KHALISTAN EXTREMISM MONITOR
A project of the Institute for Conflict Management
A project of the Institute for Conflict Management
05-Feb-2022
According to reports, for Pakistan-based terror outfits, the Indo-Pak border in Punjab is the favoured route when it comes to weapon supply. According to data compiled by Border Security Force (BSF), the Punjab border has recorded 450 per cent more seizures than the Jammu border, which used to be a priority route. Data also points to Pakistan’s intentions towards India as 2021 was the year when the neighbour attempted maximum chances to send weapons across since 2019. The figure has been increasing every year. The total number of weapons seized in 2019 and 2020 was not even half the total seized last year. In 2019 and 2020, BSF seized 49 weapons from the Indo-Pak border in Punjab, but in 2021, the force seized 58. The situation on the Punjab border is more serious, and weapons smuggling witnessed a massive rise. In 2019, BSF seized 247 weapons, while it seized 750 in 2020. These numbers witnessed a rise of 340 per cent in 2021. Last year, 3,322 cases were recorded by BSF. The Indo-Pak border in Rajasthan, which was earlier reporting minor cases, recorded none this year. According to data, BSF seized the largest haul from the Punjab border among other borders where the force is deployed. “Drones and local networks have made Punjab an easy route to smuggle arms into India. It requires no human life to get involved and is an easy way out. There has been a massive rise in such cases detected by BSF, but many were missed by the force and Punjab Police,” a senior BSF official said.
05-Feb-2022
The Dal Khalsa, while condemning the arrest of Fahad Shah, editor-in-chief of online news magazine The Kashmir Walla, asked the Government of India to stop gagging the media. Fahad was arrested on February 4, three days after he was questioned by the police along with three other journalists for “incorrect reporting” about a gun battle in south Kashmir’s Pulwama district.
04-Feb-2022
According to a report prepared by the Hudson Institute, Pakistan is reviving its previous tactics to spread hatred, disrupt communal harmony and promote extremism in India as Islamabad has been supporting jihadi activities against New Delhi to disrupt peace in the country. Pakistan's security apparatus has for decades supported jihadi and Khalistani groups that have targeted India, and a revival of this activity should be a source of concern to the American national security apparatus as well as India's, said the report. The Institute’s report further stated that Jaswinder Singh Multani, who was arrested in Germany for allegedly masterminding a blast at Ludhiana court in December 2021, is reportedly a leading member of the Sikhs for Justice (SFJ) movement. The SFJ's public face, Gurpatwant Singh Pannun, has apparently confirmed this fact, revealing a close relationship with Multani. Over the years, Sikhs for Justice has written public letters to the prime minister of Pakistan and the presidents of Russia and China, seeking their support against India. The Hudson Institute report, Pakistan's Destabilization Playbook: Khalistan Separatism within the US, which was authored by a group, emphasizes the need for law enforcement in Western countries to be vigilant with respect to Pakistan-backed extremist groups.
04-Feb-2022
A 13-member committee ‘Political Prisoner Release Committee’ was constituted during the meeting of various Sikh organizations on the issue of the release of Sikh prisoners from various jails. The 13-member committee has been authorized to take up the issue of political prisoners and other Sikh prisoners with government representatives. Sikh organisations led by Dal Khalsa, Alliance of Sikh Organisations and farmer organisations led by BKU (Doaba) constituted the coordination committee for the release of political prisoners. The 13-member committee included Baba Hardeep Singh Mehraj, Baba Hardeep Singh Dibdiba, HS Majhi, Kisan leaders Amarjit Singh Sandhu, Gurpal Singh, Sukhdev Singh, Narien Singh and Jaskaran Singh with Advocate Jaspal Singh Manjpur as its legal adviser.
03-Feb-2022
The Minister of State for External Affairs V Muraleedharan on February 3 said in Rajya Sabha that a small fringe group of pro-Khalistan elements in Canada is spreading anti-India feelings and the government remained closely engaged with that country over the issue. He said that both governments have recognized the fundamental principle of respect for sovereignty, unity and territorial integrity of India and Canada as the basis of bilateral ties. "The vast majority of people of Indian origin in Canada share a warm emotional bond with India and have worked for the betterment of relations between India and Canada…. There is a small fringe group of pro-Khalistan elements in Canada who spread anti-India feelings through their extremist statements and activities," the Minister said. "The government of India remains closely engaged with the Government of Canada to address our concerns relating to anti-India activities by the extremist elements," he added.
02-Feb-2022
A Pakistani youth was shot dead by the Border Security Force (BSF) as he intruded into the Indian territory crossing over the International Border (IB) in Ferozepur sector in Ferozepur district on February 2 night.
01-Feb-2022
The Punjab and Haryana high court on February 1 deferred the hearing on a suo motu plea on Punjab drug menace post assembly polls for March 24.
01-Feb-2022
Amid threats from the Pakistan-based terrorists, Afghan Mujahideen, insurgency in the Northeast states, and the Left-Wing Extremism (LWE), the Central government has enhanced the budget for the Intelligence Bureau (IB) by 13.43 percent with an allocation of INR 3,168.36 crore. The government has increased the budget so that its intelligence wing is technologically equipped.
01-Feb-2022
The State Investigation Agency (SIA) of Jammu and Kashmir (J&K) carried out a raid and arrested a person, who was allegedly involved in terror funding, identified as Jaideep Dhawan on February 1 night in Amritsar. Sources claimed that the J&K Police had seized Rs 42 lakh hawala money from Nagrota on November 16, 2021. According to police, the money was being pumped in the Valley for militants. The SIA got the transit remand of Jaideep from the Mohkampura police station. The SIA also reportedly carried out raids in other two locations of Punjab and Haryana and nabbed two more persons.
31-Jan-2022
Balwant Singh Rajoana, one of the men convicted for the assassination of former Punjab Chief Minister (CM) Beant Singh, appealed to the people to vote for the Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD) in the upcoming Punjab polls and asked ‘sangat’ to vote against the Congress to punish them for the ‘1984 anti-Sikh riots and murders of thousands of innocent Sikh youths.’ He is currently lodged at Patiala Central Jail and out of jail briefly to attend his father’s bhog ceremony.
29-Jan-2022
According to sources, Pakistan is directly involved in the narco-terror smuggling attempts along the India-Pakistan borders. Sources said, Pakistani rangers are in support of such illegal movements at the border and are constantly observing Indian movement on the borders. According to the source, the recent incident at Gurdaspur where the Border Security Force seized 57.8 kgs of heroin along with arms and ammunition from a Pakistani smuggler was an example of a similar event.
28-Jan-2022
According to sources, the Election Commission (EC) has seized drugs worth nearly Rs 75 crore from Punjab in the run-up to assembly elections. EC sources said drugs worth Rs 74.64 crore were seized under the expenditure monitoring process in Punjab up to Thursday, followed by Manipur (Rs 65.54 crore), Uttar Pradesh (Rs 25.54 crore), Uttarakhand (Rs 4.03 crore) and Goa (0.98 crore).
28-Jan-2022
According to sources, the Election Commission (EC) has seized drugs worth nearly Rs 75 crore from Punjab in the run-up to assembly elections. EC sources said drugs worth Rs 74.64 crore were seized under the expenditure monitoring process in Punjab up to Thursday, followed by Manipur (Rs 65.54 crore), Uttar Pradesh (Rs 25.54 crore), Uttarakhand (Rs 4.03 crore) and Goa (0.98 crore).
28-Jan-2022
The Border Security Force (BSF) foiled a cross-border drug smuggling bid and recovered 58 kg heroin after an exchange of fire with Pakistani smugglers in which one BSF jawan was injured in an area under Chandu Wadala border outpost along the Indo-Pak border in Gurdaspur district. Gurdaspur Senior Superintendent of Police (SSP) Nanak Singh said that the exchange of fire took place between the BSF troops and Pakistani smugglers after the latter tried to push drugs through a pipe into the Indian territory. BSF, during the search operation, recovered 47 packets of heroin and seven packets of opium. Besides, a Chinese-made Norinco pistol with two magazines, 9 mm Pietro Beretta pistol with one magazine, 74 rounds of AK-47 with four magazines, 44 rounds of 0.3 calibre and 12 rounds of 9 mm were also seized by the BSF. A 15-foot-long plastic pipe was recovered from the spot.
28-Jan-2022
The Punjab and Haryana High Court (HC), while rapping the police for their “callously casual approach” towards official duty in a drugs case, asserted that drug menace in Punjab appeared to be touching new heights with each passing day. The HC Bench asserted such conduct was least expected as the officials were duty bound to check the crime graph in the state, especially when drug menace had become deep rooted and was taking its toll like “a slow poison” on the youths.
27-Jan-2022
Several Supreme Court lawyers including senior advocate Mahesh Jethmalani received a threat call from banned pro-Khalistan outfit Sikhs For Justice (SFJ). In the audio call, SFJ chief Gurpatwant Singh Pannun was heard making a preposterous claim that the Khalistani flag will be hoisted in the Supreme Court. Pannun said, "Mr Jethmalani, you will see that we shall be going to the top court of this country and we shall raise the flag at the Supreme Court." Supreme Court advocate NS Nappinai said, "This is a little worrisome. Because if you look at the way the legal fraternity has functioned, whatever kind of case they take up be it tough or regular, there has never been a legacy of the system or the community being threatened. And now, the frequency is increasing and we have had instances of lawyers being physically harmed. Some have lost their lives also. This is a very serious issue which definitely needs to be addressed by the court and the legal fraternity to understand where things are going wrong."
27-Jan-2022
The Crime Investigation Agency (CIA) arrested a cross-border drug peddler, identified as Balwinder Singh alias Vindi and recovered heroin worth Rs 5 crore in Ferozepur district.
25-Jan-2022
According to a senior official in Delhi Police, with an aim to carry out terrorist attacks on Republic Day and derail elections in five states, Pakistan's Inter-Services Intelligence (ISI) has reactivated its Kashmir-Khalistan (K2) desk to bring pro-Khalistan and anti-India supporters in Kashmir at a common platform. Delhi Police on January 25 pasted posters with names and pictures of suspected terrorists belonging to the Al-Qaeda terror group and banned terrorist outfits of pro-Khalistan in central Delhi. A senior official said that the idea behind the K2 desk is to exploit sentiments in Punjab and Kashmir. Intelligence agencies said that around 350 terrorists are ready to infiltrate India. The videos released by pro-Khalistan outfit, Sikhs For Justice (SFJ) push the part of the K2 plan and is backed by ISI. In a recent video released by SFJ leader Gurpatwant Singh, he had shared the screen with a burqa-clad woman in the video. The woman, in her message, urged "Kashmiri Freedom Fighters" to leave the Valley and reach Delhi on January 26 to free Kashmir and Khalistan." The purported video of SFJ also featured a picture of terrorist Burhan Wani, who was killed in an encounter in Kashmir. Pannun claimed that the burqa-clad woman is a Muzaffarabad- (Pakistan-Occupied Kashmir) based woman "activist".
25-Jan-2022
The security agencies warned Delhi Police that on the occasion of Republic Day Khalistani terrorists can strike in the national capital. Police have also released posters of eight Khalistani terrorists. According to sources, Delhi Police have also reportedly got a few calls in this connection and they are taking the input seriously. Delhi Police released posters of the Khalistani terrorists from different organisations, and have urged the people to inform them immediately if they come across anything suspicious. The posters have been pasted across the national capital.
25-Jan-2022
According to Border Security Force (BSF), the International Border (IB) in Punjab remains the most vulnerable stretch along the entire western front with Pakistan, with the highest number of drone sightings, apprehensions of intruders and recovery of arms and narcotics in 2021 being reported in this sector. Sources said that, of the 100-odd drone sightings reported by the BSF in 2021, as many as 67 have been in Punjab Frontier, followed by 24 in Jammu Frontier and six in Rajasthan Frontier. Gujarat Frontier and Kashmir Frontier reported two and one sighting, respectively. A senior BSF officer revealed that in 2021, there were 62 incidents where enemy drones operating in the vicinity of the border were fired upon by BSF personnel. These included 43 in the area of Punjab Frontier and 17 in Jammu Frontier, followed by two in Rajasthan Frontier. BSF data also showed there have been 58 incidents of hostile drones crossing over into the Indian territory, out of which 45 were in Punjab alone. There have also been instances of drones being recovered after being shot down by the BSF.
25-Jan-2022
The Crime Investigation Agency (CIA) arrested two persons, identified as Vikram and Arun Bhatti and recovered a Chinese-made pistol (.30 bore) along with 25 live rounds, besides fake Indian currency worth Rs 80,000, five mobiles, an internet dongle, a car and three motorcycles from their possession in Ferozepur district.
24-Jan-2022
Several Supreme Court lawyers again received threat calls, allegedly from terrorist group Indian Mujahideen, over the removal of Article 370 that granted special rights to Kashmir. The callers threatened to hoist the flag of Kashmir in Delhi on Republic Day. The callers also referred to threats by the pro-Khalistan group, Sikhs For Justice (SFJ) and vowed to "take the fight to Delhi”. “We will take the fight to Delhi...The way Article 370 was removed is against the rights of the people of Kashmir, and the Supreme Court is just as responsible as the government...The fight for Freedom of Kashmir will take place in Delhi and the world will watch...Even the organisation 'Sikhs for Justice' which supports the idea of Khalistan is taking the fight to Delhi," transcript of the call recording said.
24-Jan-2022
According to sources, Delhi Police ramped up security measures ahead of Republic Day on the basis of specific intelligence inputs. The intelligence agencies have asked the Delhi Police to keep a watch on people who were actively involved in the protests against the CAA, the NRC and the three farm laws. Sources added that some of these individuals are in touch with anti-social elements backed by foreign sources to destabilise normalcy in India.
24-Jan-2022
Radical group Dal Khalsa, while accusing Delhi chief minister Arvind Kejriwal of blocking the release of 1993 bomb blast case convict Devinderpal Singh Bhullar, said in Chandigarh that both BJP and AAP were chips of the same block and their silence on Sikh prisoners’ issue was criminal. Dal Khalsa leaders Kanwarpal Singh and H S Dhami also announced to take out a march in Amritsar on January 26.
24-Jan-2022
Punjab police teams raided different places and arrested 10 peddlers and recovered a total of 37.05 gm of smack, 1.5-kg opium, 1.7 kg of poppy and 685 gm of ganja from their possession.