KHALISTAN EXTREMISM MONITOR
A project of the Institute for Conflict Management
A project of the Institute for Conflict Management
30-Jan-2026
The Border Security Force (BSF) on January 30 seized a packet of heroin weighing 1.108 kg, including packing material, during an operation in the border area of Gharinda, Amritsar district.
30-Jan-2026
The Border Security Force (BSF) on January 30 seized two locally made magazines, two magazines compatible with a 9 mm Glock pistol, six live cartridges, plastic hand grips of two pistols and four nuts from the area near the Kassowal border outpost in Amritsar district.
30-Jan-2026
On January 30, the 11th day of Punjab Police’s statewide ‘war on gangsters’ (Gangsters Te Vaar) campaign—Operation Prahar—police conducted 795 raids, arresting 201 persons and recovering three firearms. Preventive action was taken against 197 individuals, 312 were verified and released after questioning, and 11 proclaimed offenders were also arrested.
30-Jan-2026
On January 30, Punjab Police, on day 335 of its “Yudh Nashian Virudh” campaign, registered 107 first information reports (FIRs), arrested 107 drug smugglers and seized 53.6 kg of heroin, 3 kg of opium, 14 kg of Ganja, 9350 intoxicant tablets/capsules and INR 900 drug money from the possession of arrested persons, across the state.
30-Jan-2026
Amritsar (Rural) police on January 30 arrested two persons, identified as Sukhraj Singh and Amritpal Singh and seized 51.5 kg of heroin packed in 103 packets in Gharinda, Amritsar district. Police said the accused were in active connivance with a Pakistan-based handler and were allegedly involved in cross-border drug trafficking.
30-Jan-2026
Punjab Director General of Police Gaurav Yadav on January 30 held a meeting with senior officers of the Border Range to review the rising cases of extortion and gangster violence. The range includes Batala, Gurdaspur, Tarn Taran, Amritsar (Rural) and Pathankot districts. District police chiefs and Additional Director General of Police (ADGP)-rank officers attended the meeting, where the surge in extortion and gangster activity, particularly in Batala, was discussed in detail.
30-Jan-2026
Dal Khalsa leader Kanwar Pal Singh has written to the US Ambassador and the Special Envoy for South and Central Asian Affairs, urging détente in South Asia to promote peace and resolve conflicts beyond economic and trade considerations. Calling it an urgent regional concern, he said the challenges faced by the people of Punjab need attention, adding that trade, technology and market access should not be prioritized over core human values, dignity, and fundamental rights and freedoms.
30-Jan-2026
Ludhiana police on January 30 arrested a drug peddler, Tarnveer Singh alias Dhanna, and seized 273 grams of heroin and 61 grams of ICE (methamphetamine) from his possession at Kohara Chowk in Ludhiana district. Preliminary investigations suggest the drug supply was being managed by a Punjab native based in the United States, who allegedly recruited local youth to run the network.
29-Jan-2026
Amritsar (Rural) police on January 29 busted a cross-border narco-terror network, arresting two persons, identified as Sonu and Mohit and seizing 42.9 kg of heroin, four hand grenades, a Star-mark pistol and 46 live cartridges from Othian village in Amritsar district. Preliminary investigations indicate the narcotics, arms and explosives were dropped by drones from across the border, suggesting the involvement of an organized narco-terror module.
29-Jan-2026
On January 29, on the tenth day of its statewide ‘war on gangsters’ (Gangsters Te Vaar) campaign—Operation Prahar—Punjab Police conducted 765 raids and checked 576 individuals, of whom 157 were arrested. Three illegal firearms were also recovered from the possession of the accused. In addition, preventive action was taken against 160 persons, while 259 individuals were verified and released after thorough questioning.
29-Jan-2026
On January 29, Punjab Police, on day 334 of its “Yudh Nashian Virudh” campaign, registered 104 first information reports (FIRs), arrested 104 drug smugglers and seized 43.6 kg of heroin, 7 kg of opium, 13 kg of ganja, 369 intoxicant tablets/capsules, and INR 8,570 in drug money from the possession of arrested persons, across the state.
29-Jan-2026
Punjab Police, in coordination with Himachal Pradesh Police and central agencies, on January 29 arrested two Babbar Khalsa International (BKI) operatives, identified as Shamsher Singh alias Sheru alias Kamal and Pardeep Singh alias Deepu and seized an improvised explosive device (IED), in Nawanshahr, Shaheed Bhagat Singh Nagar district. The arrests are linked to the blast at the Nalagarh police station in Himachal Pradesh. Preliminary investigations said the accused, along with two accomplices, had transported the IED from Punjab on December 31, 2025, which was used in the January 1, 2026 blast as part of a wider conspiracy targeting police establishments.
29-Jan-2026
The Counter Intelligence Wing of the State Special Operations Cell, Fazilka, and the Border Security Force (BSF) on January 29 seized 21 pistols, 310 live cartridges, 39 magazines and over 2.16 kg of heroin near the India–Pakistan border in Fazilka district. The recovery followed a brief exchange of fire near Gatti No. 3 Border Outpost in Teja Ruhela village, after which intruders fled back across the border, leaving the consignment behind.
29-Jan-2026
The Khalistan National Army on January 29 sent an email bomb threat to the Director of National Informatics Centre (NIC) at the Punjab Secretariat, warning of an explosion at the Secretariat building in Chandigarh. Following the threat, Chandigarh Police tightened security, evacuated the people, and deployed bomb disposal and rescue teams, while an investigation was launched under heightened vigilance.
29-Jan-2026
Police on January 29 said the hoax bomb threat emails sent to 13 schools in Gurugram on January 28 cited Haryana’s water crisis and the Khalistan referendum. Investigators said the emails, sent from the United States, reflected detailed knowledge of the Haryana–Punjab water-sharing dispute and were also used to issue hoax threats to a school in Karnal and Chandigarh. Officials added that a similar email threatening to blow up the Punjab Secretariat in Chandigarh on January 29 was also found to be a hoax after thorough checks.
28-Jan-2026
Police on January 28 seized 1.096 kg of heroin and two DJI Mavic drones along with their batteries during a search operation in Kahangarh village in Amritsar district.
28-Jan-2026
The Government Railway Police (GRP) on January 28 recovered 6.9 kg of poppy husk from a yellow plastic bag found abandoned in the railway yard at Ferozepur Cantt railway station in Ferozepur district.
28-Jan-2026
As many as 26 schools in Chandigarh received bomb threat emails on January 28, prompting student evacuations and anti-sabotage checks by police.
28-Jan-2026
Delhi Police on January 28 arrested three sharpshooters of the Wasim Hasmat gang, identified as Rehman, Adil and Mohammad Ayan, for the killing of Sameer alias Kammu Pehalwan, a member of the Lawrence Bishnoi–Hashim Baba gang, from near Ajmal Khan Park, Sector 28, Rohini in New Delhi. Police said the murder, linked to gang rivalry, was carried out in Shastri Park, northeast Delhi, on January 24.
28-Jan-2026
Two unidentified motorcycle-borne assailants shot dead an accused in the 2020 Gurlal Brar murder case, identified as Gurwinder Singh alias Lambbad, outside the district court complex in Mohali in Sahibzada Ajit Singh Nagar district on January 28. Police recovered 17 empty cartridges from the spot. Eyewitnesses stated that Gurwinder had arrived at the court with his wife for a hearing in an NDPS Act case and was shot at point-blank range as he exited the premises. The assailants fled the scene on a motorcycle immediately after the attack. In her complaint, Gurwinder’s wife said that he had been receiving threats from foreign-based gangster Satinderpal Singh alias Goldy Brar. Notably, Gurlal Brar, a former president of the Student Organisation of Panjab University (SOPU) and cousin of Canada-based gangster Goldy Brar, was shot dead on October 10, 2020, outside City Emporium Mall in Chandigarh.
28-Jan-2026
Through a Punjabi audio clip, fugitive gangster-turned-terrorist Satinderjit Singh alias Goldy Brar on January 28 claimed responsibility for the killing of Gurwinder Singh alias Lambbad in Mohali. In the audio, Brar, alongside Rohit Godara and Vicky Pehalwan, alleged that the murder was carried out by them, citing alleged police bias in the 2020 Gurlal Brar murder case as the motive. In the clip, Brar accused the Punjab Police and the state government of acting unfairly and referenced the recent detention of his parents in an extortion case, claiming they were detained while visiting Harmandir Sahib. He warned of retaliation, asserting that his network operates globally and issued veiled threats against the families of political leaders and police officers if, according to him, “injustice” continued.
28-Jan-2026
On January 28, Punjab Police, on day 333 of its “Yudh Nashian Virudh” campaign, registered 49 first information reports (FIRs), arrested 73 drug smugglers and seized 1.1 kg of heroin, 205 intoxicant pills and INR 46,440 drug money from the possession of arrested persons, across the state.
28-Jan-2026
In another targeted killing, a 43-year-old medical store owner, Ranbir Singh Bedi, was shot dead by two unidentified motorcycle-borne masked assailants in the border town of Dera Baba Nanak in Gurdaspur district on January 28. Ranbir ran Bedi Medical Store in the town’s main market and had reportedly been receiving extortion threats. Sources said he received a call in 2024 demanding INR 50 lakh, and was shot in the leg a few days later. Following the incident, Batala police had provided him security, which was subsequently withdrawn. Meanwhile, foreign-based gangster Jiwan Fauji has claimed responsibility for the murder. He has been on the radar of the Punjab Police for a considerable period. Jiwan Fauji, whose real name is Swaran Singh, is an Army deserter, with over 10 FIRs registered against him in multiple criminal cases.
27-Jan-2026
Three unidentified assailants, suspected to be gangster operatives, opened fire at the residence of businessman Gurwinder Singh in Chambal village of Tarn Taran district on the intervening night of January 27–28. Gurwinder Singh said that he and his family were asleep when attackers fired at the main gate of his house around midnight before fleeing on a motorcycle. Sources said Gurwinder had been receiving extortion calls from gangsters, indicating a possible extortion-linked attack.
27-Jan-2026
Punjab Chief Minister (CM) Bhagwant Mann on January 27 reviewed the second phase of the ‘Yudh Nashian Virudh’ campaign and announced that a state-level meeting of village defense committees (VDCs) will be convened to provide renewed momentum and clearer direction to the anti-drug drive. Addressing the review meeting, Mann said that while drug abuse is a global problem, nowhere has a war against narcotics been launched with such intensity. He said that a 1.5 lakh-strong force of ‘Pinda De Pehredaar’ (warriors), comprising village defense committees (VDC), has been constituted to help make Punjab drug-free.