KHALISTAN EXTREMISM MONITOR
A project of the Institute for Conflict Management
A project of the Institute for Conflict Management
16-Apr-2025
Punjab Police, on April 16, during day 47 of its "Yudh Nashian Virudh" campaign, arrested 121 drug smugglers and recovered 4.7 kg of heroin, 2.6 kg of opium, and INR 1.08 lakh in drug money from their possession across Punjab.
16-Apr-2025
A team from the National Investigation Agency (NIA) on April 16 visited Jalandhar to interrogate three accused—Saidul Amin, Satish Kumar alias Kaka, and his cousin Harry—who were arrested by Punjab Police in connection with the grenade attack at the residence of former Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) minister Manoranjan Kalia. The NIA team, consisting of 11 officers, questioned the trio throughout the day, focusing on national security threats, possible links to Pakistan-based handlers, and the broader terror network behind the attack.
16-Apr-2025
Tarsem Singh, father of jailed Khalistani-leaning Member of Parliament (MP) Amritpal Singh, stated in Chandigarh on April 16 that Akali Dal (Waris Punjab De) has launched membership drives across 21 of Punjab’s 23 districts, with plans to cover the remaining areas soon. Despite Amritpal being projected as the party's chief ministerial candidate for 2027, Tarsem claimed his son never sought leadership roles, asserting that public sentiment is behind him.
16-Apr-2025
The Jalandhar Police on April 16 arrested an Army jawan, Sepoy Sukhcharan Singh alias Nikka alias Deepu alias Fauji, for training the accused who hurled a grenade at the residence of YouTuber Roger Sandhu in Jalandhar on the night of March 15–16, from Rajouri in Jammu & Kashmir (J&K). He allegedly conducted the training online using a dummy grenade and later instructed the attacker on handling a live explosive. Pakistani gangster Shehzad Bhatti had claimed responsibility for the incident. Police investigations have connected the attack to foreign-based terror groups such as Khalistan Zindabad Force (KZF) and Babbar Khalsa International (BKI), both reportedly backed by Pakistan’s Inter-Services Intelligence (ISI).
16-Apr-2025
According to sources, Punjab Police has arrested 407 women drug smugglers since launching its anti-drug drive, "Yudh Nashian Virudh," on March 1. The highest number of arrests have been reported from Hoshiarpur district. These women were found operating across all 23 districts of Punjab, often continuing the drug trade on behalf of jailed male relatives. The crackdown has also uncovered connections between local women and Pakistan-based smugglers involved in cross-border cartels.
16-Apr-2025
The Anti-Narcotics Task Force (ANTF) of Punjab Police on April 16 arrested a cross-border drug trafficker, identified as Jobanjit Singh alias Joban, and seized 3.105 kg of heroin along with two .32 bore country-made pistols, 37 live cartridges, and two magazines from his possession in Kotli Sur Singh village, Bhikhiwind, Tarn Taran district. The heroin was smuggled from Pakistan via drones, and Joban was found to be in contact with Pakistan-based drug peddlers.
16-Apr-2025
The State Special Operations Cell (SSOC), in a joint operation with the Border Security Force (BSF) on April 16, arrested three individuals, including a woman, identified as Balwinder Singh, his wife Malkeet Kaur, and Balwant Singh, and seized 2 kg of heroin from their possession near Fazilka in Fazilka district.
16-Apr-2025
The Border Security Force (BSF) troops on April 16 recovered a packet containing three pistols, six magazines, 97 live rounds, and three fired cases near Rajatal village in Tarn Taran district.
16-Apr-2025
The Border Security Force (BSF), in a joint operation with Punjab Police, on April 16 recovered a packet of heroin weighing 560 grams from fields near Wan village in Patti in Tarn Taran district.
16-Apr-2025
The Anti-Narcotics Task Force (ANTF) of Punjab Police on April 16 arrested two individuals, identified as Ram and Lakhan, and seized 500 grams of heroin, a foreign-made pistol, and two live cartridges from their possession in Mohali in Sahibzada Ajit Singh (SAS) Nagar district. The duo, cousins by relation, were operating their narcotics business under the guise of being milk suppliers. Investigations revealed they procured the heroin from Firozpur and targeted urban areas for distribution.
16-Apr-2025
The three students arrested in Nakodar for writing pro-Khalistan slogans and putting up related posters—identified as Jaskaran Singh, Kartik, and Tejpal—were sent to three-day police remand in Jalandhar district on April 16. Preliminary investigations suggest they were influenced by Jaskaran’s illegal migration abroad via the "dunki route" and may have acted under the guidance of his foreign contacts. Police are examining their bank accounts and mobile phones for evidence of suspicious funding and overseas links.
16-Apr-2025
The Nakodar City police on April 16 arrested two more agents of Khalistani terrorist Gurpatwant Singh Pannun, identified as Himanshu Gill alias Himansho and Abdul Rajak Butt alias Yaak, in Jalandhar district. According to police, the duo had pasted pro-Khalistan posters near National College Nakodar and State Public School on February 13, and wrote pro-Khalistan and anti-Modi slogans on a highway bridge on February 28.
16-Apr-2025
The Shiromani Gurdwara Parbandhak Committee (SGPC), during its executive body meeting in Amritsar on April 16, urged Sikh intellectuals, organisations, and individuals to submit suggestions regarding service rules for Takht jathedars by April 20. The SGPC also criticised the Central government for delaying decisions on the cases of death row convict Balwant Singh Rajoana and other Bandi Sikhs, calling the approach discriminatory.
16-Apr-2025
The Punjab government on April 16 ordered the installation of over INR 15 crore worth of posters, flex boards, and wall paintings across 13,000 villages as part of its “Yudh Nasheyan Virudh” anti-drug campaign. Each village was instructed to display 1,000 posters, two flex boards, and four wall paintings within two days, with expenses drawn from panchayat funds. Critics, including retired professors from Guru Nanak Dev University (GNDU), slammed the initiative as theatrical, outdated, and wasteful in a digitally connected era. Officials defended the move, stating it utilized pre-approved election publicity rates to avoid tendering delays.
15-Apr-2025
Punjab Chief Minister (CM) Bhagwant Mann, while addressing the state assembly in Chandigarh on April 15, accused Congress leader Partap Singh Bajwa of spreading baseless rumours by claiming that “50 bombs have reached Punjab.” Mann alleged that Bajwa failed to provide any evidence and was using fear-mongering for political gain. Bajwa has been booked under relevant sections of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS) for making false and misleading statements.
15-Apr-2025
Punjab Police, on April 15, during day 46 of its "Yudh Nashian Virudh" campaign, arrested 97 drug smugglers and recovered 1.6 kg of heroin along with INR 29,790 in drug money from their possession across Punjab.
15-Apr-2025
Mumbai Police on April 15 identified Mayank Pandya as the man behind the April 13 death threat to Bollywood actor Salman Khan. Traced to a village in Waghodia of Vadodara district, Gujarat, Pandya was found to be mentally unstable. The threat, sent via WhatsApp to the Worli Transport Department, came nearly a year after shots were fired outside Khan’s Bandra residence, prompting a security upgrade.
14-Apr-2025
Amid threats from the banned Khalistani outfit Sikhs For Justice (SFJ), Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) and Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) workers on April 14 stood guard at Dr. B.R. Ambedkar’s statues across Punjab to safeguard his legacy. AAP leaders reaffirmed Ambedkar’s vision of equality and justice, while BJP leader Vijay Sampla led similar efforts in Phillaur, Ludhiana district. Both parties strongly condemned SFJ’s divisive rhetoric and insults against icons like Dr. Ambedkar and Guru Ravidass.
14-Apr-2025
Uttar Pradesh (UP) Police on April 14 launched a probe after the Shri Ram Janmabhoomi Trust received a threat email targeting the Ram temple in Ayodhya. The sender, traced to Tamil Nadu, triggered heightened security and intensified patrolling in the city. The temple has previously faced threats from the banned Khalistani outfit Sikhs For Justice (SFJ).
14-Apr-2025
Punjab Police on April 14 arrested three agents of Khalistani terrorist Gurpatwant Singh Pannun—Bir Sukhpal Singh, Karthik, and Tejpal Singh—in Jalandhar district in connection with Khalistani posters and slogans found in Nakodar. Three others, including Pannun, Balkaran Singh, and Jaskaranpreet Singh, have also been booked in the case.
14-Apr-2025
Border Security Force (BSF) on April 14 recovered one drone along with one Pistol, one Magazine and four live rounds, from farming fields near Dhanoe Kalan in Amritsar district.
14-Apr-2025
Punjab Police on April 14, on day 45 of its “Yudh Nashian Virudh” campaign arrested 48 drug smugglers and recovered 3.7 kg of heroin and INR 604200 drug money from their possession across Punjab. Since the launch of the campaign, the Police recovered 243 kg of heroin, 109 kg of opium, 75.5 quintals of poppy husk, 6 kg of charas, 63 kg of ganja, 2.2 kg of ICE, 1.2 kg of cocaine, 9.50 lakh intoxicant pills/tablets and INR 6.1 crores drug money from their possession.
14-Apr-2025
The Lawrence Bishnoi gang on April 14 issued a statement disavowing any links with Zeeshan Akhtar, Happy Passia, and Pakistani gangster Shahzad Bhatti—accused in the recent grenade attack on senior Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) leader Manoranjan Kalia’s residence. The gang labelled them "enemies of the country" and warned its members against maintaining any contact with them.
14-Apr-2025
Bollywood actor Salman Khan received a fresh death threat on April 14 via a message sent to the official WhatsApp number of the Worli Transport Department in Mumbai in Maharashtra. The message warned of an attack on his Galaxy Apartments residence or his car using explosives. Worli Police registered a case and heightened security at his house. This comes exactly a year after gunshots were fired at his Bandra residence by unidentified assailants.
14-Apr-2025
Gurpartap Singh Wadala, a member of the Akal Takht panel constituted to conduct a membership drive for the Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD), stated in Amritsar on April 14 that it was necessary to float a new Akali Dal to counter the Sukhbir Singh Badal-led party. However, he clarified that this was his personal viewpoint and that the final decision would be taken collectively by all panel members.