KHALISTAN EXTREMISM MONITOR
A project of the Institute for Conflict Management
A project of the Institute for Conflict Management
09-Jan-2026
Police on January 9 arrested a man, Ranjit Singh alias Jwanda and seized 400 grams of heroin from him in Rahon in Shaheed Bhagat Singh (SBS) Nagar district.
09-Jan-2026
Two masked motorcycle-borne youths on the night of January 9 opened fire outside a beauty salon over an extortion demand, injuring a woman, identified as Kashish, in Jandiala Guru, Amritsar district. Police said the attackers fired multiple shots at the salon run by Kuldeep and his wife Kashish before fleeing, brandishing a pistol. Preliminary investigations revealed the couple had received an extortion call from an unknown foreign WhatsApp number on January 3 demanding INR 1 crore, which they ignored without reporting to police.
08-Jan-2026
On January 8, Punjab Police, on day 313 of its “Yudh Nashian Virudh” campaign, registered 82 first information reports (FIRs), arrested 98 drug smugglers and seized 1.04 kg of heroin, 7 kg of ganja, 105 quintals of poppy husk, 20,900 intoxicant tablets/capsules and INR 14,070 drug money from the possession of arrested persons, across the state.
08-Jan-2026
One youth, Lovepreet Singh, was killed and his friend Dilpreet Singh was injured after being attacked by unidentified assailants near Fatehgarh Korotana village in Moga district on January 8. Preliminary investigations suggest the attack stemmed from an old rivalry, and police said the deceased was facing a criminal case at the Kot Ise Khan police station in Moga district.
08-Jan-2026
Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) national convenor Arvind Kejriwal on January 8 said the Punjab government would launch a “full-scale war against gangsters,” on the lines of the Yudh Nashian Virudh (War Against Drugs) campaign, while meeting newly elected local body members with Chief Minister (CM) Bhagwant Mann in Ludhiana. He said that after drugs, the government would take on gangsters and dismantle their networks across Punjab, asserting that none would be spared.
08-Jan-2026
The Punjab and Haryana High Court (HC) recently denied bail to Amit Gambhir in a high-profile narco-terrorism case involving the 2019 seizure of over 530 kg of heroin and other narcotics hidden in a rock salt consignment imported from Pakistan. The court said there was evidence of his involvement in acts endangering the country’s unity, integrity, and security, noting that proceeds from the drug smuggling were routed to Dubai via hawala in dirhams to fund cross-border terrorist activities.
08-Jan-2026
According to a January 8 notification, the Union Ministry of Home Affairs (UMHA) appointed Urfi Masood Syed as special public prosecutor to conduct trials in nine NIA cases before a special court in Mohali, Punjab, including a narco-terror case from Jammu and Kashmir and the 2019 Tarn Taran bomb blast case.
08-Jan-2026
The Moga district court complex was evacuated on January 8 after a bomb threat email was received on the official email account of the district judicial authorities.
08-Jan-2026
The Ropar judicial complex in Rupnagar district was evacuated on the morning of January 8 after judicial authorities received an email threatening a bomb attack on the premises. As a precaution, the Anandpur Sahib judicial complex was also evacuated amid fears of a wider security risk.
08-Jan-2026
Bathinda police on January 8 arrested a woman for allegedly brandishing a pistol in a social media video in Bathinda district. Police said this was the first such case involving a woman, noting that last year 24 youths were arrested in 17 cases for similar offences.
08-Jan-2026
Mansa police on January 8 claimed to have arrested all five accused in the killing of 19-year-old Jashandeep Singh of Kulheri village, who was beaten to death at the Budhlada bus stand on January 7 afternoon. Police said the murder stemmed from an old rivalry.
08-Jan-2026
The chief of the banned outfit Sikhs For Justice (SFJ), Gurpatwant Singh Pannun, in a recent video circulated on social media, targeted youth and students in Punjab and sought to provoke anti-state sentiment. In the video, Pannun claimed that from January 12 he intended to orchestrate disruptions related to the national anthem in schools and colleges across Punjab, asserting that “Jana Gana Mana” would be halted and replaced with “Deh Shiva Bar Mohe Ihe.” He further alleged that Hindi would be removed from the state.
07-Jan-2026
The State Special Operation Cell (SSOC), Sahibzada Ajit Singh Nagar, in coordination with Counter Intelligence Ludhiana, on January 7 arrested two Ludhiana-based men, identified as Haibowal Kalan and Avtar Singh and seized a 9 mm pistol and five live cartridges, foiling a planned targeted killing, in Ludhiana district. Police said the accused were acting on instructions from handlers based in the United Kingdom (UK) and Germany. Preliminary investigations revealed links with Khalistan Commando Force (KCF)–associated handlers, with the duo allegedly conducting reconnaissance of government buildings and prominent offices in Ludhiana as part of the conspiracy.
07-Jan-2026
The Amritsar Commissionerate Police on January 7–8 averted a planned targeted killing and extortion attempt by busting a module linked to gangster Jaggu Bhagwanpuria, arresting five accused, Aditya Raj, Kulwinder Singh alias Billa Vikram, Manpreet, and Gurpreet and seizing two pistols (a Turkey-made 9 mm Glock and a .32 bore country-made pistol), two swords, and a long knife in Amritsar district. Police said Aditya Raj, a native of Nalanda, Bihar, was hired to carry out the targeted killing, with the gang using an out-of-state associate to evade law enforcement. He is directly linked to gangsters Jaggu Bhagwanpuria and Keshav Shivala and acted on their instructions.
07-Jan-2026
On January 7, Punjab Police, on day 312 of its “Yudh Nashian Virudh” campaign, registered 82 first information reports (FIRs), arrested 107 drug smugglers and seized 6.2 kg of heroin, 7 kg of poppy husk, 496 intoxicant tablets/capsules and INR 34,820 drug money from the possession of arrested persons, across the state.
07-Jan-2026
According to reports, Ludhiana (Rural) Police have detained nine persons, including six relatives of the accused, in connection with the January 5 murder of bouncer Gagandeep Singh in Ludhiana district. While identities of all those in custody were not disclosed, police said interrogation of Gurdeep Singh, currently in remand, yielded vital information on the illegal activities of at least four main accused. Investigators added that old enmity between the deceased and prime accused Gursewak Singh Mota was the motive behind the killing.
07-Jan-2026
Mahilpur police on January 7 arrested one person, identified as Balwinder Singh alias Sonu and recovered a large quantity of banned tablets from his possession in Mahilpur, Hoshiarpur district.
07-Jan-2026
Garhshankar police on January 7 arrested two persons, identified as Suraj of Denowal Khurd and Bobby Devi and recovered 130 grams of intoxicant powder during a naka checking operation in Hoshiarpur district.
07-Jan-2026
Police on January 7 arrested one person, identified as Mandeep Singh and recovered 12 grams of heroin from his possession in Tanda, Hoshiarpur district.
07-Jan-2026
Inspector General (IG) of Police, Faridkot Range, Nilambari Jagadale said the range police seized over 95 kg of heroin, 106 kg of opium, and more than 11,280 kg of poppy husk in 2025 as part of an intensified anti-drug crackdown in the state. Since March 1, 2025, police arrested 4,144 accused in 3,125 NDPS cases across Faridkot, Sri Muktsar Sahib, and Moga districts, besides seizing over 13.93 lakh intoxicant tablets and capsules and drug money worth INR 62.83 lakh, dealing major blows to organised drug syndicates operating in the region.
07-Jan-2026
Police on January 7 arrested a man, identified as Ajul Arora and recovered 4.863 kg of heroin, two 9 mm pistols, 10 cartridges, and the vehicle used for transportation, near the stadium in the Lopoke area of Ajnala, Amritsar district.
07-Jan-2026
The Border Security Force (BSF) on January 7 seized 1 kg of heroin smuggled from Pakistan, packed in a yellow-taped packet, in Ajnala, Amritsar district.
07-Jan-2026
The Narcotics Control Bureau (NCB), Chandigarh Zonal Unit, in coordination with the Punjab Police’s Anti-Narcotics Task Force (ANTF), has detained notorious drug trafficker Sandeep Singh alias Chatha under the PITNDPS Act, 1988. A resident of Rasulpur Rohi village in Amritsar district, he is a history-sheeter involved in seven criminal cases, including three under the NDPS Act, since 2013. Officials said his activities came under serious scrutiny in 2017–18 following two arrests by Tarn Taran and Amritsar police, but he continued to expand his drug trafficking and cross-border networks.
07-Jan-2026
Wanted fugitive and Lawrence Bishnoi gang member, Aman Kumar alias Aman Bhainswal was deported from the United States (US) and arrested by the Haryana Police Special Task Force (STF) at New Delhi airport on January 7. The STF said Aman, detained in the US two months ago, ran his own gang and had links with the Rohit Godara gang, and is involved in multiple cases of murder, attempted murder, firing, extortion, and Arms Act violations across Haryana and the Delhi-NCR. A total of 10 criminal cases are registered against him in Haryana and Delhi, six of them before he fled abroad. His deportation was coordinated by the CBI with the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) and the Union Ministry of Home Affairs (UMHA) following an Interpol Red Notice issued at Haryana Police’s request.
07-Jan-2026
The Punjab government on January 7 launched the second phase of its “Yudh Nashian Virudh” (War against Drugs) campaign at Lovely Professional University, Phagwara, in Kapurthala district. Aam Aadmi Paty (AAP) national convener Arvind Kejriwal and Chief Minister (CM) Bhagwant Mann said the initiative has shifted from a largely policing-led drive to a broader social movement based on public participation, institutional coordination, and transparent enforcement.