KHALISTAN EXTREMISM MONITOR
A project of the Institute for Conflict Management
A project of the Institute for Conflict Management
28-Apr-2023
According to his lawyer Bhagwant Singh Siyalka, Amritpal Singh, the leader of Waris Punjab De (WPD), currently lodged at Dibrugarh Central Jail in Assam, has affirmed that he is in a state of high spirits behind bars. The extremist leader conveyed a message written in Gurmukhi to Siyalka while in prison, stating that he was in "chardi kala" (high spirits) owing to divine blessings. Amritpal Singh criticized the Punjab government for registering "numerous false cases" against Sikhs, including members of his organization, and appealed to the Khalsa Panth for assistance, requesting the establishment of a competent legal team to handle these cases.
28-Apr-2023
The Shiromani Gurdwara Parbandhak Committee (SGPC) officials on April 28 wrote a letter to Amritsar Police commissioner Naunihal Singh, urging him to take action against social media accounts disseminating derogatory material concerning the Sikh faith and its spiritual leaders.
28-Apr-2023
The Anti-Gangster Task Force (AGTF) of the Punjab Police arrested three persons, identified as Onkar Singh, Sukhjinder Singh and Prabhjot Singh, for their involvement in obtaining and supplying passports using fraudulent information to aid the escape of gangsters and other offenders from the country. Police have seized at least nine passports, besides recovering several photocopies of passports of absconding gangsters prepared using fake particulars.
27-Apr-2023
The Mohali-based special CBI-cum-NIA court issued a proclamation notice for two absconding terrorists, Arshdeep Singh alias Arsh Dalla and Hardeep Singh Nijjar, who are believed to be operating from Canada. The court has directed the accused to appear before it by May 18, and failing to do so will result in proclaimed offender proceedings against them. The National Investigation Agency (NIA) had booked them under different sections of the Unlawful Activities Prevention Act (UAPA) on October 8, 2021.
27-Apr-2023
The Border Security Force (BSF) on April 27 shot down a drone and seized two packets of narcotics including heroin weighing 2 kg and 170 gm of opium from near the International Border (IB) in Dhanoe Kalan village in Amritsar district.
27-Apr-2023
The Counter Intelligence sub unit on April 27 arrested three youths, identified as Lavish, Jitender Kala and Kulwinder Kindu along with three pistols, two magazines and live cartridges on the Abohar-Malout road in Abohar in Fazilka district.
27-Apr-2023
The family members of the imprisoned youths in Dibrugarh jail, Assam were granted a special appointment arranged by the Dibrugarh jail authorities and Amritsar DC Harpreet Singh Sudan, to meet with their loved ones.
27-Apr-2023
In response to an intelligence alert from the banned terror outfit, Sikhs For Justice (SFJ), regarding a rail roko protest call, security has been strengthened at the Ludhiana railway station. The Government Railway Police (GRP) has added 41 extra police personnel to increase patrolling and guard vital points. According to the police, SFJ chief Gurpatwant Singh Pannun, has called for the protest on April 29 to support Amritpal Singh of Waris Punjab De (WPD), who is presently detained in Dibrugarh jail in Assam under the National Security Act (NSA).
27-Apr-2023
An individual, identified as Sucha Singh was arrested in connection with an incident of sacrilege reported in Shuor Kalan village in Gurdaspur district. The man has been accused of desecrating the Sri Gutka Sahib, a holy book of the Sikhs.
27-Apr-2023
Bhagwant Singh Sialka, who is a member of the Shiromani Gurdwara Parbandhak Committee (SGPC) and an advocate, on April 27 alleged that the arrest of pro-Khalistani leader Amritpal and other associates of the Waris Punjab De (WPD) group was a political maneuver intended to generate electoral benefits in the forthcoming by-polls in Punjab.
26-Apr-2023
According to a source, the Indian intelligence agencies, along with Dubai police assistance, have tracked down Jasmeet Singh Hakimzada, a suspected drug smuggler based in Dubai who is accused of funding the banned Khalistan Liberation Force's (KLF) operations in Punjab. The National Investigation Agency (NIA) had filed a chargesheet against Hakimzada and 11 other individuals two years ago.
25-Apr-2023
According to Punjab Police’s dossier, the arrested Waris Punjab De (WPD) chief Amritpal Singh attempted to wage war against the state for Khalistan, even warned Union Home Minister Amit Shah against putting any obstacle to his goal of creating a separate Sikh nation, and gave provocative speeches that promoted enmity among people of different faiths and languages.
25-Apr-2023
Two days after arresting pro-Khalistan activist Amritpal from outside a gurudwara in Moga, the Punjab Police on April 25 conducted a special check at gurdwaras, temples and churches to review the security arrangements and make sure that CCTV cameras were installed and working. The review was conducted across all 28 police districts in the state, as per the directive of Director General of Police (DGP) Gaurav Yadav.
25-Apr-2023
Parkash Singh Badal, the patron of Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD) and former Chief Minister of Punjab, died at the age of 95 at Fortis Hospital in Mohali on April 25.
25-Apr-2023
The Shiromani Gurdwara Parbandhak Committee (SGPC) expressed deep condolences on the passing away of Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD) chief patron and former five-time Chief Minister of Punjab, Parkash Singh Badal.
25-Apr-2023
Police arrested one person, identified as Sokha along with 1 kg of heroin in his possession near Mahilpur in Hoshiarpur district on April 25.
25-Apr-2023
Police arrested a woman, identified as Kulwinder Kaur, and recovered 5 grams of heroin from her at a checkpoint in Phagwara in Kapurthala district on April 25.
25-Apr-2023
Police arrested two drug peddlers along with 20 grams of heroin in Phagwara in Kapurthala district on April 25.
25-Apr-2023
The Gujarat Anti-Terrorist Squad (ATS) has got the custody of jailed gangster Lawrence Bishnoi in connection with a case of cross-border smuggling of drugs, an official said on April 25.
24-Apr-2023
Intelligence officials on April 24 stated that the radical separatist Amritpal Singh aimed to establish a new brand of Khalistani separatist identity in Punjab by generating a false sense of alienation and discontentment, especially among the youth. The officials believe that Amritpal's arrival in Punjab is part of a larger scheme by Pakistan’s Inter-Services Intelligence (ISI), in collaboration with Khalistani elements in the United Kingdom (UK). Over the last two months, the investigation against members of Waris Punjab De (WPD) revealed imprints of these groups' Europe and United States (US) networks, apparently used as a front by the Pakistan ISI to create a false narrative and fuel separatism.
24-Apr-2023
The Punjab Police said that Amritpal Singh's 'provocative' speeches, which he made on social media and at gatherings since arriving in Punjab in September 2022, as the primary reason for invoking the strict National Security Act (NSA) against him. It has been reported that the Punjab Police will include these reasons in the dossier that they plan to present to the state government's advisory board on April 25.
24-Apr-2023
It is believed that Jasbir Singh Rode, the former chief of Akal Takht and the nephew of Jarnail Singh Bhindranwale, played a role in the arrest of Khalistani separatist Amritpal Singh in Moga, as it was reported a day after the arrest. Sources said that Jasbir, after getting the information that Amritpal was planning to surrender at Rodewal Gurdwara, had secretly shared the information with the police.
24-Apr-2023
Patiala House Court in Delhi on April 24 granted the Gujarat Anti-Terrorist Squad (ATS) transit custody of gangster Lawrence Bishnoi in connection with the cross-border smuggling case.
24-Apr-2023
A Sikh youth, identified as Jasbir Singh (36) was arrested for attempting to desecrate a gurudwara in Morinda in Rupnagar District on April 24. As per reports, Jasbir wore shoes and jumped over the railing of the sanctum sanctorum, then proceeded to attack the priests who were present there.
24-Apr-2023
Former Director General of Police (DGP) Shashi Kant has stated that due to harassment and threats he received, he was unable to make public a report about police officers and politicians having connections with drug smugglers. He claimed that the report went missing from government records, and he did not have the authority to release it on his own.