KHALISTAN EXTREMISM MONITOR
A project of the Institute for Conflict Management
A project of the Institute for Conflict Management
17-Jul-2023
Khanna police on July 17 arrested two persons, Abhishek Saxena and Aman and recovered three illegal country-made pistols of .315 bore from their backpacks in Khanna, Ludhiana district. On July 20, a country-made .315 bore pistol was also recovered based on the information provided by them. According to Khanna Senior Superintendent of Police (SSP) Amneet Kondal, during questioning, the accused revealed that they were friends and had connected with an unidentified person through Instagram. This person provided them with illegal weapons and instructed them to supply the weapons to Ludhiana.
17-Jul-2023
The National Investigation Agency (NIA) officials revealed on July 17 that a Pakistani arms supplier based in Dubai, UAE, identified as Hamid had provided the weapons used in the murder of Punjabi singer and politician Sidhu Moosewala. Hamid claimed to have close ties with gangster Goldy Brar alias Satinderjit Singh, a close associate of the Lawrence Bishnoi gang. Moosewala was shot dead by six assailants in the Mansa district of Punjab on May 29, 2022. NIA documents reveal that Shahbaz Ansari, an arms supplier for the Bishnoi gang, met Hamid in Dubai prior to Moosewala's murder to discuss arms smuggling and the supply of weapons to Lawrence Bishnoi. The investigation is also examining the connection between Khalistani terror group Babbar Khalsa International (BKI) and Moosewala's murder.
17-Jul-2023
Senior Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD) leader and former Minister S. Mahesh Inder Singh Grewal on July 17 criticized Punjab Chief Minister (CM) Bhagwant Mann and urged him to refrain from dictating to the Khalsa Panth on how it should manage its religious affairs or disseminate the teachings of the great Guru Sahiban to the Sikh Sangat through the sacred Gurbani and its telecast mode.
17-Jul-2023
The Inspector General of Police (IGP) Headquarters Sukhchain Singh Gill, on July 17, revealed that Punjab Police's year-long battle against drugs has resulted in the arrest of 16,360 drug smugglers, including 2,351 major players. They have registered 12,218 FIRs, with 1,458 related to commercial quantity. During this period, the police seized 1220.94 kg of heroin, 797.14-kg opium, 902.13-kg ganja, 375.47 quintals of poppy husk, and 65.49 lakhs tablets/capsules/injections/vials of pharma opioids from across the state. The police also seized INR 12.33 crore in drug money and forfeited properties worth INR 26.72 crore from 66 major smugglers. Additionally, law and order have improved, with the police dismantling 18 terror modules and 208 gangster/criminal modules, arresting 143 terrorists/radicals after recovering 31 rifles, 209 revolvers/pistols, 5 tiffin improvised explosive devices (IEDs), 6.78 kg RDX and other explosives, 10 hand grenades, one sleeve of disposed rocket launcher, 51 drones, and one loaded rocket-propelled grenade.
17-Jul-2023
The Narcotics Control Bureau (NCB) has opened two offices in Amritsar, Punjab, which were virtually inaugurated by Union Home Minister (UHM) Amit Shah on July 17. The objective of this move is to strengthen the fight against drug peddlers in the border state.
16-Jul-2023
According to the police, the killing of a 65-year-old man in Moga, Punjab on July 16, who was shot dead by four unidentified assailants, was part of a gang war between the Bishnoi and Bambiha gangs. On July 17, the police revealed that the killing was in retaliation for an attack on gangster Goru Baccha in jail. Baccha, a member of the Lawrence Bishnoi gang, has been accused and taken into custody. The victim, Santokh Singh, was the father of gangster Sukhdev Singh, who is a member of the Bambiha gang. The police are investigating the incident and attempting to identify the assailants involved in the murder. Goru Baccha is already facing trial for various crimes and is associated with other notorious gangsters.
16-Jul-2023
The Border Security Force (BSF) on July 16 arrested two persons and recovered 508 grams of opium from them along the international border in Ferozepur Sector in Ferozepur district.
16-Jul-2023
The Border Security Force (BSF) troops recovered 1.2 kg of opium near Gandhu Kilche village, in Ferozepur district of Punjab.
15-Jul-2023
Anti-Gangster Task Force (AGTF) and Bathinda Police arrested four members of the Goldy Brar-Lawrence Bishnoi gang and recovered one Chinese pistol and five live cartridges, along with 270 gm of heroin and one car from their possession in Bathinda in Bathinda District on July 15. Director General of Police (DGP) Punjab, Gaurav Yadav informed there are a number of cases related to extortion, kidnapping, and the arms and NDPS Act registered against the accused.
15-Jul-2023
The Shiromani Gurdwara Parbandhak Committee (SGPC) on July 15 changed the name of its YouTube channel, which will be used for live broadcasts of Gurbani from Golden Temple, to 'Sachkhand Sri Darbar Sahib, Sri Amritsar'. Earlier, the name of the YouTube channel was announced as “Sachkhand Sri Harmandir Sahib, Sri Amritsar”.
15-Jul-2023
A gangster belonging to the Davinder Bambiha gang, Surinderpal Singh alias Billa escaped from Guru Gobind Singh Medical College and Hospital in Faridkot district on July 15. Billa who was arrested on July 10 after an encounter was undergoing treatment at the Hospital. He is alleged to have been involved in running an extortion racket.
14-Jul-2023
The Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD) on July 14 officially conveyed its opposition to a Uniform Civil Code (UCC) and emphasized that implementing a UCC would not be in the nation's best interest.
14-Jul-2023
The Shiromani Gurdwara Parbandhak Committee (SGPC) on July 14 announced that it would be broadcasting Gurbani recitals from Golden Temple on its YouTube channel starting from July 24, taking back the rights from the PTC channel.
14-Jul-2023
The Anti-gangster Task Force (AGTF) and Bathinda Police on July 14 arrested Baljinder Singh alias Bindri, an alleged member of the Lawrence Bishnoi gang and his three accomplices and recovered a Chinese pistol, five cartridges and 270 grams of heroin from them in Bathinda. According to the Director General of Police (DGP) Gaurav Yadav, the investigation revealed that the gang members used drones to smuggle arms and narcotics across the Indo-Pak border, and the suspects have a criminal history with numerous cases related to extortion, kidnapping, and arms and narcotics offenses against them.
14-Jul-2023
The Chief Khalsa Diwan (CKD), a central organization comprising various Singh Sabhas across Punjab, on July 14, expressed strong opposition to the implementation of the Uniform Civil Code (UCC) proposed by the Central government in India. In a joint statement, CKD President Dr Inderbir Singh Nijjar, Vice-President Jagjit Singh, and other members emphasized that in a vast and diverse country like India, implementing a single civil code for different religions is likely to encounter numerous challenges.
13-Jul-2023
Waris Punjab De’s (WPD) chief Amritpal Singh's wife, Kirandeep Kaur, and Daljit Singh Kalsi's wife, Neeru Kalsi, along with their son Simarjeet Sunny Singh Kalsi on July 13 visited Dibrugarh Central Jail in Assam to meet their imprisoned family members. The visit follows allegations that Amritpal Singh gave a letter to his wife during her previous visit, in which he urged the Sikh community to reject drugs and adhere to religious principles while seeking martyr status for two recently deceased Pro-Khalistan terrorists.
13-Jul-2023
The British High Commissioner to India, Alex Ellis, on July 13 emphasized the United Kingdom (UK) government's strong stance against any form of extremism, including pro-Khalistan and anti-India protests in the UK. He mentioned that security advisors from both countries recently discussed the matter, highlighting the UK's commitment to dealing firmly with extremism through legal measures and regulations.
13-Jul-2023
Dal Khalsa, a pro-Khalistani outfit, has raised the issues Sikhs are facing in India with the United States (US) government. Through a communique, originally intended for United States (US) diplomats in India, it highlighted concerns regarding the misuse of oppressive laws against Sikh dissidents, detentions under the Unlawful Activities Prevention Act (UAPA) and the National Security Act (NSA), social media censorship, and state interference in Sikh religious affairs.
13-Jul-2023
Four prisoners identified as Simranjit Singh, Surinder Singh, Amanpreet Singh, and Varinder Singh, were injured in a gang war that took place early in the morning of July 13 in Kapurthala Modern Jail in Kapurthala.
13-Jul-2023
The Punjab and Haryana High Court (HC) on July 13 dismissed Waris Punjab De (WPD) chief Amritpal Singh's plea to quash an order by the Amritsar Deputy Commissioner (DC) that allegedly denied him and three others the right to be defended by a lawyer of their choice.
12-Jul-2023
On July 12, Pro-Khalistani graffiti and slogans were spotted outside the office and residence of the Deputy Commissioner (DC) and the Forest Department Building in Barnala in Barnala district. Later, in a video, Gurpatwant Singh Pannun, the leader of Sikhs For Justice (SFJ), claimed responsibility for the graffiti.
12-Jul-2023
In a video circulated on social media on July 12, Gurpatwant Singh Pannun, Khalistani leader and the chief of Sikhs For Justice (SFJ), threatened to avenge the death of Khalistan Tiger Force (KTF) leader Hardeep Singh Nijjar and disrupt the upcoming 2023 Cricket World Cup. In the video, which depicted graphics of a grenade attack on the Narendra Modi stadium in Ahmedabad, Gujarat, Pannun called for halting the Cricket tournament until Sikh self-determination is achieved.
12-Jul-2023
A video went viral on social media on July 12 in which an individual dressed in Nihang robes is seen offering namaz, sparking outrage within the Sikh community. Bhai Amrik Singh Ajnala, the chief of a breakaway faction of Damdami Taksal, strongly condemned the act, considering it a violation of Sikh identity and disrespectful to religious sentiments. The person in the video, identified as Boota Singh Inderjit, defended his actions, claiming unity among religions and citing a shabad from Gurbani. The video was reportedly recorded months ago but recently gained attention online.
12-Jul-2023
Police on July 12 arrested two individuals, identified as Gurvinder Singh Bhinda and Analaveet Singh and seized 200 kg of poppy husk from their truck in Khuiyan Sarwar village in Ferozepur district. The onion carrying truck was travelling from Rajasthan to Punjab.
12-Jul-2023
Several Border Security Force (BSF) border outposts were inundated and were subsequently evacuated due to floodwaters on July 12, in Ferozepur district of Punjab.