KHALISTAN EXTREMISM MONITOR
A project of the Institute for Conflict Management
A project of the Institute for Conflict Management
21-May-2025
Border Security Force (BSF) on May 21 recovered a drone near Gendu Kilcha village in Ferozepur district in Punjab. The recovered drone was a DJI Mavic 3 Classic model.
21-May-2025
Delhi Chief Minister (CM) Rekha Gupta, on May 21, flagged off the Khalsa Tiranga Yatra from Talkatora Stadium to celebrate the valour of the Indian armed forces. The event witnessed enthusiastic participation from Sikh youth, who rode with the national flag and raised patriotic slogans across Delhi.
21-May-2025
Crime Investigation Agency (CIA) staff of Kapurthala on May 21 arrested a drug smuggler, identified as Tarshbir Singh, and seized 130 grams of heroin and INR 70 in cash from his possession, in Lakhkan Kalan village in Kapurthala district.
21-May-2025
Sri Akal Takht Sahib, the supreme temporal seat of the Sikhs, on May 21 lifted the five-year-old ban on preacher Ranjit Singh Dhadrianwale after he appeared before the five Jathedars and sought forgiveness for the alleged misinterpretation of Gurbani, in Amritsar.
21-May-2025
Khalistani terrorist Gurpatwant Singh Pannun, in a statement on May 21, accused India of orchestrating the recent suicide attack on a school bus in Balochistan. He also blamed the Indian intelligence agency, Research and Analysis Wing (RAW), labelling the incident as an example of “state-sponsored terrorism,” and accused the Modi government of fueling regional instability through what he termed Hindutva extremism rooted in Ayodhya and Nagpur.
21-May-2025
On May 21, Punjab Police, on day 81 of its “Yudh Nashian Virudh” campaign, registered 104 FIRs, arrested 150 drug smugglers and recovered 7.2 kg of heroin, 297 kg of poppy husk and INR 2.41 lakhs of drug money from their possession across Punjab.
21-May-2025
The Jalandhar Commissionerate Police on May 21 busted a cross-border drug smuggling racket, arrested one smuggler identified as Shivam Sodhi, and seized 5 kg of heroin along with INR 22,000 in drug money from his possession in the Lamma Pind Chowk area of Jalandhar district.
20-May-2025
Punjab Police on May 20 arrested Parmjeet Kaur, the daughter of a sarpanch, and seized 18 grams of heroin from her possession in Kartarpur, Jalandhar district.
20-May-2025
The Anti-Gangster Task Force (AGTF), in a joint operation with the Faridkot police, on May 20 arrested two close associates of foreign-based gangster Arshdeep Singh Gill alias Arsh Dala, identified as Vishal Singh of Muktsar and Onkar Singh, and seized two .30 bore pistols and six live cartridges from their possession in Sadiq in Faridkot district.
20-May-2025
Golden Temple Head Granthi (priest) Giani Raghbir Singh on May 20 in Amritsar refuted claims made by Indian Army officer Lieutenant General Sumer Ivan D'Cunha that the shrine’s authorities had permitted the deployment of air defence guns on the premises during Operation Sindoor. Singh stated he was never contacted by any army personnel and had been abroad in the United States (US) from April 24 to May 14, the period during which the operation took place. He urged the Shiromani Gurdwara Parbandhak Committee (SGPC) to investigate the matter and take appropriate action if any member had acted without authorisation.
20-May-2025
Jalandhar Rural Police on May 20 arrested a gangster linked to the Dilpreet Baba gang, identified as Paramjit Singh alias Pamma, and seized 15 grams of heroin and two illegal .32 pistols, live cartridges and a stolen car, from his possession, near Kalra village in Jalandhar district. Singh opened fire while attempting to flee, resulting in him being injured in the leg during police retaliation.
20-May-2025
The Jalandhar Commissionerate Police on May 20 arrested two key suspects involved in a recent gang-related shooting in Shaheed Babu Labh Singh Nagar, identified as Akashdeep Singh alias Akash and Gaurav Kapila, seizing two pistols, three cartridges, and six spent cartridges from their possession after a brief encounter in Dhakoli, Sahibzada Ajit Singh (SAS) Nagar district. Akashdeep and Gaurav were linked to the killing of a Fateh gang member and the injury of a bystander.
19-May-2025
Border Security Force (BSF) on May 19 recovered a packet of heroin weighing 506 grams along with one DJI Mavic 3 Classic drone, from fields near Noorwala village in Patti in Tarn Taran district.
19-May-2025
Border Security Force (BSF) on May 19 recovered one drone in burnt condition from a farming field adjacent to Wan village in Patti in Tarn Taran district. The recovered drone was a DJI Air 3 model.
19-May-2025
The Mohali District Court on May 19 acquitted Jagtar Singh Hawara, who is currently serving a life sentence for the assassination of former Punjab Chief Minister (CM) Beant Singh, in an explosives case registered in 2005, in Mohali in Sahibzada Ajit Singh (SAS) Nagar district.
19-May-2025
On May 19, the Akal Takht, Shiromani Gurdwara Parbandhak Committee (SGPC), and several Sikh organisations condemned YouTuber Dhruv Rathi for using artificial intelligence (AI) animation to depict Sikh Gurus in a video titled "The Sikh Warrior Who Terrified the Mughals." Acting Jathedar of Akal Takht, Giani Kuldeep Singh Gargajj, issued a stern warning demanding the immediate removal of the video. SGPC President Harjinder Singh Dhami criticised the AI-generated portrayal of Guru Gobind Singh and the Sahibzadas, calling it a violation of Sikh principles and historical sanctity. Following the backlash, Rathi took down the video.
19-May-2025
The Border Security Force (BSF) on May 19 announced that it had successfully recovered the 100th Pakistani drone used for smuggling arms, explosives, and narcotics along the Indo-Pakistan border in Punjab this year. Recoveries in 2025 so far include 111 kg of heroin, 60 weapons, 14 hand grenades, and over 10 kg of high explosives.
19-May-2025
On May 19, Punjab Police as part of its ‘Yudh Nashian Virudh’ campaign, registered 109 first information reports (FIRs), arrested 147 drug smugglers and recovered 2.7 kg of heroin, 84 kg of poppy husk, 73000 and INR 1.22 lakh drug money from their possession, across Punjab.
19-May-2025
Police on May 19 arrested one individual, identified as Jagjit Singh, and seized INR 3.15 lakh in drug money from his possession in the Islamabad area of Amritsar in Amritsar district. Singh was an accomplice in a cross-border drug trafficking racket linked to Sandeep Singh, who was arrested on May 18 along with his associates Akashdeep Singh and Akash alias Mota. The trio was caught with 10.248 kg of heroin. Sandeep Singh is alleged to have smuggled over 200 kg of heroin into Punjab since 2018 using drones in coordination with Pakistan-based smugglers.
19-May-2025
The Ferozepur police on May 19 arrested four individuals, identified as Swaran Singh, Gurwant Singh, Sandeep Singh and Manpreet Singh and seized 4.25 kg of heroin and INR 1.97 lakh in drug money, along with a car from their possession, in Ferozepur in Ferozepur district.