KHALISTAN EXTREMISM MONITOR
A project of the Institute for Conflict Management
A project of the Institute for Conflict Management
12-Oct-2023
Police arrested two drug smugglers, identified as Gurbinder Singh alias Binder and Kulwant Singh alias Kanta, and recovered 12 kg of heroin from them near Qile Wala Chowk in Ferozepur district on October 12. According to police, both were coming back after receiving a consignment from across the border in a car.
12-Oct-2023
The Border Security Force (BSF) and the Punjab Police, in a joint operation, recovered a drone (Quadcopter) and a packet containing 3.213 kg of heroin from a paddy field near the International Border in Tarn Taran district on October 12.
12-Oct-2023
Jagtar Singh Hawara, a convict in the case involving the assassination of former Punjab Chief Minister Beant Singh, appeared before a local court in Mohali via video conferencing on October 12 for proceedings related to terror and sedition charges.
12-Oct-2023
Gangster Lawrence Bishnoi on October 12 deposed as a prosecution witness in a double murder case dating back to 2017, involving the killings of Satbir Punia and Amit Saharan before a special CBI court in Panchkula in Haryana. The murders took place in Haryana and were allegedly orchestrated by gangster Chotu Ram Bhat. He had a grudge against Saharan, whom he believed had sheltered individuals involved in an attack against him.
11-Oct-2023
The National Investigation Agency (NIA) on October 11 confiscated agricultural land at Kothe Gurupura village in Moga district that belonged to Khalistani terrorist Lakhbir Singh Rode, a nephew of militant Sikh leader Jarnail Singh Bhindranwale and the brother of Akal Takht's former Jathedar, Jasbir Singh Rode. The land of Lakhbir, who currently heads the International Sikh Youth Federation (ISYF) and is suspected to be residing in Pakistan, was seized by the state under Section 33(s) of the Unlawful Activities Prevention Act (UAPA), 1967. This action was carried out based on the orders of an NIA special court issued on October 5, in connection with an NIA case, RC 24/2021, in which Lakhbir had been declared a proclaimed offender and charged as an accused.
11-Oct-2023
Punjab police on October 11 arrested three members of a Babbar Khalsa International (BKI)-backed terror module, identified as Harpreet Singh, Harbir Singh alias Happy, and Navroop Singh for planning target killings in Punjab, from Ajnala in Amritsar district. Police also recovered two pistols, three magazines, and 11 bullets from their possession. According to the police, these individuals had been in contact with Harwinder Singh alias Rinda, a BKI terrorist based in Pakistan.
11-Oct-2023
The Quami Insaaf Morcha representatives, who have been staging a protest at the Mohali-Chandigarh border near YPS Chowk for almost 10 months, have formally presented their list of "four" demands in writing to the Punjab Police. These demands include a request for the central government to increase the penalties for sacrilege cases, along with a plea for the early release of Sikh prisoners to be taken into consideration.
11-Oct-2023
According to top Indian government sources, the display of hoardings by the Gurdwara Management Committee and the Khalistani outfit Sikhs For Justice (SFJ), labelling Prime Minister Narendra Modi, External Affairs Minister S. Jaishankar, and India's High Commissioner to Ottawa Sanjay Kumar Verma as 'wanted,' indicates that Canada's actions against extremism remain superficial. The situation on the ground remains unaltered, said the sources.
11-Oct-2023
Punjab Governor Banwari Lal Purohit on October 11 stated that drug addiction is no longer confined to Punjab but is rapidly spreading to Haryana and other states.
11-Oct-2023
The Punjab Police, along with the Jammu and Kashmir Police, arrested a drug smuggler, identified as Manjit Singh, who was wanted in a 30-kg cocaine seizure case, and seized a .32-bore revolver, INR 4.94 crore drug money, 38 fake vehicle number plates of Punjab and Haryana, 44 gm gold, 385 gm silver, a currency counting machine and a weighing machine, from Mullanpur Dakha in Ludhiana district on October 11. This development followed the earlier arrest of two Punjab-based drug smugglers, Hunny Basra from Palahi Gate in Phagwara and Sarabjit Singh from Ballan village in Kartarpur, who were arrested with 30 kg of cocaine in Jammu on October 1. Punjab police sources said that they were suspecting it to be an Inter-Services Intelligence (ISI)-linked case
11-Oct-2023
According to sources, during police custody, Sachin Thapan, who is accused in the Sidhu Moose Wala murder case and happens to be Lawrence Bishnoi's nephew, disclosed that an altercation between Moose Wala and Lawrence initially began over a kabaddi cup. Subsequently, there was another argument involving Lawrence and Goldy Brar over the phone. These disagreements ultimately formed the basis of the conspiracy to harm Moose Wala.
10-Oct-2023
Gurpatwant Singh Pannun, the leader of the banned Khalistani outfit Sikhs For Justice (SFJ), in a video, issued a warning to Prime Minister (PM) Narendra Modi, urging him to pay attention to the Israel-Palestine conflict and take measures to prevent a similar situation in India. Pannun also stated that they could potentially carry out an attack in a manner similar to the actions of Hamas in India. He said, “People under illegal occupation from Punjab to Palestine will react. And violence begets violence… if India continues to ‘occupy’ Punjab, there will be a ‘reaction’ and India and PM Modi will be responsible for it."
10-Oct-2023
The banned Khalistani organization Sikhs For Justice (SFJ) on October 10 issued a call to organize ‘Kill India’ rallies on October 21 at Indian embassies in G7 countries, urging host governments to ‘dismantle the Indian spy network.’ SFJ has launched an online campaign through a web portal, facilitating the pro-Khalistan community in sending pre-drafted emails to the governments of G7 countries.
10-Oct-2023
The Shiromani Gurdwara Parbandhak Committee (SGPC) and columnist Tavleen Singh engaged in a public dispute on the social media platform X, triggered by the SGPC's request for an apology regarding her article in the Indian Express. The SGPC claimed that the article contained content that they found highly objectionable and false, particularly in relation to Guru Gobind Singh, the tenth Sikh Guru, and Sant Jarnail Singh Bhindranwale, the 14th leader of Damdami Taksal.
09-Oct-2023
The Punjab and Haryana High Court (HC) has emphasized that the growing drug problem is becoming increasingly apparent and cannot be disregarded without grave consequences. The HC stated that it is imperative for the state to awaken from its inaction and implement meaningful measures to enhance the efficiency of the police force, especially in light of the pervasive and destructive spread of the drug issue within society.
09-Oct-2023
Inspector General of Police (IGP), Headquarters, Sukhchain Singh Gill, disclosed on October 9 that the Punjab Police's campaign against the drug menace has completed 15 months, during which 20,979 drug smugglers were arrested, and 15,434 first information reports (FIRs) were registered since July 5, 2022. The police also recovered 1,658.05 kg of heroin, including 147.5 kg seized by Punjab Police from seaports in Gujarat and Maharashtra, 924.29 kg of opium, 986 kg of Ganja (marijuana), 470.91 quintals of poppy husk, and 92.03 lakhs of tablets, capsules, injections, and vials of pharma opioids, as well as INR 15.81 crore in drug money over the last 15 months from across the state.
09-Oct-2023
On October 9, the Inspector General of Police (IGP) at Headquarters, Sukhchain Singh Gill, stated that the Punjab police have busted 31 terror modules and arrested 197 terrorists or radicals since the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) government came to power in March 2022. The police have also recovered 32 rifles, 222 revolvers/pistols, nine tiffin improvised explosive devices (IEDs), 10.86 kg of RDX, and other explosives, along with 11 hand grenades, two sleeves of a disposed rocket launcher, 73 drones, and one loaded rocket-propelled grenade (RPG) from the arrested terrorists or radicals. Regarding action against gangsters, Gill mentioned that the Anti-Gangster Task Force (AGTF) has busted 249 gangster modules, arresting 800 gangsters, neutralizing six of them, and recovering 839 weapons and 171 vehicles from their possession.
08-Oct-2023
In a video, Jennifer Zeng, a Chinese blogger residing in the United States (US), asserted that individuals associated with the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) were involved in the assassination of Khalistani separatist leader Hardeep Singh Nijjar in Canada. Zeng said that China's intention was to manipulate circumstances to sow discord between India and Western nations. Furthermore, she claimed that this act was part of the CCP's covert ‘Ignition Plan’ aimed at destabilizing global affairs in accordance with Xi Jinping's military strategy concerning Taiwan.
08-Oct-2023
The Border Security Force (BSF) on October 8 arrested a Pakistani national after he crossed the International Border and entered Indian territory in the area near Gazni Wala in Ferozepur District.
08-Oct-2023
The Counter Intelligence (CI) division of the Punjab Police successfully dismantled a drug smuggling network that was operating from within the confines of the Ferozepur Central Jail in the Ferozepur district. Police have identified three individuals presently lodged in the jail and one woman who is the wife of one of the accused in connection with the case. Upon investigation, it was uncovered that a staggering sum of INR 1.13 crore had been deposited into the bank accounts of the accused's wives through UPI transactions. She was arrested by the police, and a mobile phone used for these online transactions was seized on October 2.
08-Oct-2023
The Border Security Force (BSF) personnel recovered a Pakistani drone in a damaged condition from a field on the outskirts of Panjgrain village in Gurdaspur district on October 8.
08-Oct-2023
According to the police, a businessman from Uttar Pradesh (UP) allegedly received an extortion call from an international number, with the caller identifying himself as the gangster Goldy Brar, who is a wanted criminal by the National Investigation Agency (NIA). The complainant received the first call from an international number on WhatsApp at 6 pm on September 10, according to the FIR. He was asked to give INR 2 crore.
07-Oct-2023
The Shiromani Azad Akali Dal, a newly established political party, was launched on October 7 with the explicit goal of addressing the enduring issues faced by Punjab and its residents. Gurbaksh Singh Khalsa, a prominent leader, underscored the party's commitment to understanding and resolving the longstanding problems that have plagued Punjab.
07-Oct-2023
Following reports concerning an email containing threats of an attack on Ahmedabad's Narendra Modi Stadium in Gujarat, the Ahmedabad police, on October 7, declared that they will be enhancing security measures at the venue in preparation for the upcoming India-Pakistan match scheduled for next week. They reassured the public that there is no cause for alarm.
07-Oct-2023
The Border Security Force (BSF) on October 7 seized a drone along with 6.3 kg of heroin and a small packet containing 60 gm of opium from a field near the International Border in the Amritsar sector of Amritsar district.