KHALISTAN EXTREMISM MONITOR
A project of the Institute for Conflict Management
A project of the Institute for Conflict Management
29-Jun-2020
The two Khalistan Liberation Force (KLF) members, who were arrested by the special cell of the Delhi police on June 27, revealed that senior politicians of Uttar Pradesh (UP) are on the hit list of KLF. During interrogation, the KLF members told the Anti-Terrorism Squad (ATS) team that they had set up a training camp in western Uttar Pradesh. They also admitted to have prepared a list of political leaders of UP who were on their cross hairs. Additional Director General of Police (ADGP), UP ATS, Dhruva Kant Thakur said that “some of the leaders of the state were on their list.” The KLF members told the ATS that they were engaging youths in western UP at the behest of ISI handlers.
28-Jun-2020
Punjab police foiled a terror module and arrested three members of the Khalistan Liberation Force (KLF), identified as Sukhchain Singh of Patiala, Amritpal Singh of Mansa and Jaspreet Singh of Majitha in Punjab. One .32 bore pistol, along with 7 cartridges, were also recovered from the alleged terrorists. The Director General of Police (DGP) Dinkar Gupta said that the terror module was operating in various parts of Punjab at the behest of pro-Khalistani elements based in Pakistan, Saudi Arabia and the UK.
28-Jun-2020
Intelligence agencies warned the government of pro-Khalistan activities in the country backed by Pakistan’s Inter-Services Intelligence (ISI) and the banned Sikhs For Justice (SFJ) outfit. According to sources, the warning mentions that these anti-India activities are being guided by one ISI handler named Abdullah in close coordination with SFJ’s founder Avtar Singh Pannu, who is learnt to have been residing in the United Kingdom (UK). Abdullah’s name was also revealed during questioning of three arrested suspected sympathisers of the Khalistan Liberation Force (KLF), who were planning to execute targeted killings in various northern states. The KLF supporters were arrested by the special cell of Delhi Police in a week-long operation across Delhi, Punjab and Haryana. Intelligence agencies have also shared inputs about another person named Pak-based Gopal Singh Chawla, a close aide of 26/11 Mumbai terror attack mastermind and Lashkar-e-Taiba terrorist Hafiz Saeed, for his role in pro-Khalistan activities in India. It has been suggested in the warning, which was shared earlier this month, to keep the national capital on high alert ahead of Independence Day. Inputs were shared that KLF group has been tasked by ISI and SFJ for terrorist activity in the national capital, said the source.
27-Jun-2020
Indian Government sources snubbed and rejected an offer by Pakistan to reopen the Kartarpur Sahib Corridor for Indian pilgrims on June 29 on the death anniversary of the 19th century Emperor of the Sikh Kingdom Maharaja Ranjit Singh. It said that “Pakistan is trying to create a mirage of goodwill” but has proposed this at the very short notice of just two days. Sources said there should be at least seven days of advance notice as per the pact between the two nations due to preparations that need to be done for the registration process.
27-Jun-2020
Police arrested two drug smugglers, identified as Sooraj Singh and Jaswinder Singh and recovered 22,500 intoxicating pills from them in Moga city in Moga district.
27-Jun-2020
The Delhi Police busted a module of Khalistan Liberation Force (KLF) and arrested its three sympathizers who were allegedly planning to execute target killings and extortions in various north Indian states on the directions of Pakistan’s Inter-Services Intelligence (ISI)-sponsored Khalistani leaders. The three men, identified as Mohinder Pal Singh (29), Gurtej Singh (41) and Lovepreet Singh (21) were arrested from Delhi, Punjab and Haryana in separate operations by the Delhi Anti-Terrorism Squad (ATS), special cell, in the last 10 days. According to Police, three pistols and seven cartridges, three smartphones, including an iPhone, containing many incriminating videos and photographs related to Khalistani movement and their propagators were seized from the arrested persons. Deputy Commissioner of Police (special cell) Sanjeev Kumar Yadav said that at least four persons were on the target list of the arrested men but they could not execute the killings because of the lockdown announced in the country to contain the spread of the coronavirus disease (Covid-19). DCP Yadav said that Gurtej, the son of a subedar in the Indian Army, was in touch with an ISI handler, Abdullah, apart from having contacts with Avtar Singh Pannu of Sikhs For Justice (SFJ) and Gopal Singh Chawla, who is based in Pakistan and is a close aide of Hafiz Saeed, co-founder of Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT). “Abdullah had asked Gurtej to recruits like-minded people and send them to Pakistan for terrorist training. Gurtej recruited five men, including Lovepreet, who has been arrested along with him. He was also planning to extort Rs 10 lakh from two businessmen for arranging more weapons and logistics,” the DCP said. The DCP said that Mohinder originally belongs to Baramulla in Jammu and Kashmir but had moved to Delhi in 2007 for studies. In 2013, he began developing orientation towards Khalistan movement and started attending Delhi court hearings of Jagrat Singh Hawara, a Babbar Khalsa International (BKI) militant convicted for assassinating former Punjab chief minister Beant Singh. He came in touch with other sympathizers of the KLF and started working for the outfit, said Yadav. During interrogation, DCP said, Lovepreet, who worked at a computer repair shop, revealed that he developed an inclination towards Khalistan movement three-four years ago and was recruited by Gurtej, who promised to send him to Pakistan for weapon training.
27-Jun-2020
According to sources, around 20 months after the Amritsar police booked Pargat Singh (23) in a sedition case for his alleged links with outlawed Sikhs For Justice (SFJ) radical outfit, the National Investigation Agency (NIA)’s move to arrest him has brought the focus on 18 others named in the same 2018 sedition case. However, no police action was initiated against these 18 after the FIR was lodged in 2018. They are now believed to be on NIA’s radar after Pargat’s arrest, who is alleged to be the key recruiter of radical Sikh youths for SFJ. While Punjab Police had booked 30 accused in original case, it had submitted challan only against 11 at an Amritsar court in March 2019, keeping 19, including Pargat Singh and banned outfit SFJ’s Gurpatwant Singh Pannun, out of it. NIA told Mohali court earlier this week that Pargat Singh, a Sikh priest from village Tarmala in district Sri Muktsar Sahib, was one of the key conspirators and recruiter of radical Sikh youth while working under the directions of handlers located abroad to further the activities of SFJ which has already been declared an unlawful association. The original case was registered at Sultanwind Police Station, Amritsar (City) vide FIR No 152 dated October 19, 2018. The case was subsequently re-registered by NIA on April 5, 2020.
26-Jun-2020
Police arrested six people and recovered four kilograms of heroin from their possession in two separate cases in Ludhiana in Ludhiana district. The Assistant Inspector General (AIG), Special Task Force (STF), Snehdeep Sharma said that "All arrested members are from the same gang. Two of them are brothers, they can be called big fishes as their network was very vast".
26-Jun-2020
The Special Task Force (STF) arrested four persons including a drug smuggler brother duo and their wives along with 3.2 kg heroin, Rs 60,000 in cash drug money, a .32 ore pistol with four magazines and 14 live cartridges near Ishar Nagar area in Ludhiana district. The arrested accused were identified as Raj Kumar his wife Anjali, Arun Kumar, his wife Harpreet Kaur. They hail from Kapurthala however now are settled in Ludhiana. According to officials, the accused have made lots of property using drug money.
26-Jun-2020
The Director General of Police (DGP) Dinkar Gupta, on International Day against Drug Abuse and Illegal Trafficking, said that the fight against drugs is an uphill task in the wake of border fencing losing its significance to new methods of drug delivery, easy bail and operations being controlled from jails.
26-Jun-2020
Punjab Police , in a symbolic gesture to mark the International Day Against Drug Abuse and Illicit Trafficking, destroyed several quintals of illicit drugs at various places across all 24 districts. The Director General of Police (DGP) Dinkar Gupta said teams of Punjab Police took over the task of destroying 62.140 kg of heroin, along with 326.52 quintals of poppy husk, 12.536 kg of charas, 490 grams of sulfa, 755.905 kg of smack, 1.970 kg of brown sugar and 148 kg of intoxicant powder. In addition, 41.880 kg of opium was deposited in Government Opium and Alkaloid Factory, said Gupta. He reiterated that the department's commitment to eliminate drugs from Punjab, which has seen a marked increase in the number of drug users joining the state government's de-addiction programme since the imposition of curfew and lockdown in Punjab.
26-Jun-2020
The State Health and Family Welfare Minister Balbir Singh Sidhu while addressing a state-level function on International Day against Drug Abuse and Illicit Trafficking at a drug de-addiction centre in Mohali said that the onus lies on each of us to protect our youth from falling into the trap of drugs. Healthy youth can play a vital role in creating a better and drug-free society. He said, “It is reassuring for us that the new generation is becoming aware of the ill-effects of drugs use. The number of drug addicts in the state has come down drastically. However, the new generation must be stopped from going the wrong way”.
25-Jun-2020
According to reports, Khalistan terrorist Gurmeet Singh Bagga wanted to go to Pakistan via Kartarpur corridor on this Baisakhi to meet his boss. But, due to lockdown he couldn’t succeed in his plans. It is being told that the Pakistan’s Inter-Service Intelligence (ISI) had arranged all this conspiracy for terrorist Gurmeet Singh. Gurmeet Singh Bagga, a hidden Khalistani terrorist in Germany had previously come out to threaten the Punjab Police. Bagga had been plotting terrorism from Germany to Punjab, got uprooted after the arrest of his younger brother Gurdev Singh alias Priety. Investigation revealed that in 2018 Khalistani terrorist Gurmeet Singh went to Pakistan with Sikh group. Gurmeet met his masters after that Security agencies were investigating the matter of who had assisted in sending his name to Pakistan along with the Sikh religious group. The investigation also includes an aspect of how the terrorist Gurmeet Singh met the Khalistani terrorists living in Pakistan apart from the Sikh group.
24-Jun-2020
The National Investigation Agency (NIA) court rejected the bail application of British national Jagtar Singh Jaggi alias Jaggi Johal, an accused in the attack on Hindu leader Amit Arora, in view of serious allegations against him.
24-Jun-2020
The Shiromani Gurdwara Parbandhik Committee (SGPC) marked the 305th martyrdom day of the great Sikh general Baba Banda Singh Bahadur.
24-Jun-2020
Counter Intelligence Department and Border Security Force (BSF) arrested a man, identified Kashmir Singh alias Sheera, having links with Pakistan-based smugglers and recovered 4.16-kg heroin from Gatti Rajo Ke village in Firozepur District.
24-Jun-2020
Police arrested two drug peddlers and seized 24,000 narcotic pills in Sri Muktsar Sahib district.
24-Jun-2020
According to reports, the recent investigations into the terror module that was busted with the arrest of two alleged Khalistani operatives on June 19 have revealed that Pakistan’s Inter-Services Intelligence (ISI) is eyeing ‘vulnerable’ youths of Punjab to create trouble in Punjab. Gurmeet Singh and his aide Vikram Singh of Amritsar were arrested when they were trying to clear a weapon consignment that was pushed in from Pakistan by their handlers. Police had seized a German-made MP5 sub-machine gun, a 9mm pistol with 4 magazines, and two mobile phones with a host of incriminatory conversations, messages, photographs etc. “Gurmeet, who is an opium addict, had gone to Pakistan as part of a Sikh jatha in 2017 on the occasion of Baisakhi. He was contacted by ISI sleuths in Pakistan through a Khalistani supporter and was brain-washed to take part in terror activities. He had been in contact with the ISI sleuths through social media platforms. His handlers were yet to give him the target,” said a police official. He said, “Some Khalistani supporters in Pakistan are helping the ISI in targeting Punjab’s youth, especially those with humble background. We are very close to identifying the Khalistani supporters. We have also identified some more members of the module in Punjab.”
23-Jun-2020
During the interrogation of arrested Khalistani operative Gurmeet Singh and his accomplice Vikram Singh, it came to light that Pakistan-based agencies and anti-national elements were spotting ‘talents’ on social media platforms for carrying out terror attacks and targeted killings in Punjab. They were targeting the youth who are economically weaker and have inclination towards ‘separatism’. They also target youth such as gangsters for the purpose, said official. Sources also said that Gurmeet Singh was a drug addict and was involved in the trafficking of opium from Rajasthan though there was no FIR against him.
23-Jun-2020
The leading Punjabi actor-singer Diljit Dosanjh said in a reply to Ludhiana Congress MP Ravneet Singh Bittu’s demand for an FIR against him and another singer Jazzy B, that he has always stood by the country and Punjab. “I am an Indian taxpayer who has always stood shoulder-to-shoulder with the country and Punjab in time of need,” said Dosanjh. Earlier, Bittu accused both singers of inciting youngsters to take up arms and fight for a separate Sikh state of Khalistan, prompting Dosanjh to upload a video on his Twitter handle and come out in defence of his song, Rangroot, from his 2014 film, Punjab 1984, a clip of which was shared on social media recently. However, Dosanjh said that the movie was screened in Punjab only after the censor board’s go-ahead. “The film was given a national award by the Indian government.
23-Jun-2020
The key conspirator behind recruiting youth for the banned Sikhs for Justice (SFJ), Pargat Singh (23), who was arrested recently, was produced in a National Investigation Agency (NIA) court in Mohali which remanded him to NIA custody till June 29. According to NIA, the case was related to a series of acts of violence, including arson, in Punjab during 2017-18, carrying out of propaganda activities online and on ground, and organising campaigns in support of ‘Referendum-2020’.
22-Jun-2020
The Shiromani Gurdwara Parbandhak Committee (SGPC) president Gobind Singh Longowal condemned the abduction of Afghan Sikh Nidhan Singh Sachdeva from the Paktia province in eastern Afghanistan and pointed out that Sikhs in Afghanistan were subjected to harassment. He urged the Centre to intervene to ensure the safety of the Sikh community in Afghanistan.
22-Jun-2020
According to Indian intelligence report, Pakistan is using its diplomatic missions, particularly in London to ‘fund and foment’ anti-India hate campaigns. The role of the Pakistan High Commission in London, primarily of a colonel rank officer of Pakistan Army posted as an advisor there, has come to light, the report reveals. The colonel is assigned the task of re-uniting splinter groups of pro-Khalistan Sikhs, operating from Britain, Germany, the Netherlands and some other countries of Europe. At the behest of Pakistan's Inter-Services Intelligence (ISI), the colonel has been instrumental in funding Khalistan groups, including Sikhs For Justice (SFJ) which has an office in London. Report said that Gurmeet Singh Bagga, based in Germany's Hamburg, has links with Khalistani militants operating from Britain and the US including Gurpatwant Singh Pannun of SFJ. The colonel, who works under a senior official of Pakistan Navy posted at High Commission, has been a key person in organizing several anti-India protests at the Indian High Commission office in London. ISI-backed Khalistani groups have attacked several Indians outside the Indian High Commission office, near Bush House in London in March 2019. Later it was found that SFJ organized the attack with help of the Overseas Pakistani Welfare Council, backed by the ISI and the Pakistan High Commission. Pannun and his close aides have been frequent visitors to the Pakistan High Commission, located at Lowndes Square.
22-Jun-2020
Shiromani Khalsa Dal’s president Swarn Singh Khalsa said that Pakistani former railway minister Khwaja Saad Rafique was misleading Muslim community of Pakistani Punjab by leveling baseless allegations of desecrating and looting mosques on Maharaja Ranjit Singh. “The greatness of Maharaja Ranjit Singh’s regime is evident in world’s history of that era,” he said. He also said that Khawaja Saad Rafique should immediately tender apology for making attempts to malign image of the world’s best ruler.
21-Jun-2020
The National Investigation Agency (NIA) arrested a key member of a gang allegedly involved in recruiting radical Sikh youths for the outlawed Sikhs For Justice (SFJ) group on directions from foreign handlers in a bid to create unrest in the country. The accused, identified as Pargat Singh (23), a resident of Sri Muktsar Sahib, was produced before a special NIA court in Mohali on June 22 which remanded him to NIA custody until June 29. Singh is one of the key conspirators and recruiter of radical Sikh youths while working under the directions of handlers located abroad to further the activities of SFJ. The case was registered at the Sultanwind police station in Amritsar (City) in 2018 under sections of the Indian Penal Code (IPC). During investigation, sections of the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act (UAPA) and the Arms Act were added, the official said. Punjab Police filed a charge sheet against 11 arrested accused in March 2019, he said.