also arrested during the operation.
18-Feb-2026
On February 18, Punjab Police, on day 354 of its “Yudh Nashian Virudh” campaign, arrested 110 drug smugglers, and seized 1 kg of heroin, 2.7 kg of opium, 419 intoxicant tablets/capsules and INR 2120 drug money from the possession of arrested persons, across the state.
18-Feb-2026
An Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) sarpanch (village head), Harbarinder Singh, was shot dead and his relative, Jermandeep Singh, injured when armed assailants opened fire during a wedding ceremony at Sheron village in Tarn Taran district on February 18. The sarpanch, an agriculturist and commission agent, had attended a relative’s wedding at Sidhu Farms when three men arrived on a motorcycle and opened fire, shooting both him and his relative. Senior Superintendent of Police (SSP) Surendra Lamba stated that the incident did not appear to be linked to gangster activity, as no extortion calls had been received by the deceased. He indicated that personal enmity could be the motive behind the attack.
18-Feb-2026
The Counter Intelligence unit of the Special Cell of Delhi Police arrested a key member of the Lawrence Bishnoi gang, identified as Bobby Kabootar, in New Delhi. He had been on the run for several years and was considered a close and trusted associate within the gang. According to police sources, Bobby had been actively involved in the syndicate’s criminal activities while evading arrest. Investigations further revealed that he allegedly conducted reconnaissance (recce) ahead of the murder of Punjabi singer Sidhu Moose Wala.
18-Feb-2026
In a joint operation, the Uttar Pradesh (UP) Anti-Terrorism Squad (ATS) and the Gautam Buddh Nagar Commissionerate on February 18 arrested a fugitive terrorist of the banned Khalistan Commando Force (KCF), identified as Sukhwinder Singh Dhillon alias Dayal Singh alias Rakesh Sharma alias Chhinda, in Mohali, Sahibzada Ajit Singh Nagar district. Sukhwinder Singh was earlier arrested in Gautam Buddh Nagar, UP, with an AK-56 rifle and 121 cartridges and was produced before a court in 1993. He was granted bail on December 9, 1993, and released on August 16, 1995. Thereafter, he remained absconding for nearly 31 years, prompting the court to issue an arrest warrant against him.
18-Feb-2026
Police on February 18 arrested two alleged gangsters, identified as Sarabjit Singh and Manoj Kumar alias Monu and seized a .32 bore pistol along with two cartridges from their possession, in Ludhiana district.
17-Feb-2026
The Punjab Government on February 17 defended the continued preventive detention of Khadoor Sahib MP Amritpal Singh before the Punjab and Haryana High Court, stating that the “gravity and enormity of the threat posed by the hit list” and his “close intimate association with dreaded terrorists and gangsters” formed the basis of the detention order. Senior advocate Anupam Gupta, appearing for the State, submitted that the principal grounds of detention were twofold: the existence of a 15-member “hit list” and the petitioner’s alleged proximity to designated terrorists, including individuals notified under the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act (UAPA).
17-Feb-2026
On February 17, the 28th day of Punjab Police’s statewide “war on gangsters” (Gangsters Te Vaar) campaign—Operation Prahaar—the police conducted 630 raids, arrested 156 persons and recovered four weapons from their possession. Preventive action was taken against 88 individuals, while 190 persons were verified and released. Four proclaimed offenders (POs) were also arrested during the operation.
17-Feb-2026
On February 17, Punjab Police, on day 353 of its “Yudh Nashian Virudh” campaign, arrested 84 drug smugglers, and seized 2.1 kg of heroin, 92 kg of poppy husk, 720 intoxicant tablets/capsules and INR 11,400 drug money from the possession of arrested persons, across the state.
17-Feb-2026
Police on February 17 arrested two women, identified as Ganga and Seema, and seized 10 grams of heroin from their possession, in Phagwara, Kapurthala district.
17-Feb-2026
Police on February 17 arrested a man, identified as Ravinder Kumar and seized 6 grams of heroin from his possession, in Dhilwan, Kapurthala district.
17-Feb-2026
Police on February 17 arrested a man, identified as Kashmir Singh and seized 10 grams of heroin from his possession, in Subhanpur, Kapurthala district.
17-Feb-2026
Fortis Hospital Mohali and nearby schools in Sahibzada Ajit Singh Nagar district received bomb threat emails on February 17 in the name of the “Khalistan National Army.” The emails alleged that Punjab Chief Minister (CM) Bhagwant Mann, who was admitted to the hospital on February 16 evening, would be “poisoned” with polonium. The messages further warned that if he survived, he would meet the same fate as former Punjab CM Beant Singh, who was assassinated in a suicide bombing in 1995. The correspondence referenced the Khalistan Referendum and the sacrifices of Sikh militants and was purportedly sent by a group calling itself the “Khalistan National Army.” Punjab Police and other security agencies were placed on high alert following the threats. Investigators later traced the emails—sent via VPNs and the dark web—to Dhaka, Bangladesh, prompting international coordination.
17-Feb-2026
The Jammu and Kashmir Police, in coordination with the Punjab Police, on February 17 arrested two Pakistani juveniles—identified as Mohammad Sanaullah and Ahsan Anwar—from Punjab after they escaped from a detention facility in Jammu, Jammu and Kashmir. The accused had fled from the Juvenile Observation Home in RS Pura and allegedly snatched a motorcycle at gunpoint to aid their escape toward the Jammu–Punjab highway.
16-Feb-2026
Leaders of Dal Khalsa, Shiromani Akali Dal (Amritsar), and Panch Pardani Jatha—including Simranjit Singh Mann, Kanwar Pal Singh, Narien Singh, and Paramjit Singh Mand—stated at a February 16 press conference in Amritsar that justice in the cases of Hardeep Singh Nijjar and Gurpatwant Singh Pannun should not be compromised for diplomatic considerations, nor should the indictment of those accused of crimes against humanity be used as leverage in trade negotiations. They cautiously welcomed the indictment of Nikhil Gupta by the United States Department of Justice, noting that he has accepted involvement in an attempted murder plot targeting Pannun.
16-Feb-2026
Several schools in Ahmedabad, Gujarat, received bomb threat emails that reportedly mentioned “turning India into Khalistan”, on February 16. Following the alerts, school authorities informed the police and evacuated the campuses as a precautionary measure. Security agencies launched searches at the affected schools to investigate the threats.
16-Feb-2026
In a joint operation, the Gujarat Anti-Terrorism Squad (ATS) and the Indian Coast Guard on February 16 intercepted an Iranian speedboat carrying 203 kg of a suspected chemical substance and arrested two Iranian nationals in Indian waters near the International Maritime Boundary Line (IMBL), about 140 nautical miles off the Porbandar coast in Gujarat. The arrested individuals were identified as Abdul Majid Ismail and Abdul Sattar Kadarbaksh, both residents of Chabahar, Iran. However, the exact nature of the substance recovered is yet to be confirmed. According to police, specific intelligence inputs indicated that an Iranian drug smuggler, Haji Fida, had dispatched nearly 200 kg of suspected contraband from Konarak Port, Iran. The consignment was reportedly expected to reach Indian waters between February 15 and 16 and be transferred mid-sea to an Indian vessel for onward transportation to Punjab.
16-Feb-2026
On February 16, the 27th day of Punjab Police’s statewide “war on gangsters” (Gangsters Te Vaar) campaign—Operation Prahaar—the police conducted 516 raids, arrested 181 persons and recovered two weapons from their possession. Preventive action was taken against 67 individuals, while 139 persons were verified and released. Seven proclaimed offenders (POs) were also arrested during the operation.
16-Feb-2026
On February 16, Punjab Police, on day 352 of its “Yudh Nashian Virudh” campaign, arrested 77 drug smugglers, and seized 2 kg of heroin, 1345 intoxicant tablets/capsules and INR 69,120 drug money from the possession of arrested persons, across the state.
16-Feb-2026
Kapurthala police on February 16 arrested an individual identified as Vishal under the Arms Act and recovered two pistols along with four live cartridges from his possession in Kapurthala district.