KHALISTAN EXTREMISM MONITOR
A project of the Institute for Conflict Management
A project of the Institute for Conflict Management
27-May-2026
According to reports, following the recovery of 5.1 kg of heroin from Punjabi singer Harbir Singh Sohal on May 25, the Khanna Police in Ludhiana district are preparing to dismantle an international drug syndicate allegedly operating from Australia and Canada. Investigators believe Sohal’s arrest could help identify other associates involved in drug trafficking across Khanna and surrounding areas of Ludhiana district.
26-May-2026
On May 26, the 126th day of Punjab Police’s statewide “war on gangsters” (Gangstran Te Vaar) campaign—Operation Prahar— the police conducted 509 raids, arrested 229 persons and recovered 10 weapons from their possession. Preventive action was taken against 104 individuals, while 10 persons were verified and released after questioning. Three proclaimed offenders (POs) were also arrested during the operation.
26-May-2026
On May 26, Punjab Police, on day 451 of its “Yudh Nashian Virudh” campaign, arrested 25 drug smugglers, and seized 513 grams of heroin and INR 20,200 drug money from the possession of arrested persons, across the state.
26-May-2026
The Counter Intelligence (CI) unit in Ferozepur on May 26 busted a cross-border illegal arms trafficking module with the arrest of alleged weapon supplier, Lakhwinder Singh along with five .30 bore Glock pistols and four live cartridges in Ferozepur district. Punjab Director General of Police (DGP) Gaurav Yadav said the accused had a criminal background and was released from jail a month ago. Preliminary investigations revealed that the weapons were allegedly smuggled into India through cross-border channels for further distribution through the network. The DGP added that investigations were under way to trace the module’s forward and backward linkages and identify all those associated with it.
26-May-2026
All five accused involved in installing a spy camera near the Sujanpur bus stand in Hamirpur district, Himachal Pradesh, to monitor the movement of Army and paramilitary convoys along the strategic Jammu-Pathankot National Highway have been booked under the Official Secrets Act and Section 113 of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS), which pertains to terrorist acts and carries the death penalty. Police sources said a mobile phone destroyed by the accused allegedly contained sensitive information and contact numbers of international smugglers reportedly backed by Inter-Services Intelligence (ISI).
26-May-2026
The National Investigation Agency (NIA) filed a chargesheet before the Special NIA Court in Panchkula against nine accused, including two Pakistani nationals, in connection with the November 25, 2025 grenade attack on the women police station in Sirsa, Haryana. The chargesheet named Pakistan-based handlers Shahzad Bhatti and Sohail Ahmad alias Sohail Baloch, along with arrested Indian nationals Dheeraj alias Dhiru, Vikas alias Vikky, Sandeep alias Daimar, Vikas, Sushil alias Sillu, Md. Sijaan alias Ghazi, and Gurjant Singh. According to the NIA, the attack was part of a conspiracy orchestrated by Pakistani gangster-turned-terrorist Shahzad Bhatti to spread terror by targeting police establishments and personnel in India. Investigations further revealed that Shahzad and Sohail had allegedly recruited and radicalised the arrested accused through social media platforms and encrypted communication channels.
25-May-2026
Punjab Police on May 25 arrested two workers of the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), identified as Gurpreet Singh and Harbhajan Singh Dargan and recovered 32.5 grams of opium and INR 40,600 in cash allegedly being distributed during the civic body elections, in Arniwala area of Fazilka district.
25-May-2026
On May 25, the 125th day of Punjab Police’s statewide “war on gangsters” (Gangstran Te Vaar) campaign—Operation Prahar— the police conducted 519 raids, arrested 258 persons and recovered nine weapons from their possession. Preventive action was taken against 92 individuals, while 22 persons were verified and released after questioning.
25-May-2026
On May 25, Punjab Police, on day 450 of its “Yudh Nashian Virudh” campaign, arrested 50 drug smugglers, and seized 1.5 kg of heroin, 580 intoxicant tablets/capsules and INR 1050 drug money from the possession of arrested persons, across the state.
25-May-2026
Punjab Police on May 25 arrested Punjabi singer Harbir Singh Sohal and recovered 5.1 kg of heroin, INR 150,000 in alleged drug money, and a Mahindra Thar from his possession, in Ludhiana district. Sohal was reportedly a close associate of slain gangster Jaipal Bhullar. In 2022, he was arrested by Mohali police in connection with illegal weapons possession and an extortion racket allegedly operated at the behest of foreign-based handlers. Khanna Senior Superintendent of Police (SSP) Darpan Ahluwalia said the breakthrough came during investigations into backward and forward linkages in a drug trafficking case registered by Doraha police on March 7.
25-May-2026
Punjab Police on May 25 arrested an accused, identified as Lovepreet Singh alias Akashpreet Singh and recovered two hand grenades, detonators and a pistol from his possession, in the Chatiwind police station area of Amritsar district. During preliminary interrogation, the accused allegedly disclosed that the consignment had been dropped inside Indian territory in the Attari sector by Pakistan-based smugglers using a drone a few days earlier. Police officials said the grenades were allegedly intended to be used in attacks on police establishments.
25-May-2026
Border Security Force (BSF) and Punjab Police on May 25 recovered 20 packets containing 10.950 kg of heroin from the Jalalabad area of Fazilka district. According to official sources, farmer Teja Ram, accompanied by a BSF jawan, had gone beyond the border fencing near Prabhat Singh Wala village in the Jalalabad subdivision for crop management work when they spotted a white bag lying in the field of another farmer, Mahavir Prasad, near the Indo-Pak international border.
25-May-2026
An email threatening to blow up the residence of Punjabi singer Diljit Dosanjh in Ludhiana was received on May 25, allegedly from a group calling itself the “Khalistan National Party.” The threat email was sent to the official email address of the Ludhiana Municipal Corporation and also contained threats targeting the Ludhiana Mayor’s residence and office. According to the email, the Mayor’s house would be attacked by 1:11 pm, while Dosanjh’s residence was allegedly threatened to be blown up by 9:11 pm. However, it is learnt that Diljit Dosanjh does not currently reside at the property.
25-May-2026
Rumours of a firing incident outside the residence of Bollywood actor-comedian Kapil Sharma in Amritsar district spread rapidly on May 25, prompting the Commissionerate Police to issue a clarification denying the reports. The rumours gained traction on social media amid references to multiple shooting incidents over the past year targeting Kap Sharma’s Canada-based Kap’s Café.
24-May-2026
On May 24, the 124th day of Punjab Police’s statewide “war on gangsters” (Gangstran Te Vaar) campaign—Operation Prahar— the police conducted 529 raids, arrested 269 persons and recovered two weapons from their possession. Preventive action was taken against 100 individuals, while 16 persons were verified and released after questioning. 11 proclaimed offenders (POs) were also arrested during the operation.
24-May-2026
On May 24, Punjab Police, on day 449 of its “Yudh Nashian Virudh” campaign, arrested 72 drug smugglers, and seized 30.6 kg of heroin, 271 intoxicant tablets/capsules and INR 4200 drug money from the possession of arrested persons, across the state.
24-May-2026
Unidentified armed assailants shot dead a Punjab Police Assistant Sub-Inspector (ASI), identified as Joga Singh, while he was on his way to duty on the Fatehgarh Churian–Majitha road in Amritsar district on May 24. Singh, who was posted in the Traffic Wing of the Amritsar Police Commissionerate, was travelling to Amritsar on his scooter around 6 am when two unidentified motorcycle-borne assailants intercepted him about a kilometer before Majitha and opened fire at close range. He sustained bullet injuries to the chest and waist and died on the spot, while the attackers fled after the shooting.
24-May-2026
Hours after the murder of Assistant Sub-Inspector (ASI) Joga Singh in the Majitha area, a poster attributed to the obscure outfit Tehreek-e-Taliban Hindustan surfaced on social media, claiming responsibility for the killing and issuing fresh threats against security personnel and government officials, on May 24 evening. The group also claimed that a video related to the attack would soon be released online. Notably, the same organisation had earlier claimed responsibility for the killing of two policemen in the Dorangla area of Gurdaspur earlier this year, raising concerns among security agencies. However, the authenticity of the poster has not yet been verified.
24-May-2026
Unidentified motorcycle-borne assailants opened fire at the house of deceased ex-serviceman Subedar Sadhu Singh in Manolian village, Hoshiarpur district, in the early hours of May 24. No casualties were reported, though the attackers allegedly fired at least three rounds at the house.
24-May-2026
The Counter Intelligence (CI) wing of the Punjab Police on May 24 arrested four drug peddlers and seized 28.12 kg of heroin along with INR 950,000 in drug money during an operation in the Guruharsahai area of Ferozepur district. Preliminary investigations revealed that the module had links with foreign-based smugglers and handlers, who had allegedly tasked the accused with retrieving and distributing the narcotics consignment within Indian territory. Further investigations are under way.
24-May-2026
Police on May 24 arrested three drug smugglers, identified as Ranjeet Singh alias Rana, Arshdeep Singh alias Arshi, and Akashdeep Singh alias Akash, and seized 4.254 kg of heroin from their possession in Ferozepur district.
24-May-2026
The Delhi Police Special Cell on May 24 arrested three alleged sharpshooters of the Kapil Sangwan alias Nandu gang along with two alleged weapon suppliers, identified as Abhishek, Sahil, Harshdeep alias Polu, Karan alias Ankush, and Aman, foiling a planned firing incident linked to an extortion racket in New Delhi. According to police, the accused had allegedly been tasked by gangster Kapil Sangwan to open fire at a clinic in Delhi’s Chhawla area to intimidate the target for extortion purposes.
24-May-2026
On May 24, the Kapurthala Police registered an FIR against 31 inmates for rioting and vandalism at the Central Jail in Kapurthala district on May 23. Two mobile phones, along with several iron rods and sticks, were seized from the prisoners. The accused were booked on charges including attempt to murder, arson, rioting, obstructing public servants from performing their duties, live transmission of objectionable content, and criminal conspiracy. The inmates allegedly damaged jail property, set items on fire, and livestreamed the unrest, which continued until the morning of May 24. Police used tear gas shells to bring the situation under control and force the rioters back into their barracks.
23-May-2026
On May 23, the 123rd day of Punjab Police’s statewide “war on gangsters” (Gangstran Te Vaar) campaign—Operation Prahar— the police conducted 512 raids, arrested 222 persons and recovered six weapons from their possession. Preventive action was taken against 101 individuals, while 12 persons were verified and released after questioning. Four proclaimed offenders (POs) were also arrested during the operation.
23-May-2026
On May 23, Punjab Police, on day 448 of its “Yudh Nashian Virudh” campaign, arrested 113 drug smugglers, and seized 12.4 kg of heroin, 279 intoxicant tablets/capsules and INR 2700 drug money from the possession of arrested persons, across the state.