KHALISTAN EXTREMISM MONITOR
A project of the Institute for Conflict Management
A project of the Institute for Conflict Management
27-Mar-2023
On March 27, the Border Security Force (BSF) troops stationed along the border in the Rajatal Border Outpost area of Amritsar sector detected a drone intrusion and took action by firing at it. Later, a drone and a bag containing a packet containing 2 kg of heroin and a torch were recovered approximately 700 meters away from the International Border and 350 meters from the border fence.
27-Mar-2023
The Border Security Force (BSF) troops on March 27 detected the intrusion of another drone near the Attari joint check post. The troops fired at the drone and later found a packet believed to contain 2 kg of heroin at Hardo Rattan village in Amritsar district during a subsequent search in the area.
27-Mar-2023
During the night of March 27-28, a drone intrusion was detected by Border Security Force (BSF) troops in the Ramtirath area of the Amritsar sector. A subsequent search operation resulted in the arrest of two individuals and the seizure of three packets containing 3.22 kg of heroin near Bachiwind village in Amritsar district.
27-Mar-2023
The Akal Takht Jathedar Giani Harpreet Singh on March 27 served a 24-hour ultimatum on the state government for the release of the detainees.
27-Mar-2023
The Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD) on March 27 criticized the deployment of a substantial number of paramilitary forces in Punjab for the ongoing operation against pro-Khalistan leader Amritpal Singh and his supporters. The SAD questioned the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) government's decision, suggesting that the government was exaggerating the separatism issue to conceal its failures.
26-Mar-2023
Some media personnel and government officials on March 26 received pre-recorded threatening calls of the chief of banned pro-Khalistan group Sikhs For Justice (SFJ), Gurpatwant Singh Pannun in Uttarakhand. In the audio message, Pannun threatened to raise Khalistani flags during G-20 summit at Nainital’s Ramnagar and warned Uttarakhand Chief Minister (CM) Pushkar Singh Dhami against taking action against Sikhs in the state. Pannun said, “G-20 delegates….Ramnagar is not India. Ramnagar is Khalistan. Sikhs for Justice is going to raise Khalistani flags during G-20 summit at Ramnagar, at airports and at railway stations to show and internationalise that Ramnagar will be part of Khalistan once we liberate Punjab from Indian occupation through Khalistan Referendum. And if chief minister Dhami tried to file cases against Sikhs in Uttarakhand, you will be held accountable for each crime you are committing. Message is from Gurpatwant Singh Pannun, SFJ general counsel.”
26-Mar-2023
According to the Sikh coordination panel, which is headed by ex-militant leader Daljit Singh Bittu, the Jathedar is holding a meeting to address the state forces' excesses, but simultaneously requesting protection from these same forces.
26-Mar-2023
The Dal Khalsa wrote a letter to the Jathedar with its president Harpal Singh Cheema saying, “Our complaint is that you have shown laxity in fulfilling responsibility twice in the matter of the recent incidents. As the time passes, such decisions become a mere formality and bear no impact.”
26-Mar-2023
The Director General of Police (DGP) Gaurav Yadav stated that the Punjab police have set free 197 individuals out of the 353 who were arrested under preventive sections of the law on account of apprehension of breach of peace and disturbance in law and order since March 18. The DGP mentioned that apart from 353 persons, 40 persons had been arrested under substantive criminal offences and seven had been detained under the National Security Act. He also said that directions had been issued to all SSPs and Commissioners of Police to ensure that no innocent person was harassed or arrested.
26-Mar-2023
Punjab Police on March 26 arrested two wanted criminals and recovered 4 kgs heroin, 2 pistols, 18 live cartridges, INR 2.6 lakh drug money, and a car from them in Tarn Taran district.
26-Mar-2023
Balkaur Singh, the father of the late Punjabi singer Sidhu Moosewala, claimed on March 26 that he had received an email threatening his life. He alleged that "I've received threats on email from Rajasthan saying that I'll be killed soon, so don't take Lawrence Bishnoi's name". The police have registered a case against unidentified individuals who made threats against Singh. Earlier also, Balkaur Singh alleged that he was threatened and said that he would be killed before April 25.
26-Mar-2023
The Udham Singh Nagar police in Uttarakhand on March 26 announced that they have identified around 150 followers of the Waris Punjab De (WPD) chief Amritpal Singh on social media. Police sources said, "Our social media vigilance team has compiled a list of Singh's district-specific followers on social media and is counselling and challaning them. 150 people have been recognized thus far." Meanwhile, Uttarakhand police have increased vigil on the Nepal and Uttar Pradesh (UP) borders after a lookout notice was issued by the Punjab police against Amritpal Singh and his aides.
26-Mar-2023
India on March 26 summoned Canadian High Commissioner Cameron MacKay to express its strong protest against the activities of the Khalistan supporters in Canada and also asked for an explanation for breaching the security of the Indian diplomatic mission and consulates last week.
26-Mar-2023
According to reports, Police officials and investigative agencies are at odds over the whereabouts of fugitive Waris Punjab De (WPD) leader Amritpal Singh, even after CCTV footage allegedly showed him wandering in Patiala in Punjab. One faction claims that he is still in Punjab, while another suggests that he has escaped into a district of Uttar Pradesh (UP) that shares porous border with Nepal. They argued that the blurry image of Amritpal was not conclusive evidence but a tactic to mislead the police who were pursuing him.
25-Mar-2023
The Delhi Police registered a First Information Report (FIR) following an anonymous warning that the Indian flag may be replaced with a Khalistan banner at Pragati Maidan in New Delhi, the venue for the upcoming high-profile G20 meeting in September. According to police sources, an investigation was initiated after an individual received an audio recording from an unknown number two days ago, which referred to the police crackdown against the radical preacher Amritpal Singh in Punjab.
25-Mar-2023
As per reports from intelligence agencies, Amritpal Singh, the absconding pro-Khalistan preacher and leader of the Waris Punjab De (WPD), allegedly kept his wife captive and subjected her to frequent physical abuse, while also maintaining relationships with multiple other women. The central intelligence agencies further disclosed that Amritpal was leading an extravagant lifestyle in Dubai that was not in line with the tenets of Sikhism, and he was not even an Amritdhari Sikh.
25-Mar-2023
According to reports, Papalpreet Singh, media advisor of fugitive Waris Punjab De (WPD) leader Amritpal Singh, was facing three charges of sedition and Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act (UAPA) before the Ajnala incident. Papalpreet is said to have shared controversial interviews on a social media channel that he managed to further his cause. He was also one of 20 people arrested by the Amritsar (Rural) police on charges of sedition in connection with the organization of the "Sarbat Khalsa" in Chatiwind during the SAD-BJP government tenure in 2015. Papalpreet had established the Sikh Youth Front and was linked to the Sikh Youth Federation (Bhindranwale) and the extremist group Dal Khalsa. Although he joined SAD (A) in 2017, he resigned from the party within months. The Waris Punjab De (WPD) provided him with a platform to pursue his activities for the "Khalistan" cause, where he was considered Amritpal's right-hand man and mentor.
25-Mar-2023
Border Security Force (BSF) troops recovered seven packets of heroin weighing 7 kg, lying in a field near Wan village in Tarn Taran district on March 25.
25-Mar-2023
Border Security Force (BSF) troops recovered a container containing 810 grams of heroin lying in a field in Bharopal village near the border fence in Amritsar district on March 25.
25-Mar-2023
A man received an audio threat message from Khalistani supporters on his phone after he arrived at the Delhi airport from Mumbai. The pre-recorded audio message allegedly contained threats of seizing control of Pragati Maidan in New Delhi and replacing the Indian Tricolour with the Khalistani flag. Furthermore, the message contained profanity directed towards Prime Minister (PM) Narendra Modi and Union Home Minister Amit Shah. Based on the man's complaint, the Delhi Police filed a case on March 25.
25-Mar-2023
Giani Harpreet Singh, the Jathedar of Akal Takht, on March 25, urged Amritpal Singh, the leader of Waris Punjab De (WPD), to surrender himself and cooperate with the police in the investigation in to the cases against him. Amritpal Singh, the head of the WPD, is charged with nine separate first information reports (FIRs) in various offenses.
25-Mar-2023
A new CCTV footage purportedly showing Amritpal Singh, the leader of Waris Punjab De (WPD), surfaced online on March 25. In the video, Amritpal Singh is apparently seen wearing jacket and trousers while speaking on a mobile phone. The footage was reportedly filmed in Patiala in Punjab. However, police have not yet confirmed the authenticity of the unverified video clip, which is garnering attention on social media.
25-Mar-2023
The Minister of External Affairs, S. Jaishankar has criticized the UK government for failing to fulfill its security responsibilities, following an incident in which a group of pro-Khalistani protesters damaged the Indian High Commission in London and removed the Tricolour flag from the premises. The minister asserted that it is the duty of the host country to safeguard diplomats and ensure that embassy or high commission properties are treated with respect and that these obligations were not fulfilled in this case. He further revealed that discussions have taken place between the Indian and British governments regarding this matter.
24-Mar-2023
The Delhi Sikh Gurdwara Management Committee (DSGMC) requested the Akal Takht's officiating Jathedar, Giani Harpreet Singh, to hasten the process of issuing guidelines for carrying the "saroop" (physical copy) of Guru Granth Sahib in public areas, especially in disputed public places and protest sites. After the Ajnala incident, the Akal Takht formed a subcommittee with 16 members to examine this issue. A meeting was held on March 6 at Takht Sri Kesgarh Sahib in Anandpur Sahib to discuss the matter.
24-Mar-2023
According to police source, the arrested gunman of pro-Khalistan leader Amritpal Singh, Tajinder Singh Gill alias Baba Gorkha, confessed during interrogation that he had met Amritpal Singh through Bikram Singh Khalsa, whom he had encountered during the farmers' protest on the outskirts of Delhi. Baba Gorkha also disclosed that they had established a firing range in Amritpal's native village Jullupur Kheda in Amritsar district and had arranged bulletproof jackets for the newly-formed group Anandpur Khalsa Fauj (AKF). He joined as Amritpal's gunman five months ago and had been posting images and videos of guns on social media without a license to carry a weapon. Furthermore, his mobile phone had images of an ‘AKF’ hologram and Khalistan currency, including a "10 dollar" note, as well as a picture of a Pakistani national's driving license. During the investigation, Baba Gorkha revealed that each AKF member had been assigned a belt number such as AKF 3, AKF 56, and AKF 47, possibly based on their seniority or proximity to Amritpal Singh. The examination of his phone showed that two WhatsApp groups, "AKF" and "Amritpal Tiger Force," were created, and the members of AKF were being paid salaries.