KHALISTAN EXTREMISM MONITOR
A project of the Institute for Conflict Management
A project of the Institute for Conflict Management
18-Jul-2020
India thanked the Afghanistan Government for the safe return of kidnapped Sikh Nidan Singh Sachdeva and decided to facilitate the return of Afghan Hindu and Sikh community members facing security threats in Afghanistan to India, said the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) in a statement. There are about 1,000 Sikh and Hindus left in Afghanistan and the sense of insecurity was heightened after their massacre at Gurudwara Guru Har Rai in Kabul in May this year.
17-Jul-2020
The Bombay high court issued a legal notice to Twitter India, as it failed to submit its reply to a petition which had alleged that the social networking platform was deliberately promoting tweets from pro-Khalistani and secessionist groups. The notice is in response to a Public Interest Litigation (PIL), filed two weeks back. The Chief Justice of the Bombay high court, in a previous order on June 5, directed Twitter India to file its response within three weeks. The response is still pending.
17-Jul-2020
According to reports, Belgium-based Ranjit Singh Nita of the Khalistan Zindabad Force (KZF) is recording audio to seek support for “registration” for secessionist “Referendum 2020” from July 19 and these audio records are sent to various people, including journalists in India. In a 1.2-minute audio call having the country code 0032 (Belgium’s ISD code), the caller introduces himself as Nita, resident of Jammu and Kashmir and “mukh sewadar” of KZF, instigating people to register themselves to participate in the campaign.
16-Jul-2020
Members of the Sikh community held a protest near the Pakistan High Commission in New Delhi against Inter-Services Intelligence (ISI) for backing pro-Khalistan activities and the ‘Khalistan Referendum 2020’. Sikh activists from the Jag Assara Guru Ott, led by Sardar Manjit Singh GK and various Sikh welfare organisations stage a demonstration near the Pakistan High Commission. There were around 50 to 60 Sikh protestors who tried to march towards the Pakistan High Commission from Teen Murti. However, they were stopped near Chanakyapuri police station, police said.
16-Jul-2020
The banned pro-Khalistan outfit Sikhs For Justice (SFJ) asked Delhi Sikh Gurdwara Management Committee (DSGMC) to facilitate the registration of Sikh voters at two city-based Gurudwaras for a referendum in November on the secession of Punjab from India. A large number of Sikhs in Delhi and many journalists have been receiving calls from US-based numbers playing a prerecorded message of SFJ’s legal adviser Gurpatwant Singh Pannun giving the details of the voter registration process and urging them to make “Referendum 2020” successful.
16-Jul-2020
The Delhi Sikh Gurdwara Management Committee (DSGMC) passed a resolution saying it had nothing to do with “Referendum 2020” and it “opposed” the propaganda. The resolution read, “SFJ on social media has given the impression that DSGMC is supporting Referendum 2020, which is objectionable. We are a religious body and have nothing to do with it.”
16-Jul-2020
Indian World Forum (IWF), an organisation working to promote art, culture and commerce among the country’s diaspora, sent a complaint to Delhi Police commissioner SN Shrivastava against a 44-second video appeal by Pannun to hold a voter registration camp at the two Gurudwaras on July 19. IWF secretary general Puneet Singh Chandhok said, “Pannun has appealed to all Indians, in particular the Sikhs, to overthrow the Indian administration in Delhi and liberate the state of Punjab from Indian occupation by virtue of promoting Khalistan and Referendum 2020 and holding voter registration camps on July 19 at Gurdwara Sis Ganj Sahib and Gurdwara Bangla Sahib.”
15-Jul-2020
Police arrested two persons, identified as Sukhwinder Singhand Ranjit Singh for allegedly peddling drugs from Pakistan, and recovered 500 gm of heroin from them on the Fazilka-Ferozepur highway in Fazilka district. The accused had also confessed that they were in touch with Pakistani smugglers, and had brought the consignment from Pakistan through a river route in Ferozepur.
15-Jul-2020
The newly elected acting president of Haryana Gurudwara Parbandhak Committee (HSGPC), Sant Baba Baljit Singh Daduwal lambasted Pakistan for carrying out genocide of Sikh youth in Punjab and Haryana by smuggling drugs and narcotics into India through the international border. Daduwal said that his priority will now be to protect the precious lives of the Sikh and other youth in the states bordering Pakistan by spreading awareness about drug abuse.
14-Jul-2020
Punjab Police busted a gang of international arms smugglers with the arrest of two gangsters, identified as Gurpreet Singh alias Gora and Germanjeet Singh from Bhogpur in Jalandhar district. Police seized a .455 bore pistol, two 9 mm pistols with four live cartridges, one pump action 12 bore rifle, one .32 bore revolver, one .30 bore pistol and live cartridges, Director General of Police (DGP) Dinkar Gupta said, adding that the Hyundai Verna car they were travelling in was also impounded.
14-Jul-2020
The Akal Takht Jathedar Giani Harpreet Singh said that the BJP led Indian government was using every tactic of eradicating minorities from the Indian sub-continent just like what Mughals did long ago. Giani Harpreet Singh said that the Mughals did everything to eradicate minorities from the Indian sub-continent but now those minorities are in majority here.
14-Jul-2020
The National Investigation Agency (NIA) raided the residence of Babbar Khalsa International (BKI) militant Paramjit Singh Pamma and interrogated his parents at Phase 3B2 in Mohali in SAS Nagar district. According to sources, Pamma, who is currently working in close association with Gurpatwant Singh Pannun, has been abroad for a long time. The NIA team searched the entire house and also seized the passbooks of bank accounts in which Pamma was depositing money. They also inquired about Pamma’s remittances and other foreign funds and noted the details of the fixed deposit (FD) accounts of the elderly couple. Pamma’s parents, Amrik Singh and Ratan Kaur, said the search went on from around 10.30 am till 4 pm.
14-Jul-2020
Haryana Police in Ambala registered a case against an unknown person for issuing a death threat to Anti-Terrorist Front India president Viresh Shandilya. According to police, the FIR was registered on the complaint of Shandilya, who alleged that he received a death threat over the phone. In his complaint, Shandilya said he had received a phone call on Sunday (July 12) night with the caller threatened him for speaking against pro-Khalistan sympathisers. Shandilya alleged that the caller said he will be eliminated like former Punjab Chief Minister Beant Singh, who was assassinated way back in 1995.
13-Jul-2020
Punjab Police busted a Pakistan-sponsored drugs and illegal arms smuggling racket, by arresting four persons including the kingpin, a Border Security Force (BSF) constable posted in Kashmir. Arrested persons were identified as constable Sumit Kumar, Simarjit Singh, Manpreet Singh and Amanpreet Singh and police recovered foreign-made weapons, 80 live cartridges etched with Pakistan Occupied Kashmir (PoK) markings and various other weapons along with Rs 32.30 lakh drug money from them. During the preliminary interrogation, the accused have confessed to being in touch with Pakistani terrorist Shah Musa who sponsored the module.
13-Jul-2020
Police arrested an absconding drug peddler, identified as Gurbejh Singh along with 1 kg heroin and Rs 46, 000 drug money in Sultanpur Lodhi town of Kapurthala district. The accused was declared a proclaimed offender (PO) by a court in two cases of drug peddling registered against him.
13-Jul-2020
Jaspreet Singh (18), who was booked under Unlawful Activities Prevention Act (UAPA) by the Punjab Police recently, returned after 16 days in custody late on July 13 night. This after Punjab Police told a Patiala court that they have found no evidence against the youth during investigation. Earlier he was arrested on June 30 along with two others as suspected to be part of a Khalistan Liberation Front (KLF) module.
12-Jul-2020
Police arrested two drug peddlers, identified as Rinkal Kumar and Krishna Kumar after recovering 47 kg of ganja from their possession on Ludhiana-Delhi highway in Ludhiana district.
12-Jul-2020
Haryana Police registered a second FIR against the leader of the banned pro-Khalistan outfit Sikhs For Justice (SFJ), Gurpatwant Singh Pannun, on charges of sedition and secessionism. The FIR was registered at Kurukshetra on the complaint of a state police official. The complainant has alleged that Pannun has been blaming the Haryana government and its people for being inimical to the interests of Sikhs and Punjabis. Haryana police spokesperson said that they have got all websites allegedly created by Pannun and launched in the past one week blocked.
12-Jul-2020
Police arrested two drug peddlers, identified as Varinder Singh and Rajinder Singh and recovered 50 gm heroin from them at Beas in Amritsar district.
12-Jul-2020
Anti-Terrorist Front India president Viresh Shandilya on July 12, 2020, received death threat over the phone. Shandilya received a phone call in the night with the caller threatened him for speaking against pro-Khalistan sympathisers. Shandilya alleged that the caller said he will be eliminated like former Punjab Chief Minister Beant Singh, who was assassinated way back in 1995. He said, ““I have been speaking against pro-Khalistani elements. I have been raising my voice against Gurpatwant Singh Pannun of the banned pro-Khalistan outfit Sikhs for Justice and the secessionist campaign he has started from the foreign soil.”
11-Jul-2020
Sikhs for Justice (SFJ) leader Gurpatwant Singh Pannun in an audio message claimed to organise an event related to the secessionist movement ‘Referendum 2020’ at Gurudwara Patshahi Chhevin in Kurukshetra in Haryana on July 11. It prompted Kurukshetra Deputy Commissioner (DC) Dhirendra Khadgata and Superintendent of Police (SP) Astha Modi to contact the management of the Shiromani Gurdwara Management Committee (SGPC)-run Gurudwara. Later, Gurudwara Patshahi Chhevin manager Amrinder Singh said that “Gurdwara Patshahi Chhevin in Kurukshetra is managed by SGPC. We have no link with SFJ. After consulting with higher officials of SGPC, we released a video message refuting the claims made in the audio message.” DC Khadgata said that, “These audio messages are being circulated with a motive to spread hatred.”
11-Jul-2020
Jalandhar Police (Rural) arrested one person, identified as Pawan Kumar and recovered 500 grams of heroin at a check point near Shahkot in Jalandhar district.
11-Jul-2020
Police arrested a woman, identified as Saroj Rani and recovered 25 kg puppy husk from her at a check point near village Atti near Goraya in Jalandhar district.
11-Jul-2020
Police arrested two drug smugglers, identified as Kuldip Singh and Ranjit Singh and recovered 130 intoxicant tablets and eight bottles of intoxicant syrups from them in Jalandhar district.
11-Jul-2020
The Punjab and Haryana High Court (HC) dismissed the bail plea of an accused in the 2019 Tarn Taran blast. The accused, Malkiat Singh, had sought bail on health grounds, stating that he was suffering from various ailments for the last few years. However, dismissing the plea, the HC observed the trial court order establishes that the appellant was in constant touch with the co-accused and was an active member of the pro-Khalistan terrorist group and further, he collected the bomb from his co-accused and kept it in his possession.