KHALISTAN EXTREMISM MONITOR
A project of the Institute for Conflict Management
A project of the Institute for Conflict Management
24-Jan-2023
A local court in Amritsar on January 24 remanded drug peddler Sonu Masih, a resident of Khanwal village, in four-day police custody. Sources said the STF found Masih’s links with Pakistan-based smugglers and he used to supply the contraband in different parts of the state.
24-Jan-2023
The Lambi police on January 24 arrested a person, identified as Gourav and seized 4.4-kg heroin from near Balochkera village on the Malout-Sitto Gunno road in Sri Muktsar Sahib district. According to police, a car was intercepted at a naka near Balochkera village and 4.4-kg heroin was found in it. One of the occupants in the car was arrested, while the other managed to flee from the spot.
24-Jan-2023
Khalistani graffitis were found on January 24 at the Central Industrial Security Force (CISF) complex, Maharaja Ranjit Singh Punjab Technical University, National Fertilisers Limited, and Mata Kali temple in Punjab. According to reports, the outer walls of five local places were smeared with Khalistani graffiti. Later, the pro-Khalistani outfit Sikh For Justice (SFJ)’s head Gurpatwant Singh Pannun uploaded the graffiti's video on social media, where he asked people not to attend the official function in Bathinda on January 26 and warned the Chief Minister (CM) Bhagwant Mann against unfurling the national flag. The same scare tactics were used in several other towns of Punjab, said the report.
23-Jan-2023
The Supreme Court (SC) advocate Vineet Jindal on January 23 filed a complaint with Delhi police against an unknown person linked to the Khalistani terrorist organisation Sikhs For Justice (SFJ) for giving life threats on calls and WhatsApp. In his complaint, Jindal said that he had received death threats from terrorist organisations, including Babbar Khalsa International (BKI), SFJ and Islamic terrorists as well. He recently filed a complaint against SFJ for propagating the Khalistani movement in India and threatening terrorist activities on Republic Day. According to sources, Jindal received death threats from two international numbers +61474268548 and +15105841217. Later, he also received a death threat in messages on WhatsApp from +61474268645. In the message, there was a video message from Khalistani supporters who burnt an effigy. There was a message with images of the gun firing at a mat.
23-Jan-2023
Controversial former Punjab Pradesh Congress Committee SC cell leader Karamjit Singh Gill, who was booked and later arrested for hurting religious sentiments, urged the police to provide him with security as per the orders of the Punjab and Haryana High Court. A controversy erupted when he had entered the Golden Temple complex wearing a T-shirt of former Congress MP and the alleged accused of 1984 anti-Sikh riots, Jagdish Tytler. Gill said that following the instance, Sikh radical organisations had threatened to kill him. He said due to the threat to his life, he was kept in a barrack at Mansa jail following his arrest. He said even there, he was attacked by some persons in the jail complex and sustained injuries. He said before the Golden Temple incident, he had two gunmen for his security who were withdrawn later.
23-Jan-2023
Punjab Director General of Police (DGP) -Intelligence- asked all deputy commissioners to monitor government buildings round the clock for three days ahead of Republic Day to prevent activists of Sikh For Justice (SFJ) from ‘indulging in illegal activities’. Activists of the banned organisation, SFJ, often write Khalistan slogans or hoist the Khalistani flag on government buildings on important occasions like Independence Day and Republic Day. DGP – Intelligence- in a letter said, “Sikh for Justice activists may indulge in illegal activities and hoist Khalistani flags or write Khalistani slogans on the vacant buildings.”
22-Jan-2023
Prime Minister (PM) Narendra Modi suggested roping in veteran police officers to deal with Khalistani terrorism at the All India Conference of Directors General and Inspectors General in New Delhi on January 22. According to sources, the PM said intelligence agencies and officers should talk to former officers who were on duty and tackled the Khalistani terrorism. Sources said senior officials will ensure PM’s suggestion is implemented by different anti-terror agencies and police in states and Union Territories. The Indian Police Service (IPS) officers from cadres where states were earlier affected by Khalistani terrorists will be called for a discussion. Investigators who probed cases are likely to be contacted, sources added.
22-Jan-2023
According to reports, Khalistan extremism emerged as a key security concern at the annual All-India Conference of Director Generals/Inspector Generals of Police in Delhi and was discussed by the Border Security Force (BSF), Intelligence agencies, National Investigation Agency (NIA) and Punjab police. “It was told that there has been an increase in smuggling of weapons from Pakistan and attempts are being made to destabilise Punjab by activating the front of Khalistan extremism. Even NIA and Punjab police have found in their investigations that Pakistan and abroad-based terrorists are using local gangsters to execute their terror plans,” a source said. Overhauling the jails in Punjab, scrutiny of radical funding and check on weapon proliferation from across the border were some of the suggestions discussed by intelligence agencies on ways to tackle Khalistan extremism.
22-Jan-2023
Security agencies warned that separatist groups sitting in Pakistan, Canada and America are hatching dangerous Khalistani conspiracies against India. A large number of fake handles on social media are engaged in spreading this conspiracy. According to sources, a large number of fake handles from Pakistan are active on social media regarding Khalistan and Punjab Referendum. Articles against India are posted on these fake social media handles. Sources said, on December 29, 8,332 posts in the name of Khalistan were posted on social media, out of which the locations of most of the posts were found in Pakistan. Similarly, on December 15, there were a total of 8707 posts in the name of Khalistan, out of which the location of most of the posts was Pakistan and America. The special thing is that on most of the social media handles from which posts are being made in the name of Khalistan, wrong things were written against India regarding Kashmir.
22-Jan-2023
According to report, the State Special Operation Cell (SSOC) of Punjab Police booked five people including gangster Jagdeep Singh alias Jaggu Bhagwanpuria for their alleged links with the terror outfits. The accused also include some people based in foreign countries who have been involved in terror activities in the past. Apart from Bhagwanpuria, those booked were identified as Amritpal Singh, UK-based Paramjeet Singh alias Pamma, USA-based Darmanjot Singh Chahal and Pargat Singh. It was alleged in the First Information Report (FIR) that Bhagwanpuria and Pargat Singh had ties with proscribed outfits Babbar Khalsa International (BKI) and Sikhs for Justice (SFJ) to carry out terror related activities in Punjab.
22-Jan-2023
Punjab Police on January 22 carried out raids on suspected hideouts of persons linked with Canada-based gangster-turned-terrorist Lakhbir Singh alias Landa of Harike village of Tarn Taran district. The simultaneous raids were conducted at the residential and other premises linked to Lakhbir landa, in all the districts of Punjab in the ongoing cases. The operation was aimed at disrupting the nexus between terrorists, gangsters and drug smugglers based in India and Abroad.
22-Jan-2023
The Border Security Force (BSF) and the Punjab Police, in a joint operation, shot down a drone carrying five kg of heroin near the India-Pakistan international border in Amritsar on the intervening night of January 21 and 22. According to sources, this is the sixth drone recovered in less than two months. Two suspects were also arrested in this connection. Amritsar Rural Senior Superintendent of Police (SSP) Swapan Sharma said the police teams fired at least 12 shots from AK-47 and shoot down the drone.
21-Jan-2023
The Narcotics Control Bureau (NCB) busted an international terror racket and recovered 34.466 kgs of Heroin, 5.470 kgs of morphine, 557 grams of opium and 23.645 kgs suspected narcotics powder and arrested 16 persons in connection with this in Ludhiana. During the investigation the NCB learnt that the drug lord Akshay Chhabra had invested his black money which he had earned by illegal drug trade.
21-Jan-2023
A report titled, ‘Inside Punjab Prisons’, an in-depth report by the Punjab State Legal Services Authority (PULSA) prepared in collaboration with the Commonwealth Human Rights Initiative on the conditions of prisons in Punjab revealed that around 42.1% of the prison population in the Punjab jails comprised prisoners accused or convicted under the Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances (NDPS) Act.
21-Jan-2023
Police busted a gang of smugglers, arresting nine of its members and recovered 2kg of heroin and a pistol along with a magazine in the border village Sethan under Mamdot police station in Ferozepur on January 21.
21-Jan-2023
The Amritsar police arrested an alleged accomplice of notorious gangster Harry Chatha, identified as Gurwinder Singh alias Ginda from Amritsar. According to police, he along with his accomplice Laada Johal of Australia, at the behest of Chatha, allegedly demanded extortion from a private school’s principal, two years ago.
21-Jan-2023
The Sikhs for Justice (SFJ) head Gurupatwant Singh Pannun posted a video on social media asserting to execute a terrorist attack in the wake of India prepares to celebrate its 73rd Republic Day on January 26. Pannun, in the video, claimed to “liberate Punjab from Indian occupation in 2023”. He said, “Stay indoors on January 26, or you’ll be thwarted by the SFJ. Delhi will be our target, and we will unfurl the flag of Khalistan.” He also offered 5,00,000 dollars to anyone who unfurls Khalistan’s flag on the Red Fort. Following the threats, lawyer Vineet Jindal filed a complaint against the SFJ and Pannun in the Supreme Court.
21-Jan-2023
Three days after Khanna police claimed to have busted the target killing and extortion module operated by a United States (US)-based gangster with links to the international terrorist organisation Babbar Khalsa International (BKI) with the arrest of 13 accused, including a woman, National Investigation Agency (NIA) reached Khanna and initiated investigation. Inspector General (IG, Ludhiana zone) Kaustubh Sharma said that the Khanna police have shared details with the NIA about arrested accused, recovered weapons and ammunition. The NIA concentrated on gangster Amrit Bal’s loyalist Daljit Kaur alias Maano of Jadu Nangal in Amritsar. The NIA team enquired about money transactions made by the gangsters hiding in foreign countries. The IG added that one of the accused, Harsimranjit Singh, who is a truck driver, had smuggled weapons for the module. The accused had used to hide the weapons in his truck while transporting the materials here and there. Further, he added that all 13 accused were assigned tasks by Amrit Bal. Daljit Kaur Maano used to convey the orders of Amrit Bal to the rest of the members of the module.
21-Jan-2023
Punjab Police, ahead of Republic Day celebrations 2023, on January 21 conducted a special operation “OPs Eagle-II” aimed at searching for criminal and anti-social elements and apprehending suspicious people for verification from across the state. The operation was conducted on directions of Director General of Police (DGP) Punjab Gaurav Yadav in all the 28 police districts with an aim to make Punjab a safe and secure state as per the Vision of Punjab Chief Minister (CM) Bhagwant Mann.
20-Jan-2023
According to sources, the National Investigation Agency (NIA) conducted raids simultaneously in Gurdaspur and Muktsar districts in connection with the December 2021 Ludhiana blast case. NIA claimed that during the searches, Rs 10.16 lakh, mobile phones, SIM cards and dairies with incriminating content were seized. Notably, one person had died and six injured in the blast in the district court complex in the blast.
20-Jan-2023
The Shiromani Gurdwara Parbandhak Committee (SGPC) on January 20 vowed to intensify their signature campaign for release of ‘Bandi Singhs’ (Sikh prisoners), which it claims are lodged in different prisons despite having completed their jail sentences. The SGPC said the nationwide campaign launched last month will now be taken to the villages and educational institutions.
20-Jan-2023
The anti-drug Special Task Force (STF) of Punjab Police arrested a drug smuggler, identified as Sonu Masih after hot chase at Dubar Basti village falling under the Ajnala sub-division in Amritsar district on January 20. Police have also recovered 1kg and 100 gm of heroin and a .32 bore pistol from his possession. Sonu’s father Roopa Masih is the village sarpanch of Khanwal village.
20-Jan-2023
The Delhi Police special cell in association with the Punjab Police arrested two close associates of fugitive Khalistani terrorist Landa Harike, identified as Rajan Bhatti and Kanwaljeet Singh alias Chinna from Amritsar Rural in Amritsar district. According to police, Rajan Bhatti, a resident of Gurdaspur, has been named in over 15 cases and was absconding. He is accused of target killings and disturbing communal harmony in Punjab on the directions of Landa Harike and Harvinder Singh Rinda. On the basis of disclosures made by Rajan Bhatti and a technical analysis, police arrested Kanwaljeet Singh. According to Police, accused Rajan Bhatti was handling Chinna for receiving and pushing drone-dropped drugs and firearms in Punjab. Landa Harike had tasked Rajan and Chinna with killing two targets in Punjab. The Delhi Police team in association with the Punjab Police conducted a raid when the suspects opened fire at the police and tried to escape. In the exchange of fire, police personnel received bullet injuries. In the operation, Chinna was apprehended while his accomplice managed to flee.
20-Jan-2023
The National Investigation Agency (NIA) on January 20 conducted searches at two different locations in Punjab in the Ludhiana court bomb blast case that occurred on December 23, 2021, in which one person died and six were injured. The places raided by the anti-terror agency included Mukhtiar Sahib and Gurdaspur districts of Punjab, said the NIA. During these searches, the NIA claimed to have seized Rs 10,16,000 cash, mobile phones, SIM cards and dairies with incriminating content.
20-Jan-2023
According to reports, the nationwide signature campaign launched by the Shiromani Gurdwara Parbandhak Committee (SGPC) for the release of Bandi Singhs (Sikh political prisoners) is receiving good response. SGPC sources claimed that around 10 lakh people have signed during the campaign. These signatures will be submitted to the President of India.