KHALISTAN EXTREMISM MONITOR
A project of the Institute for Conflict Management
A project of the Institute for Conflict Management
28-Feb-2024
Police on February 28 busted a Madhya Pradesh (MP) based weapon supply racket with the arrest of two persons identified as Harminderpal Singh and Jatinderpal Singh alias Baba, and seized four country-made pistols, magazines and 16 live cartridges along with their Honda Activa scooter, from near Pul Taranwala area in Amritsar in Amritsar district.
28-Feb-2024
The Border Security Force (BSF) on February 28 intercepted a drone and recovered three packets of suspected heroin weighing 3.030 kg, a hexacopter drone attached to it, and two mobile phones, from near Uttar Dhariwal village in Amritsar district.
28-Feb-2024
Police on February 28 arrested two individuals, identified as Rajan and Sachin Sharma, and seized 204 grams of heroin from their possession in Derabassi in Sahibzada Ajit Singh (SAS) Nagar district. During the interrogation, the accused confessed to obtaining heroin from a Nigerian national in Tilak Nagar, Delhi, exposing the intricate international drug trade network.
28-Feb-2024
The Border Security Force (BSF) troops on February 28 troops intercepted the movement of a drone and later recovered it from fields adjacent to Kalas Havelian village in Tarn Taran district.
28-Feb-2024
Punjab Chief Minister (CM) Bhagwant Mann on February 28 flagged off 410 vehicles for Punjab Police, comprising 315 vehicles for Station House Officers (SHOs), 76 Tata Tiago vehicles for the Dial 112 project, and 19 vehicles for the Mahila Mitras women safety scheme at the Phillaur Police Academy in Phillaur in Jalandhar district. He emphasized prioritizing vehicle allocations from SHOs to higher-ranking officers to bolster law enforcement. Mann urged SHOs to vigorously pursue cases against drug smugglers, affirming his administration's commitment to combat the drug menace.
28-Feb-2024
During the India-United States (US) Homeland Security Dialogue (HSD) held on February 28 in New Delhi, India emphasized the need to investigate pro-Khalistani outfits in the US accused of inciting violence against India. Led by Union Home Secretary Ajay Bhalla and US Acting Deputy Secretary Kristie Canegallo, both sides reviewed ongoing efforts in counter-terrorism and security domains. They also discussed cooperation in counter-terrorism, security, and combating narcotics trafficking, particularly Fentanyl. Issues raised included pro-Khalistani activities on US soil and support for separatist elements in India, amidst demands for accountability. Discussions also addressed issues such as illegal immigration, human trafficking, cybercrimes, and terror financing. Notably, the official statements made no mention of the ongoing "assassin for hire" investigation involving an Indian national allegedly linked to a plot to assassinate Khalistani terrorist Gurpatwant Singh Pannun.
28-Feb-2024
In an interview, United States (US) Acting Deputy Secretary of Homeland Security, Kristie Canegallo, on February 28 underscored the priority of ensuring the safety of diplomats. She emphasized cooperation on counterterrorism, counter-narcotics, and cybersecurity, highlighting joint efforts to combat threats like Fentanyl trafficking. Canegallo stressed that violence against diplomatic facilities or personnel is treated as a serious criminal offense, with active investigations conducted by the Department of Justice and other relevant authorities. She assured the priority of safety for Indian diplomats in the US and discussed ongoing investigations into attacks on Indian diplomatic facilities.
28-Feb-2024
Balwinder Kaur, the mother of Waris Punjab De (WPD) Chief and Khalistani preacher Amritpal Singh, has decided to continue her hunger strike until all Sikh detainees are transferred to Punjab. Amritpal, along with nine others, is currently detained in Dibrugarh jail in Assam.
28-Feb-2024
According to sources, central intelligence agencies expressed concerns over the emergence of secret communication platforms used by a transnational nexus of terrorists, gangsters, and narco-criminals to fuel unrest in Punjab. These platforms have dual uses, with private ones for operational purposes and public ones for anti-India propaganda, including attacks on Indian diplomatic missions abroad. Investigations reveal a shift from traditional telephone calling to internet-based communication, utilizing VoIP, app-based virtual numbers, Virtual Private Networks (VPNs), and phone speakers for covert communication, making detection difficult. The use of emerging technologies by these networks poses challenges for law enforcement, with jails becoming recruitment hubs for criminals by terror masterminds.
27-Feb-2024
The Border Security Force (BSF) in a joint operation with Punjab Police on February 27 arrested one unidentified person and seized 500 grams of heroin from his possession, near Ramdas village in Amritsar district. Another suspect managed to escape during the operation, efforts are underway to nab him.
27-Feb-2024
A Ghaziabad court on February 27 acquitted Sikh Political Prisoner Prof. Devinderpal Singh Bhullar in the 1994 case in Ghaziabad in Uttar Pradesh (UP). This was the last pending case against Prof. Bhullar, who is currently serving a life sentence in a 1993 Delhi case.
27-Feb-2024
Punjabi music composer and lyricist Bunty Bains narrowly survived an assassination attempt on February 27 at a restaurant in Sector 79 in Mohali in Sahibzada Ajit Singh (SAS) Nagar district. He filed a police complaint after unknown assailants opened fire on him, escaping unhurt. Bains had received a threatening call demanding INR 1 crore, allegedly from the gangster Lucky Patial, known for his connections to criminal gangs in Punjab.
27-Feb-2024
On February 27, another farmer, Karnail Singh, protesting at the Khanauri border, died from a heart attack at Government Rajindra Hospital in Patiala in Patiala district in Punjab, bringing the death toll to six during the ongoing 'Dilli Chalo' protest at the Punjab-Haryana border. Karnail, from Arno Khurd village, suffered a lung infection due to tear gas exposure during a police crackdown on February 21.
27-Feb-2024
Police on February 27 arrested a woman after a video went viral, showing a migrant woman openly selling drugs to addicts in Sanjay Nagar in Faridkot district. The footage depicted the woman handing drugs to individuals on a motorcycle in exchange for money, prompting local families to intervene and urge her to cease the illicit activity.
27-Feb-2024
Police on February 27 arrested one person, identified as Paramjit Singh and seized 35 kg of poppy husk from his mini truck, at the Rajpura barrier near Rajpura village in Fazilka district.
27-Feb-2024
Police on February 27 arrested a man, identified as Gajjan Singh and seized 105 gm of smack from his possession, near Panjawa canal bridge near Panjawa in Fazilka district. Gajjan revealed that he had allegedly purchased the smack from Amarjit Singh. Amarjit was consequently listed as a co-accused.
27-Feb-2024
Police on February 27 arrested one person, identified as Sunny Jassal and seized 85 gm of opium from his possession, in Nathan Wali village in Moga district. Another individual identified as Nitesh Kumar was implicated in the case as Sunny alleged that Nitesh supplied him with the opium at Prabhu Chowk in Sriganganagar district in Rajasthan.
27-Feb-2024
The National Investigation Agency (NIA) on February 27 conducted raids at 16 sites across Punjab and Rajasthan, detaining six individuals for questioning as part of their probe into the Khalistan-organized crime nexus. Among those targeted is Gurvinder Singh, alias Neeta, allegedly associated with the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP). The six individuals accused have reportedly participated in terrorist activities and are in close contact with some fugitive designated Khalistani terrorists through social media networks and other means of communication. The action follows discussions between NIA Director General Dinkar Gupta and Federal Bureau of Investigations (FBI) Director Christopher A. Wray regarding the increasing nexus between terrorist groups and organized crime, including cyber-terrorism investigations.
27-Feb-2024
Police on February 27 arrested three persons, identified as Sukhpreet Singh, Akashdeep Singh and Hardeep Singh and seized 302 gm of heroin and four country-made weapons, two.32 pistols and ammunition from their possession in Shahkot in Jalandhar district. All three individuals are history-sheeters with previous cases related to robbery, attempted murder, and violations of the Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances (NDPS) Act and Arms Act.
27-Feb-2024
Bathinda Police on February 27 arrested a close aide of fugitive gangster Goldy Brar, identified as Navdeep Singh Chatha and seized a 9-mm pistol, 10 cartridges and four mobile phones from his possession, in Talwandi Sabo in Bathinda district. According to the Police, Chatha was involved in criminal activities and procured firearms from Brar, who operates from abroad. His arrest is deemed significant in the fight against organised crime, with expectations of extracting further crime-related information during interrogation.
27-Feb-2024
A team of the Special Task Force (STF) on February 27 arrested a gangster identified as Feroz Khan after a brief exchange of fire, and seized two country-made semi-automatic pistols and around six live rounds from his possession, near the Pipli bus stand in Kurukshetra district in Haryana. Feroz was the sharpshooter involved in the recent Katani Restaurant shootout in Mohali in Punjab. Khan was also linked to the murder of Rajan from Mehra village in Kurukshetra, associated with the Lawrence Bishnoi gang.
26-Feb-2024
Shiromani Gurdwara Parbandhak Committee President Advocate Harjinder Singh Dhami, in a letter dated February 26, urged Punjab Chief Minister (CM) Bhagwant Singh Mann to transfer the Khalistani preacher and his associates from Dibrugarh jail in Assam to Punjab jails due to reported harassment and privacy violations. Dhami labelled the situation as a potential conspiracy against the youths and demanded serious consideration from the government to uphold their human rights.
26-Feb-2024
According to reports, India and the United States (US) are set to conduct the Homeland Security Dialogue (HSD) on February 28. The discussions will focus on various issues, including anti-Khalistan elements, immigration, counter-narcotics, and cybersecurity. Acting Deputy Secretary of Homeland Security Kristie Canegallo will lead the talks. The HSD, established in 2010, resumed in 2021 under President Joe Biden after being discontinued during Donald Trump's tenure.
26-Feb-2024
Farmers associated with the Samyukt Kisan Morcha (SKM) on February 26 organized a tractor march in Patiala and Fatehgarh Sahib districts in Punjab. They parked their tractors along highways and burned effigies of the World Trade Organisation (WTO) to protest against its perceived anti-farmer policies.
26-Feb-2024
The Indian External Affairs Minister (EAM), S. Jaishankar on February 26, while speaking at the What India Thinks Today’ (WITT) Global Summit in New Delhi, delivered a stern message to Canada, urging action against Khalistani activists engaged in violent protests or arson targeting Indian missions, stressing that freedom of speech should not be used to intimidate diplomats. The statement underscores India's stance on protecting diplomatic missions from disruptive actions by extremist groups.