KHALISTAN EXTREMISM MONITOR
A project of the Institute for Conflict Management
A project of the Institute for Conflict Management
01-Oct-2025
Since the launch of its ‘Yudh Nashian Virudh’ (War Against Drugs) campaign on March 1, 2025, which has now completed seven months, Punjab Police has registered 20,641 first information reports (FIRs) and arrested 31,478 drug smugglers. The operations have led to the recovery of 1,359.5 kg of heroin, 437 kg of opium, 248 quintals of poppy husk, 31 kg of charas, 498 kg of ganja, 7.2 kg of ICE, 37 lakh intoxicant pills/tablets, and INR 12.73 crore in drug money.
01-Oct-2025
The Border Security Force (BSF) on October 1 seized a bag containing 3.165 kg of ICE drug (methamphetamine) near Burj village along the India-Pakistan border in Amritsar district.
01-Oct-2025
The Border Security Force (BSF), in a joint operation with Punjab Police, recovered 580 grams of heroin and a drone from a field near Dal village in Tarn Taran district on October 1.
01-Oct-2025
Police on October 1 arrested two persons, identified as Sunil Kumar and Gursharan Singh alias Gury and seized 167 grams of heroin along with 26,000 banned Pregabalin capsules, in Garhshankar, Hoshiarpur district.
30-Sep-2025
On September 30, Punjab Police, on day 213 of its “Yudh Nashian Virudh” campaign, registered 48 first information reports (FIRs), arrested 71 drug smugglers and seized 5.38 kg of heroin, 1.3 kg of opium, 5 kg of poppy husk, 465 intoxicant tablets/capsules and INR 1480 drug money from the possession of arrested persons, across the state.
30-Sep-2025
Punjab Director General of Police (DGP) Gaurav Yadav on September 30 stated that officers across the state have been given a free hand to deal firmly with gangsters and anti-social elements. Chairing a state-level law and order virtual meeting with senior officers, including Station House Officers (SHOs), the DGP outlined a comprehensive action plan ahead of the festive season. He directed officials to remain vigilant, ensure peace and harmony, and safeguard citizens. Yadav further instructed police personnel to identify and arrest associates of gangsters, assuring them, “You have full protection and support from the department. Deal with the gangsters fearlessly.”
30-Sep-2025
Bihar Police arrested a Punjabi youth, identified as Sandeep Paswan for allegedly threatening to kill Bihar’s Minister of Building Construction Jayant Raj Kushwaha on Facebook Messenger while claiming affiliation with the Lawrence Bishnoi gang, in Ludhiana district, Punjab. A mobile phone used in the incident was seized. Initial investigations revealed that Paswan had no prior criminal history and no genuine links to the Bishnoi gang.
30-Sep-2025
According to official sources, while Canada designated the Lawrence Bishnoi gang as a terrorist entity on September 29, India had repeatedly warned Ottawa about the group’s activities in the past. These warnings, conveyed in 2021 and 2022, were largely ignored by the government of then–Prime Minister (PM) Justin Trudeau, which subsequently accused India of using gang members to target pro-Khalistan separatists based in Canada. The issue was first discussed during the 2021 visit of National Investigation Agency (NIA) officials to Ottawa for talks with Canadian counterparts, and was raised again in the summer of 2022, when Indian officials expressed concern about ‘transnational criminal gangs’ exploiting Canada as a base for planning criminal activities in India.
30-Sep-2025
The Global Sikh Council (GSC), an umbrella organisation representing national Sikh bodies from 28 countries, adopted a resolution during its virtual Annual General Meeting (AGM) calling for the restoration of the sovereignty, dignity, and spiritual authority of the ‘Takhats,’ as well as the revival of Sikh heritage sites in Pakistan.
30-Sep-2025
The Counter Intelligence (CI) unit of Punjab Police on September 30 arrested a drug trafficker, identified as Vansh Kumar and seized 4.70 kg of heroin from his possession, in Patiala district. Preliminary investigation revealed that Kumar is closely associated with Dubai-based Amritpal Singh, an aide of jailed gangster Jaggu Bhagwanpuria.
29-Sep-2025
According to Punjab Director General of Police (DGP) Gaurav Yadav, Punjab Police has intensified security across all districts, particularly along the Indo-Pak border, following intelligence inputs about attempts to disturb peace in the region. After chairing a high-level Law and Order Review Meeting in Amritsar on September 29, the DGP stated, "There are specific intelligence inputs suggesting that after Operation Sindoor, Pakistan’s ISI is desperately trying to disrupt the peaceful atmosphere in Punjab. To counter this, we have deployed 57 additional companies, including seven from the Border Security Force (BSF), across seven border districts."
29-Sep-2025
On September 29, Punjab Police, on day 212 of its “Yudh Nashian Virudh” campaign, registered 39 first information reports (FIRs), arrested 49 drug smugglers and seized 3.2 kg of heroin, 20 kg of poppy husk, 420 intoxicant tablets/capsules and INR 1210 drug money from the possession of arrested persons, across the state.
29-Sep-2025
The Amritsar Rural Police Special Cell on September 29 arrested three persons, identified as Karanbir Singh, Husandeep Singh, and Sahilpreet Singh, and seized a Glock pistol (9 mm), a Zigana pistol (.30 bore), 532 grams of opium, a motorcycle, and four mobile phones from their possession, in Amritsar district.
28-Sep-2025
The Border Security Force (BSF) on September 28 seized a DJI Mavic 3 Classic drone near Naushera Dhalla village in Tarn Taran district.
28-Sep-2025
The Border Security Force (BSF) on September 28 seized 558 grams of heroin along with a DJI Mavic 3 Classic drone from a field ahead of the border fence near Dhanoe Kalan village in Amritsar district.
28-Sep-2025
The Border Security Force (BSF), in a joint operation with the Narcotics Control Bureau (NCB), arrested a smuggler and seized 810 grams of heroin in Lopoke, Amritsar district on September 28.
28-Sep-2025
On September 28, Punjab Police, on day 211 of its “Yudh Nashian Virudh” campaign, registered 53 first information reports (FIRs), arrested 76 drug smugglers and seized 5.8 kg of heroin, 579 intoxicant tablets/capsules and INR 3160 drug money from the possession of arrested persons, across the state.
28-Sep-2025
Jailed Khalistani militant Jagtar Singh Hawara’s bedridden mother has appealed to Delhi Chief Minister (CM) Rekha Gupta for his release on regular parole from Mandoli Central Jail in New Delhi, where he is serving a life sentence for the 1995 assassination of former Punjab Chief Minister Beant Singh. The Delhi CM’s office has forwarded her request to state Home Minister Ashish Sood. Additionally, Giani Kuldip Singh Gargaj, officiating Jathedar of the Akal Takht, has also urged the government to grant parole to Hawara.
28-Sep-2025
Khanna police on September 28 arrested one person, identified as Shubham Kumar along with 70 grams of heroin and a Swift car in Civil Lines, Ludhiana district.
28-Sep-2025
Punjab Director General of Police (DGP) Gaurav Yadav on September 28 launched a toll-free helpline — 1800-330-1100 — for citizens to anonymously report organised crime, including intimidation, extortion, and gangster-related activities. The initiative, activated by the Anti-Gangster Task Force (AGTF), provides a confidential channel for the public to assist police efforts against crime. In a video message, DGP Yadav urged people to ‘save the number, report any incidents of organised crime without fear, and join the Punjab Police in building a safer state.
28-Sep-2025
The Amritsar City Police Commissionerate on September 28 busted a terror-gangster network linked to Babbar Khalsa International (BKI) and arrested four operatives, identified as Gurwinder Singh, Vishal, Vishal alias Keedi, and Jobandeep Sharma, after a brief encounter near the new Vigilance Office on Airport Road, Amritsar. Gurwinder sustained injuries in the exchange of fire. Police recovered a .30-bore pistol, a spray-paint can, and a motorcycle from the accused. According to officials, the operatives were acting on the directions of Armenia-based BKI operative Shamsher Shera, foreign-based gangster Prabh Dasuwal, and Pakistan-based handler Afridi Toot. They were earlier involved in firing incidents at a doctor’s clinic and a school in Tarn Taran, as well as painting pro-Khalistan slogans on walls and a train coach in Amritsar. The investigation was initiated after Gurpatwant Singh Pannun, designated terrorist and chief of Sikhs For Justice (SFJ), released a video claiming responsibility for the graffiti.
28-Sep-2025
Punjab Police on September 28 busted a cross-border narcotics smuggling module linked to Pakistan with the arrest of two operatives, identified as Akashdeep Singh alias Tony and Pawanbir Singh, and recovered 4 kg of heroin near Manu Hospital in Amritsar. Investigations revealed that the duo was working on the directions of Pakistan-based smuggler Rana King, who uses drones to drop narcotic consignments across the border.
27-Sep-2025
The Border Security Force (BSF) on September 27 seized a packet of heroin weighing 435 grams from fields near Dhariwal village in Amritsar district.
27-Sep-2025
The Border Security Force (BSF) on September 27 seized a packet of heroin weighing 547 grams from farmland near Naushera Dhalla village in Tarn Taran district.
27-Sep-2025
Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) Punjab spokesperson Sarchand Singh Khiala ridiculed Sikhs For Justice (SFJ) chief Gurpatwant Singh Pannun, dismissing his threats as ‘dil behlane se zyada kuch nahi’ (mere distractions with no real substance or impact). He said such statements only expose the hollow nature of Pannun's agenda and fail to intimidate India's resolve. Highlighting the nexus between Pannun, Inderjit Singh Gosal, and Pakistan's Inter-Services Intelligence (ISI), Khiala asserted that the self-styled SFJ leaders were nothing more than puppets of the ISI.