KHALISTAN EXTREMISM MONITOR
A project of the Institute for Conflict Management
A project of the Institute for Conflict Management
27-May-2024
Mukhtiar Singh alias Qafan Wala Baba, a prominent crusader against drug abuse since 2016, recently criticized politicians for their inaction on the issue. Despite arrests and drug seizures, Mukhtiar claimed that the flow of narcotics and addiction rates remain high, condemning politicians for only addressing the issue during elections. Mukhtiar’s activism began after his 28-year-old son died from a drug overdose in March 2016, prompting him to hold a protest by draping his son's body in a shroud with anti-drug slogans and carrying it through busy markets in Tarn Taran, Punjab. He continued his symbolic protests by wrapping himself in a shroud whenever a drug addict died to raise awareness and demand justice.
27-May-2024
Mohali police, along with the Static Surveillance Team (SST), on May 27 arrested two unidentified drug smugglers and seized 80 kg of poppy husk in Sahibzada Ajit Singh (SAS) Nagar district.
27-May-2024
Patiala Police on May 27 averted two planned crimes by arresting two members of Lawrence Bishnoi gang identified as Harjinder Singh alias Laadi and Subir Singh alias Subi and seized three pistols along with 15 live cartridges and a car from their possession in Rajpura in Patiala district. They were tasked with carrying out two target killings in retaliation for the murder of their gang member by a rival gang. Laadi, previously involved in the 2017 murder of Meet Bouncer, had been out on bail since September 2020. The arrested individuals were directed by foreign-based gangster Goldy Dhillon, an aide of absconding terrorist and gangster Goldy Brar.
27-May-2024
According to his father Balkaur Singh, singer Sidhu Moose Wala’s second death anniversary on May 29 will be a low-key family affair due to the upcoming Lok Sabha polls. The family remains committed to seeking justice for Moose Wala’s murder, which they believe is part of a larger conspiracy. Several NGOs will organize blood donation camps at his memorial in Musa village in Mansa district, Punjab. Moose Wala was shot dead in Jawaharke village, Mansa district, on May 29, 2022.
26-May-2024
Assam Chief Minister (CM) Himanta Biswa Sarma, while speaking at a political rally in Faridkot district on May 26, drew parallels between Punjab and the Northeast region of India, highlighting shared experiences of insurgency and subsequent development. Sarma emphasized the remarkable transformation witnessed by both regions, from periods of uncertainty to significant progress. He also underscored cultural connections, noting the historical presence of Guru Tegh Bahadur in Assam and similarities in the teachings of Sikh Guru Nanak Dev Ji and Assam’s revered figure, Srimanta Sankardeva.
26-May-2024
Border Security Force (BSF) troops on May 26 recovered a Pakistani drone from farming fields near Dhanoe Khurd village in Amritsar district. The recovered drone was a China-made DJI Mavic 3 Classic model.
26-May-2024
In a joint operation with Punjab Police on May 26, the Border Security Force (BSF) busted an international drug smuggling module, arresting seven drug smugglers and seizing 5.470 kg of heroin, 40 cartridges, three bikes, six mobile phones, INR 1.07 lakh in drug money, 8.470 grams of gold, and 68.970 grams of silver from their possession in Fazilka district.
26-May-2024
Border Security Force (BSF) troops, in a joint operation with Punjab Police on May 26, recovered a packet of heroin weighing 530 grams from the outskirts of Dal village in Tarn Taran district.
26-May-2024
The bullet-riddled Sri Guru Granth Sahib 'saroop' kept during Operation Bluestar in June 1984 is now on display at the Shaheed Baba Gurbax Singh Gurdwara in Amritsar district until June 6, allowing devotees to witness the damage caused by the bullets. Emotions ran high as visitors queued up to glimpse the holy relic, which retains bullet marks on its cover and pages. Akal Takht Jathedar Giani Raghbir Singh emphasized the significance of commemorating the event, urging Sikhs worldwide to observe a week of mourning from June 4-6 and to wear black turbans or stoles as a mark of protest.
26-May-2024
Border Security Force (BSF) troops on May 26 intercepted a drone and recovered 10.760 kg of heroin near Agwan village in Gurdaspur district. The Pakistani drone baffled security officers by traveling 10 km deep into Gurdaspur district in Punjab instead of returning to Pakistan after making the drop when it was intercepted and fired at. Eventually, the drone was recovered from Talwandi Virk village in Gurdaspur tehsil in Gurdaspur district in Punjab. The drone was a hexacopter, made in China.
25-May-2024
Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD) president Sukhbir Singh Badal, in an interview, expressed skepticism about jailed Khalistani preacher and the chief of Waris Punjab De (WPD), Amritpal Singh, who announced his candidacy for the Lok Sabha elections from Khadoor Sahib constituency in Tarn Taran district. Badal questioned Amritpal's sudden shift to radical politics, his interactions with the police, and his ties with Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) functionaries. He emphasized that while the SAD respects political diversity, it remains critical of Amritpal's actions and their implications for the Khalsa Panth and Punjab.
25-May-2024
According to reports, the entry of jailed Khalistani preacher and the chief of Waris Punjab De (WPD), Amritpal Singh, into the 2024 Lok Sabha elections from Khadoor Sahib in Tarn Taran district, Punjab, has introduced a hardline angle to the polls. Despite being jailed under the National Security Act (NSA), Amritpal has garnered significant support, particularly among the youth and rural population of the Sikh-dominated constituency. His presence is challenging traditional strongholds of the Congress and Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD), with his wave potentially surprising Punjab politics if he wins. Amritpal declared minimal assets in his poll affidavit, highlighting a stark contrast with his wife's more substantial assets.
25-May-2024
The Crime Investigation Agency (CIA) Staff of Firozpur police arrested an individual identified as Karamjit Singh alias Karma and seized 100 grams of heroin from his possession near Madhare village in Ferozepur district. The police reported that Singh was apprehended during a police blockade when he attempted to flee. A case has been registered against him under the Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances (NDPS) Act.
25-May-2024
The crime branch of the Chandigarh Police on May 25 arrested three members of the Lawrence Bishnoi gang, identified as Ravinder Singh, Karan Kapoor, and Javed Jhinjha for allegedly planning a major crime in Chandigarh. The suspects were using virtual numbers and mobile applications to communicate and are also suspected of aiding shooters in the April 14 firing outside actor Salman Khan's house in Mumbai, Maharashtra. The police revealed that the arrests followed secret information received on May 18 about the gang members' presence in Chandigarh.
24-May-2024
Border Security Force (BSF) troops on May 24 recovered a packet of heroin weighing 400 grams from fields near Rorawala Kalan village in Amritsar district.
24-May-2024
France-based Non-Resident Indian (NRI) Iqbal Singh Bhatti visited Delhi Lieutenant Governor (L-G) VK Saxena on May 24 to deny involvement in Khalistani funding for Aam Aadmi Party (AAP). Bhatti, a social worker who runs Aurore Dawn in France, asserted that he had no connection to the funding allegations and provided documents supporting his claims. He mentioned his history of social service, including organizing a rally for Prime Minister (PM) Modi in Paris. Previously, Bhatti had received a letter from AAP leader Arvind Kejriwal in 2014 regarding the 1984 anti-Sikh riots and the release of Sikhs imprisoned for decades.
24-May-2024
Prime Minister (PM) Narendra Modi, while addressing a rally in Gurdaspur district on May 24, criticized the Congress over the 1984 anti-Sikh riots, accusing it of allowing the "massacre of Sikhs" and protecting the rioters, while he ensured that the guilty were punished. He further criticized the Congress and the Indian National Developmental Inclusive Alliance (INDIA) bloc, claiming they instigated separatism and sheltered rioters, thus disturbing communal harmony in Punjab.
23-May-2024
Prime Minister (PM) Narendra Modi, while addressing a rally in Patiala district on May 23, commented on Pakistan’s Kartarpur Sahib, suggesting that if he had been in power during the 1971 Bangladesh war, he would have negotiated its transfer from Pakistan in exchange for returning Pakistani soldiers. The Kartarpur corridor, opened in 2019, allows visa-free access for Indian Sikh pilgrims to visit the Gurdwara Darbar Sahib Kartarpur in Pakistan.
23-May-2024
Ahead of Prime Minister (PM) Narendra Modi's visit to Patiala on May 23, several farmer organizations have announced protests, including road blockades and sit-ins in Patiala district. The Samyukt Kisan Morcha (SKM) (Non-Political) and other SKM factions plan to march with black flags and block entry points to Patiala, while the Bharti Kisan Union (BKU) (Ekta-Ugrahan) plans to protest outside the Deputy Commissioner’s office. The police have set up barricades to control the movement of protesters.
23-May-2024
Former chief minister and Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) candidate from Karnal Lok Sabha, Manohar Lal Khattar, on May 23, while addressing the media in Karnal district, Haryana, criticized farmers' protestors against his government, claiming they are neither true Sikhs nor farmers, and condemned their actions during protests. Reacting to his remarks, the spokesperson of the Bharatiya Kisan Union (Sir Chotu Ram), Bahadur Mehla, defended their right to protest and criticized the government's unfulfilled promises and past actions against farmers.
23-May-2024
Prime Minister (PM) Narendra Modi, while addressing an election rally in Patiala district on May 23, accused the Congress and the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) of being two sides of the same coin and responsible for rampant corruption and the flourishing drug industry in Punjab. He claimed that the state is dominated by resource mafia, drug mafia, and shooter gangs, and has become debt-ridden under their rule.
23-May-2024
Minutes before he was shot near Wadala Chowk in Jalandhar on May 12, drug lord Gurpreet Gopa received a call from the United States (US), according to his family. Gopa, wanted in connection with a 2019 heroin smuggling case involving 532 kilograms of heroin, had been hiding in and around Jalandhar for months, living under a false identity. Despite being a prime suspect in the smuggling case, he managed to evade arrest until his murder, which remains unsolved as of yet.
23-May-2024
Uttar Pradesh (UP) Police on May 23 arrested 12 members of a gang allegedly linked to those who supplied firearms to the killers of Punjabi singer Sidhu Moose Wala and seized seven country-made .32 bore pistols and 10 cartridges, as well as five country-made .315 bore firearms and five cartridges from their possession in Bulandshahr district in UP. The arrested accused revealed their involvement in purchasing firearms from Bilal and Rizwan of Khurja, Bulandshahr, and supplying them to criminal gangs in Delhi, NCR, Punjab, and Haryana. Efforts are underway to apprehend Bilal and Rizwan, who are also being investigated by the National Investigation Agency (NIA) for their alleged role in supplying firearms to Moose Wala's killers.
23-May-2024
Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) national spokesperson Jaiveer Shergill, on May 23 in Jalandhar, countered allegations that Amritpal Singh, detained under the National Security Act (NSA) and contesting elections as an independent candidate from Khadoor Sahib, is a BJP prodigy. Shergill emphasized that neither the BJP nor Prime Minister (PM) Narendra Modi have a history of supporting anti-social elements, highlighting their efforts to reduce terror in Kashmir and the North East. He expressed confidence that PM Modi's visit to Punjab would positively impact the BJP's prospects in the upcoming elections, asserting that the BJP's dominance will significantly increase in Punjab.
22-May-2024
Balkaur Singh, father of singer Sidhu Moose Wala, expressed his sole campaign cause as seeking "justice" for his slain son during an interview with The Tribune while campaigning in Shahkot, Jalandhar district. Throughout his speeches, he emphasized his son's case and lamented the government's inaction in bringing the perpetrators to justice. Despite his lack of oratory skills, he stands on stage out of helplessness, urging support for the Congress candidate Charanjit Singh Channi, citing the deteriorating law and order situation and the prevalence of gangsters.