KHALISTAN EXTREMISM MONITOR
A project of the Institute for Conflict Management
A project of the Institute for Conflict Management
02-Apr-2023
Police arrested two persons, identified as Jatinder Singh and Jugraj Singh, and recovered 700 gm of opium from them in Amritsar on April 2.
02-Apr-2023
The Majitha police arrested two drug peddlers, identified as Manjit Singh and Prince, and seized 55-gm heroin and a computer scale from them near Bajwa Hospital in Amritsar district.
02-Apr-2023
Phillaur police arrested two persons, identified as Sandeep Kumar alias Happy and Harpreet alias Shinda and recovered 500 gm of heroin from Garrha village near Phillaur in Jalandhar district.
02-Apr-2023
According to sources, Punjab Police have arrested another accomplice of fugitive Khalistani leader Amritpal Singh who has been evading authorities for over 15 days. The individual was arrested for allegedly supplying Amritpal with a mobile phone that was utilized to film footage at religious sites. Sources have revealed that the IP addresses associated with the sharing of these video and audio clips have been traced to various foreign countries such as the UK, Canada, the US, and Dubai.
02-Apr-2023
A special Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) court on April 2 declared Jagdeep Singh, a former Assistant Inspector General (AIG) of the Punjab Police, a proclaimed offender (PO) in a case of alleged disappearance of Khalistan Commando Force (KCF) chief Paramjit Singh Panjwar’s mother in 1992.
02-Apr-2023
According to reports, the Union Ministry of Home Affairs (UMHA) has compiled a list of infamous gangsters who are currently situated in foreign nations. The list encompasses 28 wanted criminals who are charged with offenses such as murder and extortion. At the top of the UMHA's list is Satinderjit Singh alias Goldy Brar. He is believed to be located in the United States (US) and, alongside Lawrence Bishnoi, is thought to have orchestrated the assassination of Punjabi singer Sidhu Moosewala in 2022. According to the NIA, he is found to have direct links with Babbar Khalsa International (BKI) operative Lakhbir Singh alias Landa who is an accused in the RPG attacks in Mohali and Tarn Taran.
02-Apr-2023
Assam Chief Minister (CM) Himanta Biswa Sarma on April 2 reportedly received a threat in the form of an audio message from the banned Khalistani outfit Sikhs for Justice (SFJ). In the audio clip, the chief of SFJ, Gurpatwan Singh Pannun threatened the CM “on various counts relating to the Sikh community in Assam”. Pannun said, "This message is for Assam CM Himanta Sarma. Your government is harassing and torturing pro-Khalistan Sikhs in Assam. And also torturing those who are in jail. Listen carefully CM Sarma, the fight is between pro-Khalistan Sikhs and Indian regime. Sarma you do not pray fall to this violence. We are seeking liberation of Punjab from Indian occupation through a peaceful democratic process of Khalistan referendum. Sarma, if your government is going to torture and harass Sikhs, you will be held accountable." It should be noted that after the arrest of eight individuals associated with Waris Punjab De (WPD), led by Amritpal Singh, they were transferred to the Dibrugarh central jail in upper Assam.
01-Apr-2023
On April 1, the banned terrorist outfit Khalistan Liberation Force (KLF), through Facebook and Twitter posts, claimed responsibility for three separate incidents of fire that occurred at the Wazirpur factory in New Delhi, Azma Hotel in Panchkula (Haryana), and Kanpur market (Uttar Pradesh). The Twitter account where the press release was shared has been blocked in India. However, no security agency has yet confirmed the veracity of KLF's claim.
01-Apr-2023
The Ahmedabad Cyber Crime police detained two persons, from a rented house in Uttar Pradesh (UP), for allegedly issuing threatening messages to the public on behalf of a pro-Khalistan group against attending the India-Australia Test cricket match hosted at the Narendra Modi Stadium in Ahmedabad on March 8. Several electronic gadgets, including three SIM boxes, were seized by the police during the operation.
01-Apr-2023
The Shiromani Gurdwara Parbandhak Committee (SGPC) requested the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) to raise a formal objection with the Pakistani government concerning the murder of a Sikh merchant in Peshawar, Pakistan on March 31 by an unidentified assailant.
01-Apr-2023
Sanjay Raut, an MP (Member of Parliament) belonging to Shiv Sena (Uddhav Balasaheb Thackeray), has lodged a complaint with the police following a death threat he received purportedly from the Lawrence Bishnoi gang. The sender of the offensive message, who referred to Raut as anti-Hindu, threatened to kill him in the same manner as Punjabi singer Sidhu Moosewala in Delhi.
31-Mar-2023
The president of the Shiromani Gurdwara Parbandhak Committee (SGPC), Harjinder Singh Dhami, along with members and staff, on March 31 organized a demonstration against Chief Minister (CM) Bhagwant Mann. They criticized the CM for his statement against Akal Takht Jathedar Giani Harpreet Singh and called for the withdrawal of cases filed under the National Security Act (NSA) against Sikh youth.
31-Mar-2023
Reports suggest that the Sikh clergy and intelligentsia are now almost unanimous in their demand for Pro-Khalistan preacher Amritpal Singh to surrender himself, in order to "stand by his own words," to protect the individuals who have been arrested solely because of their support for him, and to clear the reputation of the Sikh community and Punjabis. Baba Ranjit Singh Dhadrianwale of Gurdwara Parmeshar Dwar said that the Waris Punjab De (WPD) chief should appear before the police and say that his supporters should not be booked. “He should tell the police that his supporters should not be harmed. He should say that it was his movement that they were following,” said Baba Ranjit Singh Jasbir Singh Rode, a former Akal Takht Jathedar and nephew of the deceased Khalistani militant Jarnail Singh Bhindranwale, has also called for Amritpal to surrender. Jasbir Singh stated that Amritpal had previously expressed that he would not go into hiding and was not afraid of being arrested. “Then why is he running away now? He should be offer himself for arrest. He should stand by whatever he has been saying,” he asked.
31-Mar-2023
On March 31, the Punjab Police extended their search for Amritpal Singh to include "deras" and other potential hiding places for the absconding preacher in Hoshiarpur district, where some suspects had abandoned their car following a chase three days prior.
31-Mar-2023
The Border Security Force troops on March 31 recovered two stuffed black socks containing three packets of 1.7 kg heroin close to the border fencing near Daoke village in Amritsar district.
31-Mar-2023
The Border Security Force troops on March 31 recovered 1 kg of heroin during an area domination patrol near Kalash Havelia village in Tarn Taran district.
31-Mar-2023
Indian students studying abroad are reportedly being targeted by Khalistan supporters in response to the nationwide crackdown on Waris Punjab De (WPD) leader Amritpal Singh and his associates.
31-Mar-2023
Giani Harpreet Singh, the Jathedar of Akal Takht, has criticized the Khalistani elements that were targeting the children of Punjab's Chief Minister (CM) Bhagwant Mann in response to the police's actions against Amritpal Singh.
30-Mar-2023
The chief of the banned pro-Khalistan group, Sikhs For Justice (SFJ), Gurpatwant Singh Pannun, through a pre-recorded phone call, issued a new threat to families with political affiliations and Indian students studying overseas. Pannun warned that their family members studying in the US, Canada, and Europe were at risk and that the SFJ would target them by filing cases against them. He stated that they would be unable to escape, as the group believes that atrocities are being committed against pro-Khalistani families. Pannun claimed that his group had already dismantled Congress and Badals and would now focus on AAP (Aam Aadmi Party), and that they would locate and take legal action against family members abroad, ultimately sending them back to their loved ones.
30-Mar-2023
The National Investigation Agency (NIA) on March 30 confiscated INR 7.80 lakh in cash and a vehicle, which were found to be ‘proceeds of terrorism’, in connection with a case involving the recovery of arms and explosives that were smuggled from Pakistan by the banned terror organization Babbar Khalsa International (BKI) in Haryana in May 2022. The NIA stated that the cash and vehicle were seized under the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act. On May 5, 2022, police recovered arms and ammunition and arrested four terror operatives in this connection.
30-Mar-2023
Anti-Terrorist Front (ATF) president Viresh Shandilya on March 30 burnt a Khalistan flag at Bhagat Singh Chowk in Rohtak district of Haryana. He called Khalistan sympathiser Amritpal Singh “a sleeper cell of Pakistan” and demanded capital punishment for him.
30-Mar-2023
Punjab police recovered a toy drone from the outskirts of Amritpal Singh’s village in Amritsar district on March 30.
30-Mar-2023
Punjab Chief Minister (CM) Bhagwant Mann on March 30 stated that the state police were ready to handle any potential situation, including the reported possibility of pro-Khalistani activist Amritpal Singh surrendering at Akal Takht in Amritsar. Punjab CM replied that the police would not engage in torture and would operate within legal boundaries, when asked if Amritpal Singh had set any conditions for his surrender. Meanwhile, the police have deployed drones in a village in Hoshiarpur district, where suspects had left behind their vehicle after a police chase two days prior.
30-Mar-2023
The fugitive leader of Waris Punjab De (WPD), Amritpal Singh released an audio message and stated that he is willing to endure any resistance and is not afraid of going to jail or being in police custody. He also mentioned that his health has been deteriorating due to his inability to access food, but he remains resolute. The audio was originally traced back to a Twitter account @theNSYF which is now withheld in India.
30-Mar-2023
Gurcharan Singh Garewal, the general secretary of the Shiromani Gurdwara Parbandhak Committee (SGPC), on March 30 acknowledged that Amritpal Singh had expressed a genuine desire for the Jathedar of Akal Takht to convene a Sarbat Khalsa (a meeting of the entire Sikh community). However, Garewal emphasized that it is solely the Jathedar's decision, after consultation with all Sikh organizations, to call for a Sarbat Khalsa.