KHALISTAN EXTREMISM MONITOR
A project of the Institute for Conflict Management
A project of the Institute for Conflict Management
03-Apr-2026
Punjab Police on April 3 busted an illegal arms smuggling network, arresting Suraj Kumar and recovering five pistols and four cartridges from his possession, in Patara, Jalandhar district. Preliminary investigations revealed that he, along with associate Davinderpal Singh alias Deepu and other gang members, procured illegal arms from Uttar Pradesh’s Mathura region and supplied them across Jalandhar and nearby areas.
03-Apr-2026
On April 3, the 73rd day of Punjab Police’s statewide “war on gangsters” (Gangsters Te Vaar) campaign—Operation Prahaar—the police conducted 483 raids, arrested 198 persons and recovered 13 weapons from their possession. Preventive action was taken against 72 individuals, while 106 persons were verified and released after questioning. Five proclaimed offenders (POs) were also arrested during the operation.
03-Apr-2026
On April 3, Punjab Police, on day 398 of its “Yudh Nashian Virudh” campaign, arrested 98 drug smugglers, and seized 6.3 kg of heroin, 700 grams of opium, 3.5 kg of poppy husk, 421 intoxicant tablets/capsules and INR 8400 drug money from the possession of arrested persons, across the state.
03-Apr-2026
Amritsar Rural Police on April 3 foiled a terror plot by arresting a suspect, identified as Harman Singh and recovering a powerful improvised explosive device (IED) from his possession in the Ramdas area of Amritsar district. The device is suspected to have been dropped on the Indian side by Pakistan-based handlers using a drone. Police said the accused is being interrogated to identify his network and handlers, with central intelligence agencies also likely to question him. Preliminary investigations revealed multiple Pakistani mobile numbers on his phone, indicating contact with Pakistan-based operatives through internet-based calling platforms.
03-Apr-2026
The Border Security Force (BSF) on April 3 recovered a drone carrying a suspected heroin packet from fields near the Ravi River in Gurdaspur district. The recovery was made near the BSF Chowki at Bharyal following a specific tip-off, indicating an attempt to smuggle narcotics across the border.
03-Apr-2026
The Counter Intelligence wing of Punjab Police on April 3 raided the houses of two suspects in Rattangarh village in the Morinda area of Ropar district in connection with the April 1 blast outside the BJP office in Chandigarh. While police did not officially confirm any arrests, family members claimed that Amanpreet Singh was detained. The main accused, Gurtej Singh, was not found during the raid.
03-Apr-2026
The National Investigation Agency (NIA) has charge sheeted two accused, including Pakistani gangster Shehzad Bhatti, in connection with the of March 16, 2025 grenade attack at YouTuber Roger Sandhu’s house in Jalandhar district. Having taken over the case from Punjab Police in December 2025, the NIA named Bhatti as an absconder in a supplementary chargesheet filed before a special court. The second accused, Dipander Pratap Singh alias Deepan Rana, has been arrested.
02-Apr-2026
An alleged member of the Lawrence Bishnoi gang, Rajpal Singh Chandrawat, surrendered before Madhya Pradesh Police on April 2 in an extortion case carried out in the name of key operative Harry Boxer, in Madhya Pradesh. A resident of Nagda, he surrendered a month after the case was registered at Kasrawad police station in Khargone district on a complaint by cotton trader Dilip Rathore.
02-Apr-2026
On April 2, the 72nd day of Punjab Police’s statewide “war on gangsters” (Gangsters Te Vaar) campaign—Operation Prahaar—the police conducted 483 raids, arrested 184 persons and recovered five weapons from their possession. Preventive action was taken against 87 individuals, while 125 persons were verified and released after questioning. Five proclaimed offenders (POs) were also arrested during the operation.
02-Apr-2026
On April 2, Punjab Police, on day 397 of its “Yudh Nashian Virudh” campaign, arrested 89 drug smugglers, and seized 1.3 kg of heroin, 2.6 kg of opium, 34 kg of poppy husk, 853 intoxicant tablets/capsules and INR 3050 drug money from the possession of arrested persons, across the state.
02-Apr-2026
Patiala Police on April 2 busted an inter-state illegal arms supply module, arresting four alleged gangsters and recovering 10 pistols, including sophisticated self-loading firearms, in Patiala district. Preliminary investigations revealed that the accused sourced country-made weapons from Bihar for supply in Punjab. The probe also indicated gang rivalry, with plans to target a rival linked to the Goldy Dhillon network to assert dominance in the area.
02-Apr-2026
On April 2, unidentified assailants opened fire on a car carrying Timowal village sarpanch Ravinder Kaur, her husband Sukhdev Singh, and three associates in the Jandiala Guru area of Amritsar district. One occupant sustained serious bullet injuries. Around seven motorcycle-borne attackers intercepted the vehicle and fired multiple rounds before fleeing the spot.
01-Apr-2026
Several individuals were detained for questioning after a low-intensity blast outside the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) office in Sector 37 in Chandigarh on April 1.
01-Apr-2026
On the night of April 1, two unidentified assailants fired five rounds at the office of property dealer Sukhdarshan Singh in Hoshiarpur village near Mullanpur Garibdas, Sahibzada Ajit Singh Nagar district. He had reportedly received an extortion call of INR 1 crore from a member of the Lucky Patial gang.
01-Apr-2026
On April 1, the Senior Superintendent of Police (SSP) constituted a Special Investigation Team (SIT) to probe the vandalism of Dr B.R. Ambedkar’s statue at Noorpur Jattan village in Hoshiarpur district on March 31. Police have launched an investigation and are examining mobile phone location data to trace the suspects, with multiple teams deployed to apprehend the accused.
01-Apr-2026
A team of the National Investigation Agency (NIA) on April 1 visited the Bhindi Saida police station in Amritsar district, where a blast had occurred on March 30. The team inspected the site and interacted with senior police officials, who stated that the exact nature and cause of the explosion would be determined only after the forensic examination reports are received.
01-Apr-2026
The Delhi Mayor’s office on April 1 received a bomb threat email containing alarming phrases such as “Delhi Banayga Khalistan,” “Bomb Dhamaka yan,” and “Gaddi Aatmaghati Hamla.” The message threatened an explosion at 2:11 pm and named Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Home Minister Amit Shah, and External Affairs Minister S. Jaishankar as adversaries of the Khalistan movement, while also referencing the “Khalistan National Army.”
01-Apr-2026
On April 1, a low-intensity explosion was reported outside the Punjab Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) headquarters in Sector 37, Chandigarh. No casualties were reported, but the incident raised security concerns, prompting an investigation by agencies including the National Investigation Agency (NIA). Senior Superintendent of Police (SSP) Kanwardeep Kaur said that, prima facie, a small crude device appeared to have been thrown towards the building. BJP leader Vineet Joshi, who was inside at the time, said a blast was heard around 5 pm in the parking area. Eyewitnesses indicated that the device was likely meant to be hurled inside the premises but missed its target and landed on a nearby sand stack. Meanwhile, the banned terror outfit Babbar Khalsa International (BKI) has claimed responsibility for the attack. In a message released in Punjabi, Sukhjinder Singh Babbar warned that violence against Punjab’s youth would be met with retaliation, stating that the blast was carried out in response to the encounter of Ranjit Singh in Gurdaspur. According to Chandigarh Police, a viral video by the same group showing a person pulling the lever of a grenade appears to be authentic, though further clarity will emerge after a detailed investigation.
31-Mar-2026
On March 31, the 70th day of Punjab Police’s statewide “war on gangsters” (Gangsters Te Vaar) campaign—Operation Prahaar—the police conducted 521 raids, arrested 214 persons. Preventive action was taken against 70 individuals, while 126 persons were verified and released after questioning. Three proclaimed offenders (POs) were also arrested during the operation.
31-Mar-2026
On March 31, Punjab Police, on day 395 of its “Yudh Nashian Virudh” campaign, arrested 85 drug smugglers, and seized 3.2 kg of heroin, 586 intoxicant tablets/capsules and INR 21,780 drug money from the possession of arrested persons, across the state.
31-Mar-2026
Khalchian Police on March 31 busted an alleged drug trafficking gang by arresting three persons and seizing 2 kg of heroin during a naka near the grain market on the Kaleke–Khalchian road in Amritsar district.
31-Mar-2026
Police on March 31 recovered an abandoned packet wrapped in yellow tape containing 400 grams of heroin from sugarcane fields in Tur village, Amritsar district.
31-Mar-2026
Police on March 31 arrested a youth, identified as Manmeet Singh and recovered 998 grams of heroin along with a mobile phone from his possession in Amritsar district.
31-Mar-2026
Five accused were arrested while attempting to retrieve 20 packets of heroin dropped by a Pakistani drone in Sriganganagar district in Rajasthan on March 31. Interrogation revealed that a previous drop in February involved 12 kg of heroin, which was subsequently delivered to Punjab. Authorities seized 20 packets of heroin weighing 10.83 kg, along with radium sticks, packing tape, and a motorcycle used in the earlier operation.
31-Mar-2026
Punjab Police on March 31 arrested a woman drug peddler, identified as Rajbeer Kaur and seized 3.115 kg of heroin along with INR 11.5 lakh in drug money from her in Zira, Ferozepur district.