KHALISTAN EXTREMISM MONITOR
A project of the Institute for Conflict Management
A project of the Institute for Conflict Management
15-Apr-2023
Punjab Police on April 15 arrested a key associate of pro-Khalistan preacher Amritpal Singh, identified as Joga Singh, who is in-charge of ‘dera’ in Pilibhit in Uttar Pradesh, from Sirhind in Fatehgarh Sahib district. According to Narinder Bhargav, the Deputy Inspector General (DIG) in the border range, Joga Singh had direct contact with Amritpal Singh, the head of Waris Punjab De (WPD). He facilitated shelter and transportation for the pro-Khalistan leader and his assistant Papalpreet from March 18 to March 28, arranging their stay in Pilibhit before their return to Punjab.
15-Apr-2023
The head of Sikhs For Justice (SFJ), Gurpatwant Singh Pannun, has claimed responsibility for the shooting and killing of four soldiers at Bathinda Military Station on April 12. In a video, he has demanded the creation of Khalistan as a separate nation for Punjab to prevent such attacks and warned Union Defence Minister Rajnath Singh. The Khalistan Tiger Force (KTF) has also claimed responsibility for the firing at the Bathinda Army Cantt. Ajit Singh, a member of KTF, has issued a letter on letterhead alleging that the Indian Army was responsible for the killing of Sikhs during their attack on the Golden Temple in 1984, and this attack on the Indian Army was an act of vengeance.
15-Apr-2023
The Punjab Police on April 15 dismissed the claims made by banned groups such as the Khalistan Tiger Force (KTF) and Sikhs For Justice (SFJ) of being responsible for the killing of four soldiers at Bathinda Military Station on April 12 as "diversionary". The Additional Director General of Police (DGP), Surinderpal Singh Parmar stated that based on the investigations so far, it appears to be an internal issue of the army. The weapon used in the attack, a 5.56 INSAS rifle, was recovered with spent cartridges. Thus, Parmar dismissed the claims made by KTF and SFJ as hollow and intended to garner media attention.
15-Apr-2023
Border Security Force (BSF) on April 15 arrested an intruder identified as Ramtali of Tati Usman village in Kasur district of Pakistan from an area close to the Raja Mohtaam outpost along the Indo-Pakistan border in Ferozepur district.
15-Apr-2023
Border Security Force (BSF) and police on April 15 arrested three persons, identified as Sandeep Singh Pehalwan, Surinder Sonu and Puneet Kajla, and recovered 12 kg of heroin from them in Abohar in Fazilka district.
15-Apr-2023
The Border Security Force (BSF) on April 15 recovered three packets weighing 3.2 kg of heroin that were airdropped by a Pakistani drone near the International Border (IB) in the Bachiwind village in Amritsar district.
14-Apr-2023
Giani Harpreet Singh, the acting Jathedar of Akal Takht, on the occasion of Khalsa Sajna Divas on April 14, urged Sikhs to be "shastradhari" (armed). He criticized the excessive police presence in Talwandi Sabo during Baisakhi and Khalsa Sajna Day. The Jathedar also refuted the notion that Punjab is a state of chaos, saying that people in the region live in peace and harmony. He stated that situations become terrible when there are conflicts between different communities in a state and even worse when there is a confrontation with the government over something.
14-Apr-2023
During a Baisakhi conference on April 14 at Talwandi Sabo in the Bathinda district, organized by the Shiromani Akali Dal (Amritsar), there were reports of slogans being chanted in favor of Khalistan and Amritpal Singh. Simranjit Singh Mann and the leader of SAD (A) expressed concern that Punjabi youth were facing harassment and that there was a deliberate effort to create a climate of fear.
14-Apr-2023
Police on April 14 arrested a practicing lawyer, Rajdeep Singh for his alleged links with fugitive Khalistani leader Amritpal Singh from Hoshiarpur in Hoshiarpur District.
14-Apr-2023
Police on April 14 arrested a man identified as Navdeep Singh and an Assistant Sub-Inspector (ASI) identified Kulwinder Singh for trying to smuggle heroin into the Faridkot jail. The jail authorities seized 4 gm of heroin from their possession.
13-Apr-2023
Police on April 13 arrested two men, identified as Hardeep Singh and Kuldip Singh for allegedly harbouring fugitive Khalistani leader Amritpal Singh from Mehtiana in Hoshiarpur district. According to police, when Amritpal escaped from police after reaching Marnaian village on March 28, he met both the brothers who were loading sand in a tractor-trailer. They allegedly took him to their residence where they provided him with food and clothing.
13-Apr-2023
Gurpatwant Singh Pannun, the leader of the banned pro-Khalistani group Sikhs for Justice (SFJ), shared a 48-second video on social media in which he called on Sikh soldiers in the Indian Army to gather at Damdama Sahib, Talwandi Sago on April 14 to support his campaign for a referendum on Khalistan. Pannun indirectly referenced Mao Zedong's tactics for revolution in the video, stating that "there will be no peace in India unless we free Punjab from Indian occupation through the Khalistan referendum." Pannun also attempted to leverage the Bathinda cantonment incident to breathe new life into his struggling movement.
13-Apr-2023
The Shiromani Gurdwara Parbandhak Committee (SGPC) chief Harjinder Singh Dhami on April 13 accused the Punjab government and the police of interfering with the arrangements being made by gurudwaras for ‘Khalsa Sajna Diwas’ (Baisakhi). The Chief of the SGPC stated that the police were imposing arbitrary restrictions on the Sangat (community), and he added that the government's actions were "extremely bad" and could not be condoned.
13-Apr-2023
The Dal Khalsa raised the flag of the Sikh Empire in remembrance of Sarkar-e-Khalsa and honored the martyrs of the faith who were shot by the neo-Nirankaris in Amritsar 45 years ago. Jathedar of the Takhat Keshgarh Sahib, Gaini Raghbir Singh, led a prayer for the health and freedom of political prisoners held in Indian jails.
13-Apr-2023
A joint team of counter-intelligence and Moga police questioned the mother of Khalistan radical leader Avtar Singh Khanda, Charanjit Kaur for the second consecutive day on April 13.
13-Apr-2023
According to sources, the Punjab police are frantically searching for the fugitive Khalistani leader Amritpal Singh, as they believe he may visit any of the state's gurdwaras, particularly during the Baisakhi period. A significant paramilitary and police force has been stationed near the Golden Temple. Since the night of April 13, police have been inspecting all vehicles on highways and connecting roads in response to rumors that Amritpal may try to travel to Talwandi Sabo during Baisakhi. Police in Punjab and other states are taking every possible measure to locate him, including putting up posters and searching each car and house.
13-Apr-2023
Punjab-based Sikh leaders expressed their criticism of the Punjab Government for blocking social media accounts belonging to media outlets in the state.
12-Apr-2023
Harjinder Singh Dhami, the President of the Shiromani Gurdwara Parbandhak Committee (SGPC), announced that the signature campaign for the release of Bandi Singhs (Sikh prisoners) will end on Baisakhi. He also stated that over 25 lakh forms have been filled out as part of the campaign.
12-Apr-2023
Police on April 12 arrested four persons, identified as Manpreet Singh, Jaspal Singh, alias Gopi, Sukhdev Singh and Dyalinder Singh and recovered 36 kg of heroin worth around INR 180 crore from their possession near the Lalowali drain bridge in Fazilka district. According to police, the consignment, smuggled from Pakistan, was to be transported to Amritsar.
12-Apr-2023
Border Security Force (BSF) recovered 4.5 kg of heroin that was dropped by a drone on the intervening night of April 12-13 near the International Border (IB) of Maharkhewa Mansa village in Fazilka district.
12-Apr-2023
Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) leader from Punjab, Sukhminderpal Singh Grewal, has offered a reward of INR 100,000 for anyone who can publicly humiliate Gurpatwant Singh Pannun, the leader of the Sikh for Justice (SFJ) organization, by blackening his face and slapping him. Grewal made this declaration on Twitter, stating that it was in response to SFJ's INR 100,000 reward offer for anyone who could throw a shoe at Prime Minister (PM) Narendra Modi during his visit to Assam on April 14.
12-Apr-2023
According to an announcement made by the Punjab Police, individuals who provide information about Amritpal Singh, pro-Khalistani leader who is on the run, will be given a "suitable" reward. The police have assured that the identity of the informant will remain confidential. Posters featuring the picture of Amritpal Singh, have been displayed in various locations, including the Batala railway station.
12-Apr-2023
During the fifth India-UK Home Affairs Dialogue (HAD) in New Delhi on April 12, the Indian government raised concerns about pro-Khalistani elements exploiting the United Kingdom's (UK) asylum status to engage in terrorist activities in India. The Indian government also urged the British authorities to enhance their monitoring efforts and take ‘appropriate proactive’ measures. The security breach that occurred at the Indian High Commission in London last month was also brought up by the administration.
12-Apr-2023
Police on April 12 detained Charanjit Kaur, the mother of pro-Khalistan activist Avtar Singh Khanda, from her residence in Moga in Moga district, and she is expected to be interrogated regarding unlawful hawala money transfers, according to a senior police official. Khanda, who is seeking asylum in the United Kingdom (UK,) was arrested by British authorities for removing the Indian flag at the Indian Embassy in London on March 19. Investigations into the Amritpal Singh case found that Khanda trained him in Dubai to keep the Khalistan movement alive before he (Amritpal) came to India.
12-Apr-2023
Meanwhile, it was also reported that pro-Khalistan activist Avtar Singh Khanda’s younger sister was taken into custody from a hospital in Mohali where she was employed as a nurse. However, no further details were available on her detention.